Kenny Myers

Kenneth Eugene Myers

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Jacob Riis High School

• Born August 26, 1920 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died in 1972

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Kenny Myers played 13 seasons in the minor leagues, starting as a 16-year-old in the Arizona-Texas League in 1937 and finishing with the Yakima Bears of the Western International League in 1951. He did not play from 1943 to 1945, presumably because he was serving in the armed forces durting World War II. He was mostly a catcher and had his best season with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the Sunset League in 1947, hitting .303 with 33 homers and 121 RBI in 135 games.

After his playing career, he became a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the California Angels. he signed Willie Davis and Jim Merritt amkong others, but was much more than a scout. Norm Sherry called him "the most knowledgeable baseball man in all phases of the game" and John Herbold, himself a coaching legend, called him "the finest hitting instructor of all time". For example, he took Davis, who was a sprinting star in high school but not much of a player and taught him to hit from the left side to take advantage of his great speed (he was a natural right-handed batter). He also worked closely with another Dodger great, catcher Johnny Roseboro, to mold him into a major league hitter.

Further Reading

• Rick Obran: "The Sandlot Mentors of Los Angeles", in Jean Hastings Ardell and Andy McCue, ed.: Endless Seasons: Baseball in Southern California, The National Pastime, SABR, Number 41, 2011, pp. 23-27.