#158 Kevin Koslofski

About the Front: This is a strange photo. Kevin Koslofski is staring in the direction of the pitcher (I think), he's holding his batting gloves while he runs, and he's awfully close to the infield grass. I would guess that he's already been put out and he's just jogging back to the Royals' dugout.

About the Back: Eight-plus years of riding buses just to get a peek at the big time. Those 55 games represented the majority of Kevin's MLB career; he totaled 42 games with K.C. and Milwaukee over the next four seasons.

Triple Play:

1. Koslofski hit his first career home run on August 27, 1992. It was a solo shot off of future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

2. Kevin signed with the Royals out of high school and continued his education at Millikin University in Decatur, IL in the offseason, eventually completing his degree 11 years later.

3. In a 2007 interview, Kevin recalled the thrill of seeing himself on a Topps card. He said that he walked into a local hobby shop and the owner let him open packs from a box of 1993 Topps until he found his card.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I always got a kick out of some of the more offbeat minor league names. "Baseball City" was the Royals and Cardinals Spring Training complex and a baseball theme park near Orlando, I'm now learning.

Bill James Said: "As a Royals fan, I couldn't understand why he wasn't in the majors last year, since he provides a combination of things that the Royals need - speed, a lefthanded bat on the bench, and a defensive outfielder."

On This Date in 1993: February 7. 33 years after they first appeared on TV, Pebbles Flinstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble get married. My invitation must have been lost in the mail.