The son of 12-year veteran Catcher Fred Kendall, Jason Kendall naturally came by his trade behind the plate and would eclipse his father in Major League accomplishments.

Kendall was a First Round Pick in 1992, and after slowly being groomed by Pittsburgh, he would make his Pirates debut as their starting Catcher in 1996.  The rookie year of Kendall was strong, as he was an All-Star, a third-place finisher for the Rookie of the Year, and he batted an even .300.  Kendall remained a good hitter over his duration with Pittsburgh, batting .300 five more times with the team, with an overall.306 Batting Average for the team.  Defensively, the three-time All-Star was competent, and though he was not a Gold Glove winner, this was not a deficiency in his game.  

Kendall was traded to Pittsburgh in 2007, and with the team, he had 1,409 Hits.