Ken Hill was originally in the Tigers Minor League system, but the Cardinals picked him up in trade for catcher Mike Heath. When you watched Ken Hill pitch, he looked the part of a very good pitcher. He threw hard, could rack up the Ks, and for a few years he was the best young pitcher the Cardinals had in their rotation. The front office's patience wained a bit, and he was traded to the Expos for Andres Galarraga.
Ken Hill was great for the Expos. He won 16 games his first year in Montreal, and then led the National League in wins during the strike shortened 1994 season.
I found this video from an Expos broadcast that seems to give a little bit into Ken Hill's career....
Know that the Expos traded him back to the Cardinals where he continued his trend of looking like a really good pitcher, but getting none of the results. Ken Hill would go on to pitch for 14 years in the Majors, finishing with a 117-109 record, and an ERA just above 4.00. If only he could have pitched 15 years for the Expos....
On to the card.
The Cardinals roster started turning over from the WhiteyBall era players in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Half of the team left via free agency, and there were a lot of young players on the way up to the team. Todd Zeile was sort of the most highly regarded prospect of the bunch, but the Cardinals also had Ray Lankford, Bernard Gilkey, Geronimo Pena, and Hill.
I wouldn't say that Hill was a bust, he just turned out to be an end of the rotation starter with a front of the rotation arm. He was really the Cardinals only decent young arm from the early 1990s though. The rest all seemed to turn into relievers. See Rheal Cormier.
Back of the card.
I wouldn't say that Hill was a bust, he just turned out to be an end of the rotation starter with a front of the rotation arm. He was really the Cardinals only decent young arm from the early 1990s though. The rest all seemed to turn into relievers. See Rheal Cormier.
Back of the card.
Hill was called up to the Cardinals from Double A. While his Minor League numbers look pedestrian, when the Cardinals sent him back down to work at Triple A, he was pretty much untouchable. Hill went 6-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 104 strikeouts in just 85 innings. He pitched with the Cardinals in 1990 and 1991, he the trade with the Expos happened before the 1992 season.
I remember writing about Ken a few years ago. Had to search it up... but I discovered Canseco own him... by going 15 for 36 with 4 home runs. Gotta love useless facts about baseball.
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