Quick Facts
Biography
Kevin Joseph Witt (born January 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player and the current hitting coach for the Jupiter Hammerheads. Witt spent parts of five seasons in the major leagues, appearing with the Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, most often as a designated hitter. He also played parts of two seasons in Japan, spending time with the Yokohama BayStars and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Career
Witt was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft. Originally a shortstop, Witt was converted to first base while in the minors. He made his major league debut for the Blue Jays as a September call-up in 1998. His only significant playing time came with the Tigers in 2003, when he batted .263 in 93 games while splitting his time between designated hitter, first base, and left field.
After spending the 2004 season back in the minor leagues, Witt signed with the BayStars in 2005. He returned to North America the next season, and earned International League Most Valuable Player honors after leading all of minor league baseball with 36 home runs, while setting a Triple-A Durham Bulls franchise record and a Rays' organization record. That earned him one last major league stint, where he batted .148 in 19 games for the Devil Rays. He returned to Japan in 2007 for Rakuten, but hit just .174 in 40 games in what turned out to be his final professional season.
As Coach
Witt has spent most of his coaching career in the Miami Marlins organization. He was named as the hitting coach for the New Orleans Baby Cakes (Marlins' AAA) for the 2017 season, the hitting coach for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins' AA) for the 2018 season, and the hitting coach for the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins' High A) for the 2019 season.
Sources
