Kal Daniels was a player whose career began with a bang and faded out before his 30th birthday.

He is exactly the kind of player that would have taken PEDs in the 1990s but sure didn’t look like he did in the 1980’s. He also intersected with Pete Rose, Marge Schott and Darry Strawberry in memorable ways.

Kalovski Daniels was drafted by the Reds as the 7th pick overall in the 1982 draft out of Middle Georgia College. By the time he arrived in Cincinnati for the 1986 season, he was a talented left handed hitting outfielder in a crowded outfield. Eddie Milner, Dave Parker and Eric Davis were all established. But Daniels’ .320 average and .917 OPS in 207 plate appearances got manager Pete Rose’s attention.

In 1987, Milner went to San Francisco and Daniels got his playing time. He batted .334, homered 26 times, stole 26 bases and…