Sean Casey Inducted into Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame
January 29, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Kinston Indians News Release
Kinston, NC - Today the Kinston Indians induct former K-Triber and MLB All-Star Sean Casey into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. Casey, who retired on Tuesday after spending last season (his 12th at the Major League level) with the Boston Red Sox, is the 27th inductee into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.
Casey was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 2nd round of the 1995 amateur draft out of the University of Richmond where he was the NCAA Division I Batting Champ in 1995. As a Kinston Indian in 1996, Casey was a Carolina League All-Star at first base. Casey hit 12 home runs in 1996, leading the Carolina League with a .331 batting average and leading the league in slugging percentage. Casey was also second in the League in on-base percentage and third in doubles (31). Casey did all this in just 92 games, missing the last six weeks of the season due to injury. Casey's .331 mark is the third highest season batting average in Kinston Indians History. Casey led Kinston to a 76-62 overall record and a Southern Division Title.
Casey played just six games in the bigs for Cleveland, making his mark as a Cincinnati Red from 1998-2005. Casey was selected as an MLB All-Star in 1999, 2001 and 2004. Casey hit .324 in 2004, hitting 24 home runs and 99 RBIs. In 2005, Casey set Reds record with just two errors and the highest fielding percentage in a season by a first baseman. Casey joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006, and then was traded to Detroit midway through the season. In the 2006 playoffs with Detroit, Casey hit .432 (16-37), the highest career post-season batting average by a Tiger's player. He hit .529 with two home runs in the World Series alone; the two home runs tied a Detroit post-season series record. His three extra base hits in game five of the World Series also tied a Tigers post season record. After spending the 2007 season with Detroit, Casey spent 2008 with the Boston Red Sox, hitting .322 in 69 games. Casey retired on Tuesday and will join the new MLB Television Network as a studio analyst. He has a career batting average of .302, with 130 homers and 735 RBIs. Off the stat line, Casey was the Reds nominee for the Branch Rickey Award, The Sporting News' Good Guy Award, the Roberto Clemente Award and USA Weekend's Most Caring Athlete Award in both 2004 and 2005. He was also nominated for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award in 2002 and 2005.
Carolina League Stories from January 29, 2009
- Sean Casey Inducted into Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame - Kinston Indians
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