Best Players Whose Last Names Start With the Letter K

Special K is a popular brand of cereal, but this lineup of "K" baseball players is also very special. The roster features several Hall of Famers and has offensive power as well as pitching power.

With this power comes a lot of K's, or strikeouts, as the outfielders alone amassed over 4000 strikeouts in their careers. The pitchers for this "K" team, though, racked up a lot of K's against their opponents.

Here is the lineup of the best players whose last name begins with the letter K.

First Base - Al Kaline: The Hall of Famer had a stellar career with the Tigers, leading them to the World Series Championship in 1968. He had the rare combination of power and the ability to hit for a high batting average.

Second Base - Jeff Kent: The well-travelled MVP quietly put up staggering numbers for a middle infielder. He played in relative anonymity in the shadow of Barry Bonds in San Francisco, but he was the team's biggest run producer.

Shortstop - Tony Kubek: The 1957 Rookie of the Year's career was relatively short, but he still carried a respectable batting average playing in the decade of the pitching. His stellar defense and workmanlike approach helped the Yankees to the 1961 World Series Championship.

Third Base - Harmon Killebrew: The Senators/Twins slugger ended up just shy of 600 career home runs during a career that included 12 All-Star appearances and an MVP award in 1969.

Catcher - Jason Kendall: He brought speed and a consistently high batting average from a position that was notoriously slow. Through his hustle and exciting play he became a favorite of Pirates fans, one of the few things they had to cheer about in the 90s.

Outfield 1 - Chuck Klein: The Phillies slugger hit 300 homers and carried a .320 batting average from 1928-1944.

Outfield 2 - Ralph Kiner: The loveable Hall of Famer pounded almost 400 home runs and drove in over 1000 in a short ten year career spent mostly with the Pirates.

Outfield 3 - Dave Kingman: The well-travelled All-Star hit nearly 450 home runs while five times receiving MVP votes between 1972 and 1984.

Designated Hitter - Ted Kluszewski: One of the most popular players in Cincinnati's long history, "Klu" cranked out over 200 homers, drove in over 1000, and hit .298 in his career. In 1954 he hit 49 dingers and drove in 142 but somehow did not win the league MVP.

Pitcher 1 - Sandy Koufax: He was the best pitcher in the late 50s and early 60s, leading the Dodgers to several pennants and a World Series Championship. His strikeout numbers are staggering, and nearly every game was a potential no-hitter.

Pitcher 2 - Tim Keefe: He had 42 wins in one season, and then earned 41 more a few years later. In fact, from 1880-1893 he amassed 342 wins and posted a 3.82 ERA.

Pitcher 3 - Jerry Koosman: A key part of the 1969 Miracle Mets, the lefthander won 222 games with a lifetime ERA of 3.36.

Relief Pitcher - Darold Knowles: The lefthander helped several teams to the World Series, including the A's and the Cardinals. He had a miniscule 3.12 ERA and earned 143 saves in his 16 year career.