John Kruk

John Kruk is known as a retired American pro baseball player and sports analyst. He is most famous for playing on the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago White Sox.

John Martin Kruk is a former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder from the United States. Kruk was a player for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1995. He was a three-time MLB All-Star throughout his career. Kruk became an ESPN baseball commentator after retiring as a player. He presently works as a color commentator for NBC Sports Philadelphia's Phillies games.

Background and Age

On February 9, 1961, John Kruk was born in Charleston, West Virginia; He spent most of his childhood growing up in Keyser. He attended Keyser High School before going on to play baseball at Potomac State College. He then attended Allegany Community College and became the first graduate from Allegany Community College to play Major League Baseball. He was also included in the Potomac State College Athletic Hall of Fame in the year 1988.

Career and Net Worth

Following his graduation from Allegany College in 1981, John Kruk pursued his professional career as a baseball player. He started his career with San Diego Padres. Although he was drafted in 1981, it wasn't until 1986 that Kruk made his debut. His big break came in 1987 when he hit 313 with 20 home runs and 91 RBI. It was this game that helped him secure the position of a backup on the All-Star Team.

In the year 1989, Philadelphia Phillies traded him. He was named to three consecutive National League All-Star teams in 1991, 1992, and 1993. In the year 1994, Kruk discovered that he had testicular cancer. He then entered free agency at the end of that season. He started playing for the American League when he joined the Chicago White Sox.

John Kruk retired abruptly in 1995 after he hit a single in a game against the Orioles at Camden Yards stadium. However, he retired with awe-inspiring statistics and a batting average of 300. He also became one of five players to finish his career with exactly 100 home runs.

He turned into a writer when he published I Ain't an Athlete, Lady in 1994. He then went on to pursue a broadcasting career. He joined Major League Baseball on Fox and also did several local telecasts around Philadelphia. In the year 2004, he started working as an analyst for ESPN on the show Baseball Tonight. He also became responsible for a column on ESPN.com named Chewing the Fat.

He has also worked in movies and television shows, including The Fan, American Pastime, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. In the year 2011, Kruk was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.

Marriage, Wife, and Kids

John Kruk got married to Jamie Heeter in the year 1991, but the marriage ended in divorce. He then remarried in the year 2000 to Melissa McLoughlin.

Legal Problems

Kruk rented a property in San Diego with two other men in October 1987: a high school buddy, Roy Plummer, and a friend of Plummer's, Vernon (Jay) Hafer. Plummer nearly always picked up the tab when they went out to eat or party. In addition, Plummer supported the group's lifestyle by moonlighting as an armed robber. Hafer functioned as his getaway driver, unnoticed by Kruk, who moved out to play winter ball in Mexico in November. During spring training in February 1988, the FBI approached Kruk with a photograph of Plummer taken during a bank robbery to warn him of his roommates' illegal actions. According to the FBI, Plummer felt Kruk had given him the police, and Kruk feared retaliation until Plummer was captured on September 19, 1988. The continued tension from the incident, according to Kruk, had a severe impact on his on-field performance that season.

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