Kevin Mench

In spring training 2002, Texas outfielder Rusty Greer became friends with Kevin Mench. One day Greer looked at Mench, who wore a size 8 baseball cap, and said, “You look like Shrek.” The popular movie had come out the summer before and featured a green ogre with a large head. “I’m going to give you that nickname,” Greer told Mench, who replied, “Screw you, it will never stick.”

Greer shared the nickname with the media and soon after, fans came up to Mench looking for autographs and asked him to sign baseballs or pictures, adding the ‘Shrek’ nickname to his signature. “The fans always asked me about it; that’s how people relate to me,” Mench said. “I sign it on autographs, sign it on stuff when they ask. It just helps people relate.”1

His nickname wasn’t the only memorable part of Mench’s career. In April 2006, while playing for Texas, he became the first right-handed batter to homer in seven consecutive games.  Oddly enough, Mench only hit six more homers the rest of the season, during which he was traded to Milwaukee. He finished his eight-year major league career with 89 home runs and a batting line of .268/.324/.456 across 729 games.

Kevin Ford Mench was born on January 7, 1978, to Christopher Mench Sr. and Mary Lou Mench in Wilmington, Delaware. Christoper was the supervisor of interscholastic sports, physical education, and health education for the Cecil County, Maryland, district and would later become a high school principal. Mary Lou worked as a real estate agent. Kevin joined older siblings Andrea, Christopher Jr., and David. Both brothers pitched in college, and both had arm issues, which convinced Mench to become a position player.2

As a child, Mench played soccer and baseball. In 1990, his Newark (Delaware) Americans Little League team made it as far as the Eastern Regionals final game before falling to Shippensburg (Pennsylvania), 8-2, just one game away from advancing to the Little League World Series.3 The Pennsylvania team made it to the World Series title game before losing to Chinese Taipei, 9-0.4

Mench, a right-handed batter and thrower, starred at St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington and was named to the All-Catholic Conference first team three years as an outfielder. During his sophomore year, St. Mark’s defeated Caesar Rodney 4-0 in the state championship game to claim its third title in 10 years, led by Mench’s two hits and two runs scored.5 He earned All-State honors in his junior and senior seasons and was selected as Delaware’s USA Today Baseball Player of the Year in his senior campaign.6 His team lost 11-2 to Newark in the state championship game his senior year.7 In the summer, Mench played American Legion ball and also played in a semipro league in Delaware.8

Later that summer, Mench was UD baseball coach Bob Hannah explained, saying, “It depends on the year and what our needs are. Two or three kids a year is about par for the course.”9 The “draft” was not actually a draft, but just the number of players the team needed to fill its roster in a particular season.

Mench had a successful freshman season for the Blue Hens, earning American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-East Region first team status.10 He also was named to the 1997 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team as chosen by Collegiate Baseball. Mench was further honored by being named the America East Conference Rookie of the Year after hitting 19 home runs, knocking in 67 runs, and batting .403—all Delaware freshman records.11

His sophomore season was even better. Mench clobbered 33 home runs, drove in 72, stole 16 bases and batted.455. He broke the school career record of 46 home runs—held by Delaware coach Jim Sherman—in just two seasons. He earned multiple honors, including Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year; Eastern College Athletic Conference/Reebok Division 1 Player of the Year; first team honors in America East, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, ABCA/Rawlings All-East, and ABCA All-American first team. That summer Mench played for Chatham in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he struggled to adjust to using a wood bat for the first time, hitting   just .240. “I’ve grown accustomed to wood,” Mench said. “I think I prefer it to aluminum.”12

Mench, who had been named to the third-team preseason All-American team before his sophomore campaign, earned first team All-American status for Collegiate Baseball prior to his junior season. The Blue Hens had lost several key players after Mench’s sophomore year, so the slugger had fewer bats to back him up in 1999. Nevertheless, he hit 19 home runs, knocked in 70 runs, and finished with a .373 average.13 His 71 career home runs ranked in the Top 20 all-time in NCAA Division 1 history, trailing leader Pete Incaviglia, who blasted 100 homers in his three-year career at Oklahoma State.14 Mench’s .875 slugging average at the time ranked third behind Incaviglia and Pat Burrell.15

Mench was selected in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 1999 major league draft by the Texas Rangers. He was signed by Rangers scout Doug Harris. ASlthough Mench later didn’t recall the exact amount, he thought the signing bonus “was about $215,000.”16

The outfielder was assigned to the rookie Pulaski (Virginia) Rangers of the Appalachian League. He tore up the rookie circuit, leading in home runs (16) and ranking third in RBIs (60) and batting average (.362). He was named to the all-star team and earned an end-of-season promotion to Savannah (Georgia) in the South Atlantic League (Single A), where he batted .304 with two home runs in six games. In the fall, Mench spent a month in the Instructional League with other top prospects.17

Mench spent the 2000 season at Port Charlotte in the Florida State League (High A). He played well in the first half and was named to play in the FSL All-Star game for the Western Division team. He and teammate Travis Hafner competed in the home run derby competition, with Mench reaching the semifinals.18 Mench finished the season by winning the FSL Most Valuable Player award; he was also selected to the USA Today Baseball Weekly Minor League All-Star team.19 He led the league in several categories, including home runs (27) and RBIs (121). Once again, Mench played in the autumn; he was named to the Arizona Fall League All-Prospect team, along with players such as Albert Pujols, Marcus Giles, and Jimmy Rollins.20

January 2001 started off badly as Mench underwent surgery on his left wrist to remove cartilage that had been causing him issues the previous season.21 The Rangers added him to their major league camp as a non-roster invitee, but in late February Mench suffered a sprained left wrist and was sent back to the minor league camp and assigned to Double-A Tulsa in the Texas League. He was named to the Eastern Division team in the Texas League All-Star game but didn’t play because of a hamstring injury.22 Mench finished the year with 26 home runs despite missing 19 games. He played for a second straight year in the Arizona Fall League.

Mench was invited to his first big-league camp in 2002. Though he performed well, hitting six home runs and knocking in 16 while batting .321 in 27 spring games, was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma. He played two games for the RedHawks before getting called up to Texas when pitcher Rich Rodriguez went on the disabled list in early April.23

Mench went 0-for-4 in his first game on April 9 in a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics. He connected for his first big-league hit the next day, an RBI single off Oakland’s Cory Lidle in the second inning of a 4-2 win at The Ballpark in Arlington. On April 11, Mench hit his first major league home run off Oakland’s Mark Mulder in the second inning and finished with four RBIs on a two-run homer, groundout, and sacrifice fly. “I’m just trying to get back to that groove I had in the spring,” Mench said after the game. “I want to do whatever I can to stay here and be a consistent player.”24

Mench played 11 games in April before being sent to Triple-A to make way for pitcher Rob Bell. Just over a week later, Mench was called back up to Texas when outfielder Carl Everett went on the disabled list. The Texas-Oklahoma shuttle continued when Everett came off the DL and Mench was sent back to the minors on May 20.

Mench came back for good on June 9 and hit a solo home run the next day off Cincinnati Reds pitcher José Silva in an 8-2 Ranger win at home. Over the next three weeks, Mench blasted six home runs, including two in a 7-4 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 20. He finished the season with 15 homers in 110 games—despite not hitting a homer after August 21— and was seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, won by third baseman Eric Hinske.

Mench came into spring training for the 2003 season as a favorite to retain a starting outfield job. “He established last year that he is making his way to being a quality, everyday outfielder,” manager Buck Showalter said in January. “He’s served his apprenticeship, so let’s see where it goes.”25 Mench gained some financial security, signing a one-year deal for $327,500 in early February.26

Early during camp, Rafael Palmeiro’s two sons came up to Mench and yelled, “What’s up, Shrek?” Mench laughed and said, “They’re just having fun. Nothing bothers me, it’s just fun. You’re writing your life story, and you want to have fun with it.” Showalter noted, “Kevin likes to be involved. He has the kind of personality that can draw out other personalities.”27

The fun-loving Mench suffered a strained left oblique muscle in late March and was placed on the 15-day disabled list, missing the first two weeks of the regular season after batting .347 with four homers and 14 RBIs in spring action.28 After a brief rehab stint at Double-A Frisco, Mench returned to the Rangers on April 17, collecting a hit against Anaheim’s Mickey Callaway in a 9-7 win over the Angels. Mench struggled over the next couple weeks and was sent down to Oklahoma on May 2. He was called back up to Texas in early June when outfielder Rubén Sierra was traded to the New York Yankees, and almost immediately went on a tear, batting .343/.390/.523 to raise his batting average to .301 as the calendar flipped to July.

Unfortunately for Mench and the Rangers, his season came to a halt when he was hit on the left wrist by a Juan Rincón pitch in an 8-6 win over the Minnesota Twins on July 8. “I feel bad for Kevin,” Showalter said. “He’s been working hard. Now he looks locked in and now this happens.”29 His season ended when he had wrist surgery in early September. The Rangers had hoped Mench could recover in time to play winter ball, but his wrist didn’t heal in time. “Kevin, to this point, is not 100 percent,” Rangers general manager John Hart said after Christmas. “That gives us some concern. We feel he’ll be ready to play, but Kevin has to come to spring training showing he’s healthy and is ready to recapture it.”30

Mench was physically sound in spring training, amassing the most at-bats (71) on the team. The results were less than hoped for: he batted only .211 with three home runs. Mench, who had moved to right field from left during the spring, was playing well until the injury bug hit again in late May. On May 23, Mench had to leave the game with a left oblique strain one inning after throwing out former teammate Alex Rodriguez at the plate in an 8-3 loss to the Yankees.31 Mench went on the 15-day DL and returned in mid-June to have a solid season, setting career highs with 26 home runs and an .874 OPS (on base plus slugging).

The Rangers met with Mench and his agent Ivan Schwartz during 2005 spring training to negotiate a long-term contract, but when no deal was reached Mench was renewed at $345,000. in early April.32 Late in the summer, the Rangers and Schwartz broke off talks on a deal that was announced as three years, $12 million. “They pulled the offer last week when we got to Baltimore,” Mench said in early August. “I don’t know why. I thought we were close.”33 Mench finished the season appearing in a career-high 150 games and set career marks in runs, hits, doubles, stolen bases, and RBIs.

After the season, Mench fired Schwartz and hired Dan Lozano of the Beverly Hills Council as his new agent. As a February 10 arbitration hearing date neared, Mench asked for $3 million while the Rangers offered $2 million.34 A few days later, Mench and the Rangers reached agreement on a one-year, $2.8 million deal, with an additional $50,000 based on plate appearances.35 Mench then had a great spring, batting .417 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs.

When the regular season began, Mench failed to drive in a run or hit a homer in his first 10 games. He went to an orthotics specialist because of a recurring foot problem and found that he had been wearing shoes a half-size too small.36 In late April, Mench connected for home runs in seven straight games, behind only the eight-game streaks fashioned by Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987), and Dale Long (1956).37 Mench also had a 14-game hitting streak, during which he knocked in 22 runs and hit a pair of grand slams.

Mench was in the midst of another solid season when he was traded with pitcher Francisco Cordero, outfielder Laynce Nix, and minor league pitcher Julian Cordero to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielders Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz before the trade deadline. “I was upset because Texas was all I knew,” Mench said years later.38 “There’s some things that bother you, mostly when someone comes to you and says you’re getting traded,” Mench said in 2004. “I’ve bought a house in Texas. This is the only team I know…but it’s part of the business.”39 He also mentioned that several Milwaukee players, especially Jeff Cirillo, helped make the transition to the new team easier.

It didn’t take Mench long to win over the Brewer fans. In his second game with Milwaukee, he went 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. A crowd of nearly 43,000 stood and applauded until Mench came out of the dugout and tipped his cap. “I don’t like that stuff, but if they want me to come out there, I guess I will,” he said. “It’s a blue-collar town and that’s the kind of person I am.”40 Unfortunately for Mench and the Brewers, that homer would be the last of the season for him; he finished with 13 round-trippers for the season overall. In his 40 games for the Brewers, Mench hit .230/.248/.317 across 126 at-bats.

In early December, newspaper reports had Mench going to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Rodrigo López.41 That deal fell through and one month later Mench and the Brewers agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.4 million.

Going into spring training for the 2007 season, Brewers manager Ned Yost suggested a left field platoon including Mench and Geoff Jenkins. Both players expressed their displeasure; Mench said, “We don’t know what their thinking is. Everybody can play every day somewhere, so if they’re not going to do that, we need to go where we can play. It’s kind of unnerving not knowing where you’ll end up.”42

In late February, Mench ‘tweaked’ his right elbow lifting weights. An MRI revealed a “loose body” in his elbow, but no further treatment was needed.43 He started off the regular season with a bang, hitting a two-run home run off left-hander Randy Wolf in the second game of the season, a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mench platooned with Jenkins in left field per Yost’s plan and also played 33 games in right field. After hitting .267/.305/.441 with just eight home runs across 288 at-bats, he was designated for assignment after the season and became a free agent.

Mench signed a minor league deal with Texas in mid-February 2008 after the Rangers, Yankees, and Kansas City Royals all showed interest in the 30-year-old free agent. He received a non-roster invitation to the Rangers spring training camp. When asked about his chances for making the big-league club, Mench said, “They’ll make the decision at the end. There’s not much more I can do than go out, do what I do and let the chips fall where they may.”44

Mench battled with Nelson Cruz, Jason Botts, and Jason Ellison for the final spot on the Rangers roster, which went to Botts. Mench batted .359 during the spring but lost out because Botts had experience at first base. “Bottsy just played,” manager Ron Washington said. “He did what we asked him to do. He earned his way on this team.”45 Mench began the season at Triple-A Oklahoma, where he had played five years earlier. After playing in just 29 games there, he was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays in early May.

Mench hit just .210 over two months for Toronto and was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse in the International League in late June. He was recalled to Toronto two weeks later when Blue Jay outfielder Vernon Wells went on the disabled list. Mench spent five weeks in Toronto and was optioned back to Syracuse for a few days. He finished the season as a September call-up for the Blue Jays. In late October, Toronto designated Mench for assignment, and he became a free agent.

Just before Christmas, Mench signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League. He batted .148 in 15 games and left the team in midseason, just a month before his twins were born,46“Baseball is different in Japan,” Mench said. “The pitchers pitch differently. They use a lot more off-speed stuff than they do here. I just didn’t make the adjustment baseball-wise.”47

In February 2010, the Washington Nationals signed Mench to a minor league deal. He began the season at Triple-A Syracuse, which had become a Nationals affiliate the previous season. When Nyjer Morgan went on the 15-day DL for Washington in early August, Mench was called up to replace him. He played sparingly over the rest of the season, batting .111 (3-for-27) in 27 appearances for the Nationals.

Mench retired after the 2010 season following his release by the Nationals. For his career, he played 729 games for four different teams, with 89 home runs, 150 doubles, and 14 triples among his 632 hits.

After Mench’s playing career ended, he gave hitting lessons and participated in baseball clinics in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He also is a part of the Texas Rangers alumni program that keeps the players involved in the community. Mench also worked as a brand ambassador for American Diamond Logistics, a provider of warehousing, transportation, and logistics services across America.

He was honored in his home state of Delaware three separate times for his baseball accomplishments: University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame (2005), Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame (2015), and the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame (2017).

Mench is divorced and is the father of twins (daughter Karisa and son Kain) and daughter Makenna. He lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Last revised: October 20, 2026

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Kevin Mench for his input via email and direct messages, July-September 2026. This biography was reviewed by Paul Proia and David Bilmes and checked for accuracy by Dan Schoenholz of SABR’s fact-checking team.

Photo credit: Kevin Mench, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, The Baseball Cube.com, and Retrosheet.org.

Notes

1 Interview with Jeff Pearlman, April 4, 2013. https://jeffpearlman.com/2013/04/04/the-quaz-qa-kevin-mench, Retrieved September 8, 2026.

2 Carlos Mendez, “Head Games,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 2, 2002: 1D, 4D.

3 Jack Chevalier, “Newark ousted in region final,” News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), August 19, 1990: F1.

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Little_League_World_Series, Retrieved July 26, 2026.

5 Kevin Tresolini, “St. Mark’s shuts out Caesar Rodney,” News Journal, June 5, 1994: E6.

6 Matt Zabitka, “Two in-state freshman tapped for UD baseball,” News Journal, July 24, 1996: DE6.

7 Kevin Tresolini, “Mission accomplished,” News Journal, June 6, 1996: C1.

8 Matt Zabitka, “Two in-state freshman tapped for UD baseball.”

9 Matt Zabitka, “Two in-state freshman tapped for UD baseball.”

10 “Five Hens Named ABCA All-East,” News Journal, May 29, 1997: C2.

11 “Mench makes ‘slugger’ team,” News Journal, May 23, 1997: C7.

12 Matt Zabitka, “Mench gets most out of modern bats,” News Journal, August 26, 1998: C2.

13 Doug Lesmerises, “Rangers tab UD’s Mench in 4th round,” News Journal, June 3, 1999: C1.

14 “Division 1 Baseball Records,” http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2021/D1.pdf, Retrieved July 27, 2026.

15 Doug Lesmerises, “Rangers tab UD’s Mench in 4th round,” News Journal, June 3, 1999: C1.

16 Author text message exchange with Kevin Mench, July 27, 2026.

17 Tom Tomashek, “Ex-Blue Hens have major league goals,” News Journal, February 15, 2000: C1.

18 Dennis Maffezzoli, “Delgado first showed his power against Rangers,” Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Florida), July 2, 2000: 9C.

19 “Rangers Report,” Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), September 14, 2000: 4D.

20 Rod Beaton, “Arizona Fall League pitches major ideas,” USA Today, November 21, 2000: 27C.

21 Doug Lesmerises, “Numbers adding up for Mench,” News Journal, January 22, 2001: C1.

22 “RockHounds tag Tulsa, lefty Pratt,” Tulsa (Oklahoma) World, June 11, 2001: B3.

23 Mac Engel, “Blalock scheduled to get a rest,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 7, 2002: 6C.

24 Stephen Hawkins, “Davis throws two-hitter in Rangers’ 7-0 win over Oakland,” McKinney (Texas) Courier-Gazette, April 12, 2002: Sect. 2, Page 3.

25 Carlos Mendez, “Glanville will try to displace Everett,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 24, 2003: 3D.

26 “Mench, Rangers work 1-year deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 5, 2003: 5D.

27 T.R. Sullivan, “Mench’s success a laughing matter,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 25, 2003: 1D.

28 Carlos Mendez, “Mench sidelined by injury,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 22, 2003: 6D.

29 T.R. Sullivan, “Mench lost in victory,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 9, 2003: 1D.

30 T.R. Sullivan, “Rangers excited by addition of Jordan,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 28, 2003: 17C.

31 T.R. Sullivan, “DL ahead for Mench, Jordan?” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 24, 2004: 5C.

32 Kathleen O’Brien, “Bullpen has another strike against it,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 4, 2005: 4D.

33 T.R Sullivan and Kathleen O’Brien, “Mench unsure why offer was pulled,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 3, 2005: 5D.

34 Kat O’Brien, “Rangers working to complete Mench deal,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 3, 2006: 3D.

35 Kat O’Brien, “Rangers reach deal with Mench,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 4, 2006: 3D.

36 David Thomas, “Avs make hard case for faithful,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 23, 2006: 2C.

37 Jan Hubbard, “Mench could be 1st to do it right,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 28, 2006: 5C.

38 Author text message exchange with Kevin Mench, August 8, 2026.

39 Kathleen O’Brien, “Mended Mench eager to fill void in outfield,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 29, 2004: 4D.

40 Dennis Semrau, “Mench quickly makes his mark,” The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), July 31, 2006: D1.

41 “Graffanino to take arbitration,” Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin), December 7, 2006: E2.

42 “Mench vows to ‘pitch a fit,’” Wisconsin State Journal, February 23, 2007: C6.

43 “Hall not ready for Santo, Kaat,” Wisconsin State Journal, February 28, 2007: C2.

44 Jeff Wilson, “Outfielder hopes for happy homecoming,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 24, 2008: 13C.

45 Jeff Wilson, “Botts wins job over Mench,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 26, 2008: 7D.

46 Interview with Jeff Pearlman, April 4, 2013. https://jeffpearlman.com/2013/04/04/the-quaz-qa-kevin-mench, Retrieved September 30, 2026.

47 Tom Leo, “Mench happy to be back in US,” Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York), April 2, 2010: B-7.