Jason Daniel Kendall (born June 26, 1974 in San
Diego, California) is a Major League Baseball
catcher who is currently on the Milwaukee Brewers.
He is the son of former catcher Fred Kendall, who
played in the majors from 1969–1980.
Kendall attended and played at Torrance (California)
High School, where he tied a national high school
record by hitting safely in 43 straight games. He
was drafted out of high school in the first round of
the 1992 amateur draft (23rd overall pick) by the
Pittsburgh Pirates.
He made the major league squad in 1996 and was the
Pirates' starting catcher until he was traded to the
Oakland Athletics for Arthur Rhodes and Mark Redman
after the 2004 season. In his rookie year, he hit
.300, made the National League All-Star Team and was
named NL rookie of the year by The Sporting News (he
finished third in voting for the MLB Rookie of the
Year award). He was also an All-Star in 1998 and
2000.
