Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Player Profile: Kris Benson

I have 26 cards of Kris Benson. This one is from 2000 Impact.

Playing career: Kris Benson was the number one pick in the 1996 draft, but injuries and inconsistency prevented him from fully realizing the promise of being drafted first overall. He did win 70 games in nine seasons for the Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Diamondbacks. His best season was 2005, when he went 10-8 with a 4.13 ERA for the Mets. A fuller account of his career can be found at bdj610’s Topps Baseball Card Blog.

Where he is now: An independent entrepreneur focused on wealth and business management.

Interesting facts: Best known for his wife, Anna, who became a bigger celebrity than her husband in New York. She was known for her wild and provocative behavior, such as threatening to sleep with the entire Mets team if Kris had an affair. The Bensons did do positive things in the spotlight as well, most notably starting a charity for first responders called “Benson’s Battalion” that was praised in the Congressional Record. Kris filed for divorce in 2012, and in July of 2013 Anna was arrested after breaking into Kris’s house, armed and demanding $30,000. She spent four months in jail, then pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and gun possession and was sentenced to fifteen years of probation and three months of therapy.

My memories: He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2012.

Google Autocomplete results: He is second when you type Kris B, between Kris Bryant, the Cubs’ first round draft choice (second overall) last year, and Kris Bowers, a musician. Another prominent Kris Benson is the Principal of the Isaacs Early Childhood School in Plano, TX.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Todd Benzinger.

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