Michael Brooks Kieschnick (born June 6, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder and pitcher. The only player to win the Dick Howser Trophy twice, he is a College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during six seasons between 1996 and 2004, primarily with the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed. During the initial part of his major league career, he was exclusively a position player; for his final two seasons in the big leagues, he was used primarily as a relief pitcher who also occasionally served as an outfielder and pinch hitter.
Kieschnick played college baseball at the University of Texas at Austin for the Texas Longhorns from 1990 until 1993, when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. After two seasons with Chicago, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft. However, he spent his entire tenure with the organization in the minor leagues. Although he was originally projected to be a hitter, he eventually revived his career by returning to pitching, which he had excelled at during his years with the Texas Longhorns. He was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 and played his final major league game for them on October 3, 2004.
Early life and education
Kieschnick was born in Robstown, Texas on June 6, 1972. He graduated from high school at Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. He then attended college at the University of Texas at Austin, where he played three seasons of baseball.
During his time with the Texas Longhorns, Kieschnick won the Dick Howser Trophy (bestowed annually to the national college baseball player of the year) in 1992. He won the award again in 1993, thus becoming the only player to win the honor twice. In his three years with the Longhorns, Kieschnick batted .360 and slugged 43 home runs and 215 runs batted in, in addition to having a 34–8 win–loss record and a 3.05 ERA. Because of his rare ability of competency in both hitting and pitching, Kieschnick was recognized as one of the most versatile players in college baseball. He received a $650,000 signing bonus and was instantly viewed as the organization's best prospect in terms of hitting for power. Kieschnick honed his skills in the minor leagues and was ranked as the Cubs' top prospect by Baseball America during his three seasons in the Cubs farm system. Even though he had pitched well at the college level, the team viewed Kieschnick's offense as being more valuable. He was described as being "stunned and dejected" Nevertheless, Kieschnick was recalled on April 11 and eventually won the left field position.
The wilderness years (1998–2002)
Kieschnick was never given the opportunity to play a major league game for the Devil Rays. In , he was loaned out to the Anaheim Angels for the majority of the year. At the end of the season, Kieschnick became a free agent for the first time in his career and subsequently signed with the Cincinnati Reds. Throughout and , the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of Kieschnick's versatility, using him as a pinch hitter, designated hitter, and left fielder in addition to his primary role in the bullpen. Kieschnick played three complete games as a left fielder in September 2003; these would be his only on-field appearances as a defensive player for Milwaukee (outside of his role as pitcher) during 2003–04.
During his second season with Milwaukee (2004), Kieschnick opened the season as a pitcher/pinch-hitter, but due to an injury was used exclusively as a pinch hitter for a two-month period from July 3-September 3, spending part of that time on the disabled list. Kieschnick did not appear as an outfielder or as a designated hitter during 2004. Though Kieschnick's pitching effectiveness improved over his 2003 season, his hitting tailed off, as he hit only 1 home run all year (compared to 7 in 2003).
In a total of 306 career at-bats, Kieschnick's batting average was .248. In his two seasons of pitching at the major league level, his ERA was 4.59.
Return to the minors and retirement (2005–2006)
Kieschnick was released by Milwaukee near the end of spring training, 2005. He subsequently spent the 2005 season in the Houston Astros minor league system, hitting .327 but also compiling a pitching record of 2–4 with an ERA of 5.12. On February 15, , Kieschnick announced his retirement from baseball.
Post-playing days
In 2002, in an online poll conducted in Austin, Kieschnick was voted the best baseball player in the history of the University of Texas. He became one of ten inaugural members of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. He also owns a medical device distribution company. His son, Brooks Jr., is a walk-on offensive lineman at the University of Texas. In 2025, Kieschnick was named to the Coastal Bend Sports Hall of Fame.