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12/12/2006 7:27 PM ET
Texas Rangers sign OF Kenny Lofton
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ARLINGTON -- Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels announced on Friday the club has signed six-time All-Star outfielder Kenny Lofton to a one-year contract. Per team policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
"Kenny is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game and has played on many postseason clubs over the years," said Daniels. "He can get on base, set the tone for the lineup and play center field. He's a winner and will be a great addition to our team."
Lofton, 39, has a .299 lifetime batting average with 599 career stolen bases, the highest total of any active Major League player and 17th all-time. His 1,442 runs scored ranks sixth among active players. He was named to the All-Star team six consecutive seasons from 1994-99 and led the American League in stolen bases in five straight campaigns from 1992-96.
He has recorded 2,283 hits, 123 home runs and 743 RBIs while posting a .372 on-base percentage in 1,967 career games. He has a 79.6 percent career stolen-base success rate (599/752), including an 85 percent mark (32/37) last season, the sixth-best mark in the National League.
Lofton batted .301 with three home runs and 41 RBIs in 129 games for the Dodgers in 2006, the most games he has played in since the 2003 season with Pittsburgh and the Chicago Cubs (140). The 129 games also marked the most he has played in with one team since he appeared in 133 with Cleveland in 2001. Lofton batted .317 (33-for-104) with six doubles and 36 RBIs with runners in scoring position and .295 (18-for-61) in close and late situations.
He had 12 triples in 2006, which tied for fourth in the National League and was the second most ever by a Los Angeles Dodgers player, behind Willie Davis' 16 in 1962. In 2006, he and the Giants' Steve Finley were the first players to register 12 or more triples at the age of 39 or older since Joe Kuhel had 13 in 1945. He has 110 career triples which is second among active players behind Finley's 124.
A four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993-96), Lofton has a .984 career fielding percentage playing primarily center field. He has a career total to 134 assists, which is the third-highest total among active players. Last season, he had .988 fielding percentage which ranked 15th in the National League.
The 16-year veteran has helped lead his team to the postseason 10 times, including five consecutive appearances in the Division Series from 1995-99. His teams have reached the League Championship Series six times and have twice advanced to the World Series, including the 2002 Fall Classic with San Francisco. That season, he was acquired by the Giants at the trading deadline and delivered the walk-off, game-winning, pennant-clinching single in Game 5 of the NLCS.
A native of East Chicago, Ind., Lofton attended the University of Arizona, where he played baseball and basketball. His 1988 basketball squad reached the Final Four, and he was the starting point guard on the 1989 team that was ranked No. 1 in the country. He left as the Wildcats' single-season and career leader in steals and did not play baseball until his junior year. Houston originally drafted Lofton in the 17th round of the 1988 First-Year Player Draft.
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