Ed Kirkpatrick

Popular Ed Kirkpatrick earned his keep with versatility and occasional power. Debuting at age seventeen, he spent seven years up and down with the Angels before he was traded in 1968 to Kansas City, where he played more or less regularly for five seasons. Most productive in his first two years with the Royals, he had 14 HR in 1969. As Kansas City’s regular catcher (a position he preferred not to play) in 1970, he hit 18 HR with 62 RBI. A 1981 car accident left Kirkpatrick in a wheelchair.