CHICAGO -- Kevin Foster, who was drafted as an infielder before becoming a pitcher and spending seven years in the majors and pitching mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies andChicago Cubs, has died of cancer. He was 39.

[+] Enlarge Jonathan Daniel /Getty ImagesKevin Foster, seen pitching against the White Sox in 1997 in a Cubs "throwback" uniform, was an minor-league infielder before becoming a pitcher.

He died in an Oklahoma City hospital Saturday after a six-month bout with renal cell carcinoma, brother Mark Foster said.

"He loved baseball, he loved people and people loved him," Mark Foster said. "He was a happy person who got along with everybody, and we will miss him."

Foster was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 29th round of the 1987 amateur draft. He converted to pitching three years later. The right-hander was traded to Seattle and then Philadelphia, where he made his first major league appearance in 1993.

"As a low [draft] pick, he was a tough competitor and an overachiever to make it into the majors, and he pitched well for us at times,'' said Ed Lynch, the Cubs' general manager during Foster's time with the team, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. ''As a person, he was also a very personable, popular, articulate individual who stuck up for his teammates.''

Foster spent five seasons with the Cubs after being acquired from Philadelphia for Shawn Boskie in 1994, going 32-28 from 1994 to '98. His best season with the Cubs came in 1995, when he was 12-11 with a 4.51 ERA. He struck out 146 batters that season, but also led the National League in home runs allowed with 32.

"He was very popular with his teammates, the organization and fans, and he will be tremendously missed," the Cubs said in a statement.

Foster battled arm injuries after 1997 and made a brief comeback with Texas in 2001. He finished with a career record of 32-30 in 100 appearances and a career 4.38 ERA.

Foster, who was raised in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, was working as a truck driver at the time of his death.

In addition to his brother, Foster is survived by four sons and three sisters. He was divorced and engaged to be married.

KEVIN FOSTER | 1969-2008October 14, 2008 BY LACY J. BANKS lbanks@…

Former Cubs pitcher Kevin Foster was never a superstar during a seven-year, 100-game major-league career.

''But he was a superstar human being,'' Foster's brother, Mark, said Monday. ''He loved baseball, he loved people and people loved him. He was a happy person who got along with everybody, and we will miss him.''

Former Cubs pitcher Kevin Foster died of renal cancer Saturday at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City.
(Sun-Times File)
Foster died of renal cancer Saturday at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. The Evanston native was 39.

''We're not sad because he died in the Lord -- peacefully and content,'' Mark Foster said.

A 1987 graduate of Evanston High School, the 6-1, 170-pound right-hander was drafted in the 29th round that year by the Montreal Expos but attended Kishwaukee Junior College for a year before signing in May 1988.

''I went to watch another player at Evanston in 1987 when I stumbled upon a skinny third baseman with a perpetual smile and a rocket arm,'' veteran scout Stan Zielinski said. ''It was Kevin Foster. I asked his coach, 'Can he pitch, too?' His coach said, 'Yes.' I came back, watched him pitch, and after he went 10-1 on the mound and hit 25 or 30 home runs for Kishwaukee, we signed him.

''He was a great athlete who started with Montreal as an infielder. Three years later, he converted to a pitcher with a sneaky fastball and a great changeup.''

After trades to the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies, Foster was promoted to the majors in 1993 and pitched his first big-league game for the Phillies. The Cubs acquired him in April 1994 for Shawn Boskie, and he spent parts of the next five seasons on the North Side.

His best year was 1995, when he went 12-11 with a 4.51 ERA and struck out 146 in 167 2/3 innings. His career record, including a final stop with the Texas Rangers in 2001, was 32-30 with a 4.86 ERA and 417 strikeouts in 509 2/3 innings.

''As a low pick, he was a tough competitor and an overachiever to make it into the majors, and he pitched well for us at times,'' said Ed Lynch, the Cubs' general manager during Foster's time with the team. ''As a person, he was also a very personable, popular, articulate individual who stuck up for his teammates.''

In addition to his brother, Foster is survived by sons Aaron, Ethan, Eli and Sloan; ex-wife Christina Cooper; fiancee Stacey McGrew; mother Sarah Foster; and sisters Janis Smith, Andrea Banks and Tyson Thompson. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Kevin C Foster