Hamsters Acquire future, give up present August 10, 1997
Galena(AP)--The Galena Hamsters, interested in acquiring young talent for
the future, obtained phenom prospect John Aust from Deadwood earlier today
for veteran left-handed reliever Paul Assemacher. Assemacher was 2-0 with a
3.64 ERA in 17.1 IP with the Hamsters.
The Hamsters were sorry to see Assemacher leave Galena, even though he
didn't have a role on the club as of late. Notes Assemacher, "I played an
important role in the Hamster bullpen early in the season, but the last
month and a half I've been in AAA." Owner/General Manager Matthew Peck
stated that the reason for Assemacher's demotion had nothing to do with his
performance, but rather the abundance of left handed relievers on the
Hamster pitching staff. After the Hamsters acquired Pedro Borbon and
Heithcliff Slocumb from Phoenix for Paul Molitor in May, Assemacher has
found his role on the club very limited. Peck was quoted as saying that he
"preferred the superior arm strength and pitch selection of Borbon over
Assemacher, although Assemacher is a great pitcher."
"After Peck made that statement," reminisces Assemacher, "I knew my days
in Galena were numbered. I have some trade value, so Peck wouldn't want me
wasting away in AAA if he could get something for me."
And get something Peck did! John Aust, a 19 year old third baseman, is one
of the top 15 prospects in the league. "I had a chance to get a young ball
player with great tools and enormous potential," noted Peck, "When an
opportunity like this comes around, you can't pass it up!"
Aust's minor league record thus far is exemplary. In 1996, his first year
in professional baseball fresh out of high school, Aust batted .406 in
rookie ball and .334 in A ball, with 16 home runs in 244 at bats. This
year, Aust is batting .295 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 366 at-bats at
Dodge City, Deadwood's triple-A club. Aust will finish out the remainder of
the minor league season on the Hamster's AAA team.
Peck is very high on young John Aust, "This kid has the potential to
become the best fielding, best hitting third baseman in the league. He's
alot like a young Ken Caminiti. We believe he can develop a power stroke
similar to Caminiti's. Look for this kid to be joining the Hamster's in the
major leagues by the end of next year."
