Jim Kaat Age, Wiki, Family, Career, Awards, Net Worth

For parts of four decades, a tall left-hander from a small Michigan farm town kept finding ways to win baseball games. That man is Jim Kaat.

Jim Kaat was born on November 7, 1938 (87 years old) in Zeeland, Michigan. He is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and a longtime television sportscaster.

He is best known for his 25-season pitching career and for winning the Gold Glove Award 16 straight times, once a record for a pitcher. He finished with 283 career wins.

Kaat won a World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and later built a second career in the broadcast booth. He was also elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Quick Facts of Jim Kaat

Full Name	James Lee Kaat
Profession	Former baseball pitcher, sportscaster
Age	87 years old
Date of Birth	November 7, 1938
Nationality	American
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Scorpio
Birthplace	Zeeland, Michigan, USA
Current Address	United States (Stuart, Florida)
Gender	Male

Jim Kaat Early Life and Education

Jim Kaat grew up in the small Dutch American community of Zeeland, Michigan, a town of fewer than 4,000 people. He was the youngest of four children. Because his next closest sibling was eight years older, much of his childhood was shaped by independent play. His lifelong passion for the game ignited in June 1946, when his father took him to a Detroit Tigers doubleheader, and the seven-year-old, mesmerized by the green grass and crisp white uniforms, decided right then that he would become a Major League player.

His father was an avid fan of Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics, and he passed down an extensive collection of historical Base Ball Guides dating back to 1900, which young Jim studied until he had built an encyclopedic knowledge of the game that later shaped his broadcasting career. Since Zeeland had no organized Little League at the time, he played pickup games in local parks and spent hours in his backyard practicing his fielding.

He idolized Bobby Shantz, a 5 feet 6 inches left-handed pitcher regarded as the finest fielding pitcher in the game, and the small boy nicknamed “Little Jimmy” in high school copied Shantz’s quick reflex movements, a habit that eventually helped him win 16 consecutive Gold Gloves.

Education

Kaat grew up in Michigan and graduated from Zeeland High School in 1956. During his school years, he was a standout athlete, excelling in both baseball and basketball.

After high school, he enrolled at Hope College in nearby Holland, Michigan. There he studied speech and journalism while pitching for the school’s Flying Dutchmen baseball team.

Kaat attended Hope College for only one season. During that year, he went through a major growth spurt, shooting up from 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 4 inches.

The added height sharply increased his pitching velocity and caught the eye of Major League scouts. He left college to sign with the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent in June 1957.

Years later, his career was recognized in a different way. In May 2019, he received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York at its 62nd Commencement, honoring his legacy as an MLB pitcher and broadcaster.

School	Zeeland High School
Alma Mater	Hope College
Highest Qualification	Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Jim Kaat Personal Life

Jim Kaat has been married four times over the years. He has spoken openly about how family and second chances shaped his later life.

Wives

Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat has been married four times.

1. Julie Anne Moore (1959 – 1977)

They were married on October 3, 1959, just as Kaat’s Major League Baseball career was beginning to take off. Together, they had Kaat’s only two biological children, a son, Jim Jr., and a daughter, Jill. The couple divorced in January 1977 after 17 years of marriage.

2. Linda Jankowski (1977 – 1987)

Linda met Kaat in 1976 at a restaurant in San Francisco while he was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. They married less than a year later, in 1977. Linda was 87 years old at the time and instantly became a stepmother to Kaat’s two teenage children.

While Kaat preferred properties near golf courses, Linda had a passion for history and preservation, which led them to buy a 50-acre historic farm estate in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. They divorced in 1987 after 10 years together.

3. MaryAnn Montanaro (1988 – 2008)

They met in Boca Raton, Florida, in 1986 and were married on January 14, 1988. MaryAnn was a clothing designer who later became Kaat’s business manager and talent agent starting in 1995. They were deeply devoted to each other, spending years traveling the country together in an RV.

MaryAnn brought two children of her own (Stacy and Jon Drew) into the family alongside Kaat’s two children (Jim Jr. and Jill). MaryAnn tragically passed away on July 21, 2008, at age 64 after a long battle with bladder cancer.

In her memory, Kaat published a book of poetry dedicated to her titled Dance of Love and established the MaryAnn Kaat Memorial Fund to build night lights for the youth baseball fields at Jim Kaat Ball Park in his hometown of Zeeland, Michigan.

4. Margie Mather Bowes (2009 – Present)

Following a period of mourning, Kaat reconnected with Margie, whom he had known as a friend for several years. They were married in a small, private backyard ceremony in Vermont on June 17, 2009.

They have been happily married ever since. Margie has actively accompanied Kaat to prominent public events, including his Minnesota Twins jersey retirement ceremony and his National Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 2022.

Children

Jim Kaat has two biological children, both from his first marriage to Julie Anne Moore. They are a son, Jim Jr., and a daughter, Jill.

Through his later marriage to MaryAnn, Kaat also became a stepfather to her two children, Stacy and Jon Drew. This blended the two families into one.

Parents

Jim Kaat’s parents were John and Nancy Kaat. He was born of Dutch ancestry in Zeeland, Michigan, as the youngest of four children.

Father

John Kaat (also known as Hans or Jack). He worked various local jobs in Michigan, including owning and operating the East Limits Dairy, working for a Grand Rapids biscuit company, and working at a poultry hatchery.

John was a massive baseball enthusiast and a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Athletics. He collected baseball cards dating back to 1900 and passed his encyclopedic love and history of the game down to Jim.

He took 87 years old Jim to his first professional baseball game in 1946, a Detroit Tigers doubleheader that originally inspired Jim to become a ballplayer.

Mother

Nancy Kaat (née Bosma). She managed their household and raised their four children (Mildred, Esther, Bill, and Jim). Neither of his parents made a major fuss about his exceptional athletic abilities when he was growing up. His mother only ever saw him pitch in person once during Game 2 of the 1965 World Series.

Siblings

• Mildred Kaat, the eldest of the siblings, was 13 years older than Jim. Born in the mid-1920s, she grew up during a time when the family home on Wall Street briefly doubled as the corporate office for her father’s local dairy business. Because she married and moved out while Jim was still a small child, her primary interaction with him during his childhood was more akin to that of an aunt than an immediate, everyday sister.
• Esther Kaat, born around 1927, was 11 years older than her youngest brother. Like her sister, she spent her formative years in the tight-knit Dutch community of Zeeland. Esther also followed the pattern of marrying young, meaning she had already left the family home to start her own independent household by the time Jim was old enough to develop his first memories of neighborhood pickup baseball games.
• Bill Kaat was eight years older than Jim and pursued a highly successful, lifelong career in the trucking business. Their father, John, was determined to keep Jim’s growing athletic fame from overshadowing the rest of the family; whenever locals praised Jim’s baseball achievements, John made it a specific point to proudly highlight Bill’s professional accomplishments to ensure both brothers were kept on equal footing.

Relationship Status	Married
Wives	Current wife: Margie Ex-wives: Julie Moore, Linda, and MaryAnn
Children	Biological Son: Jim Jr. Biological Daughter: Jill Stepchildren: Stacy and Jon Drew
Parents	Father: John Kaat Mother: Nancy Bosma Kaat
Siblings	Sisters: Mildred VanderBeek and Esther DePree Brother: William John “Bill” Kaat

Jim Kaat Career

Jim Kaat built one of the longest careers in baseball history, moving from a young farm boy prospect to a Hall of Fame pitcher and then a respected broadcaster.

1957 to 1960: Signing and first steps

The Washington Senators signed Kaat in 1957, and he spent 1957 and 1958 in the minor leagues.

He made his Major League debut on August 2, 1959, for the Senators at the age of 20. His early role was limited across those first two seasons.

1961 to 1966: Twins ace and the 1965 World Series

When the franchise moved west in 1961 to become the Minnesota Twins, Kaat became a regular in the rotation. By 1962, he had won 18 games, led the American League with five shutouts, and earned his first All-Star selection and first Gold Glove.

In 1965, he helped pitch the Twins to the American League pennant. He started Games 2, 5, and 7 of the 1965 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, matching up all three times with Sandy Koufax, and won Game 2 with a complete game.

His finest season came in 1966, when he led the league with 25 wins and 19 complete games. He finished fifth in the Most Valuable Player vote and was named the American League Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.

1967 to 1973: Later Twins years

In 1967, Kaat went 16 and 13 and nearly pitched the Twins to another pennant before an arm injury ended his season early. He continued as a durable front-of-the-rotation starter through the early 1970s.

During these years, he shared the clubhouse with Twins greats such as Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, and fellow Dutch-descended pitcher Bert Blyleven.

1973 to 1975: Chicago White Sox and two 20-win seasons

Kaat joined the Chicago White Sox in 1973. After mastering a quick pitch delivery, he posted back-to-back 20-win seasons, going 21 and 13 in 1974 and 20 and 14 in 1975.

His 1974 season set a record for the largest gap between 20-win seasons in eight years, a mark that stood until David Cone broke it in 1998.

1976 to 1979: Philadelphia Phillies

Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1975 season, Kaat spent several years in their rotation. In Philadelphia, he won his 15th and 16th Gold Glove Awards, cementing his reputation as one of the best fielding pitchers ever.

1979 to 1980: New York Yankees and a move to relief

Kaat was purchased by the New York Yankees, who used him mostly out of the bullpen. As he entered his 40s, he reinvented himself as a specialist relief pitcher.

1980 to 1983: St. Louis Cardinals and a World Series title

With the St. Louis Cardinals, Kaat became an effective situational left-hander, averaging more than 50 appearances a year. In 1982, he went 5 and 3 with two saves and worked in four games in relief as the Cardinals won the World Series.

He retired after the 1983 season. His 25-year career finished with 283 wins, 237 losses, a 3.45 earned run average, and 2,461 strikeouts across 898 games.

1984 to 1985: Coaching and early broadcasting

Kaat served as the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds under his former Phillies teammate Pete Rose, guiding rookie Tom Browning to a 20-and-9 record in 1985. During the same period, he was the chief baseball correspondent for Good Morning America.

1986 to 2022: A Long Broadcasting Career

Kaat began his full-time broadcasting career with the New York Yankees in 1986, calling around 100 games on WPIX. He lasted just one season in that first run before the network changed its booth.

He kept building his resume across the national stage in the late 1980s. He worked as a backup baseball announcer for NBC, called Atlanta Braves games on TBS in 1987, and covered the College World Series and postseason for ESPN.

From 1988 to 1993, he served as an announcer for the Twins, returning to the franchise where he had starred as a player. This kept him close to the Minnesota fans who knew him best.

Kaat then joined CBS as a national analyst from 1990 to 1993, teaming in the booth with Dick Stockton and later Greg Gumbel. He also worked as a field reporter during the World Series alongside Lesley Visser and Andrea Joyce.

In 1994, he was the lead analyst on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, and in 1995 he called the American League playoffs with Brent Musburger. His clear, plain-spoken style made him a trusted voice on the game.

His second and longest run with the Yankees came on the MSG and YES networks from 1995 to 2006. There he shared the booth with partners such as Michael Kay and Ken Singleton, and helped call famous games like David Wells’s perfect game in 1998.

Kaat stepped away from full-time work after the 2006 season, saying his farewell to Yankees fans during a Fox telecast with Tim McCarver. His retirement, though, did not last long.

He returned in 2009 to help launch the MLB Network, serving as a color commentator on its MLB Network Showcase games. That same year, he also called Pool D of the World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico and worked briefly for NESN.

Kaat remained a familiar presence at MLB Network for more than a decade, including calling the 2021 American League Division Series. He finally retired from broadcasting on August 18, 2022, closing a run behind the microphone that spanned parts of five decades.

2018 to present: Twins special assistant and author

In January 2018, the Minnesota Twins hired Kaat as a special assistant to help with community and business initiatives. He has also written three books, including his 2022 memoir Good as Gold: My Eight Decades in Baseball.

Jim Kaat Awards and Achievements

Jim Kaat earned honors both on the mound and in the broadcast booth across a career that touched more than 60 years in the game. His biggest recognitions are listed below.

Key Wins

• 1962, First Gold Glove Award: Won for his fielding excellence as a pitcher, the first of a record-setting run.
• 1962, 1966, and 1975, MLB All-Star: Selected for the All-Star Game three times for his standout pitching in those seasons.
• 1962 to 1977, 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards: Honored every year for his defense at the pitcher position, once a record for a pitcher.
• 1966, The Sporting News American League Pitcher of the Year: Recognized for leading the league with 25 wins and 19 complete games.
• 1982, World Series champion: Won the title as a relief pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals.
• 1996 to 2005, Seven New York Emmy Awards: Awarded over these years for excellence in sports broadcasting, including coverage of no-hitters and perfect games.
• 2001, Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame: Inducted for his long and decorated career with the franchise.
• 2022, Minnesota Twins number retirement: The Twins retired his No. 36 on July 16, 2022, honoring his place in club history.
• 2022, National Baseball Hall of Fame: Elected by the Golden Days Era Committee and enshrined in Cooperstown.

Key Nominations

• 1966, American League Most Valuable Player voting: Finished fifth in his league, leading a 25-win season.
• 1975, American League Cy Young voting: Finished fourth after a 20-win season at age 36.
• 1995, New York Emmy nomination: Nominated for On-Camera Achievement for his broadcasting work.

Jim Kaat Controversy

Jim Kaat was involved in two notable on-air controversies within about a one-year span, both tied to insensitive remarks made during live game broadcasts.

• October 2021, the “40-acre field” remark: During Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros on MLB Network, fellow analyst Buck Showalter admired the talent of White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada, and Kaat replied, “Get a 40-acre field full of ‘em.” Viewers quickly criticized the line as an insensitive nod to the unfulfilled promise of “40 acres and a mule” made to freed American slaves after the Civil War. Later in the same broadcast, Kaat apologized on air, saying he had used a poor choice of words that resulted in an insensitive and hurtful remark.
• June 2022, The Nestor Cortés nickname: While guest-commentating on the Detroit Tigers’ broadcast of a Yankees–Tigers game, Kaat praised Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortés Jr. for his mix of angles and speeds, but in doing so he used a rhyming nickname, “Nestor the Molester,” which drew immediate criticism for being offensive on a live broadcast. Kaat reached out to Cortés directly to apologize, and Cortés accepted publicly on social media, saying there was no malice intended and adding, “No sweat here Jim!” The Twins said they handled the matter internally and privately.

Jim Kaat Net Worth

Jim Kaat’s estimated net worth is around $2-$5 million.

Net Worth (Approx.)

$2-$5 million

Jim Kaat Height, Weight, and Physical Stats

Below are the physical stats of Jim Kaat:

Height	In centimetres: 193 cm In meters: 1.93 m In feet & inches: 6 feet 4 inches
Weight	In kg: 93 kg In lbs: 205 lbs
Hair Color	Grey
Eye Color	Blue

Interesting Facts About Jim Kaat

• Jim successfully beat his own age in golf, playing both left-handed and right-handed after changing stances to cure the “yips.”
• He used the exact same physical baseball glove for 15 of his 16 consecutive Gold Glove-winning seasons.
• Kaat is the only pitcher in history to have faced both Ted Williams (debuted 1939) and Julio Franco (retired 2007).
• Nicknamed “Little Jimmy” in high school, he was deemed too small for scouts until a late 6-inch growth spurt in college.

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