Kurt Stillwell

Kurt Andrew Stillwell

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Thousand Oaks High School
• Debut April 13, 1986
• Final Game September 29, 1996
• Born June 4, 1965 in Glendale, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Kurt Stillwell played nine years in the major leagues, getting most of his playing time with the Kansas City Royals. He had six seasons with at least 400 plate appearances. Kurt made the All-Star team in 1988. He made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds at the start of the 1986 season, before he turned age 21, and was one of the youngest players in the National League. He also had seven seasons in the minors between 1983 and 1996, mostly at the AAA level.

Kurt was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1983 amateur draft by the Reds and scouts Dave Calaway and Larry Barton Jr. He was traded to the Royals following the 1987 season, as future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin was starting his career as the Reds' shortstop for the next 15 years. The trade sent Stillwell and P Ted Power to Kansas City in return for P Danny Jackson and SS Angel Salazar. Stillwell took over for Salazar as the Royals' starter in 1988 and kept the job until 1991, playing over 100 games each of these four seasons. His highest batting average during that stretch was .265 and he had limited power, reaching double digits in homers only once, with 10 in 1988, which was also the only year his OPS+ was at 100 or above.

Disappointed by his failure to develop into a star - Bill James had famously pegged him as a possible Hall of Famer in one of his books when he first joined the Royals, based on his ability to establish himself as a major league regular at a very young age - the Royals did not attempt to re-sign him when he became a free agent after the 1991 season. He signed with the San Diego Padres for 1992 and slid over to second base, but hit just .227 in 114 games, with no other secondary contributions. He became a back-up in 1993 and was released at the end of July that year after hitting just .215 in 57 games. He was given brief looks by the California Angels and Texas Rangers, at the end of the 1993 season and in 1996, respectively, but could not regain a regular job.

Stillwell has been a pro sports agent with the Scott Boras Corporation since 2000. He is the son of Ron Stillwell and brother of Rod Stillwell.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1988)

Related Sites

• See Where Have You Gone, Kurt Stillwell?.