PVBL: Hartford Whalers
Gilkey en Route to Hartford, Clemens off Block
November 26, 1999

Hartford, CT (AP)- Less than an hour after being placed on the trading block by GM Peter Gammons, Hartford ace Roger Clemens was off of it. One of the winningest pitchers in PVBL history (37-23, 3.51, 386K), righty Bobby Witt, is headed for Houston. Meanwhile, Hartford got the much needed offensive punch it needed in outfielder Bernard Gilkey who hit .296 this past season with 45 homeruns. It is uncertain as yet whether Gilkey will play in the outfield or DH but it is certain that he will receive a lot of playing time. Here's the deal: RHP Bobby Witt to Houston for LF Bernard Gilkey and #2 FA pick. Of the deal, Gammons stated, "We quite happy to have Bernard with us. It was disappointing to see Bobby go but with 7 quality starters on the roster we needed to move someone and he was the odd man out." When asked where Gilkey would play, Gammons replied, "That is up to the manager. He can play anywhere in the OF. However, he could also DH. We've even toyed with moving Kurt Abbott to center and allowing Stynes or Abreu to DH. We'll have to see what the manager decides." When asked about Gammons' recent decisions to acquire Sterling Hitchcock and Bernard Gilkey, Owner Jeremy Chrabascz replied, "Peter is doing his job. We're a better ballclub for it."

Speaking of the open managerial position in Hartford, there is a great deal of speculation surrounding it. With Kevin Kennedy ousted and Dwight Evans undoubtedly on his way out as well, the Whalers are weighing a variety of options. One can only guess what Gammons has in mind and, in fact, he refuses to comment on the search to prevent tampering.


Notes

- Jason Kendall's CH went up to an amazing 82 this offseason
- Kurt Abbott suddenly is capable of playing 3B and CF with great skill
- Roger Clemens' and Hideki Irabu's CO both went down slightly
- Socks Byrne continues to be the best rounded player in the game at 63-68-60
- Rookie SS Cabrera is up to 62 CH all of a sudden

Hartford now has the following OFers to play with:
CF  Chris Stynes    52-62-66    52/51   26/1    LF-75
CF  Marvin Benard   46-47-70    65/51   26/4
RF  Bob Abreu       54-62-44    59/79   22/3    LF-67
RF  Socks Byrne     63-68-60    59-90   24/5    LF-62
RF  Carl Everett    41-51-52    57/89   25/6
LF  Benard Gilkey   67-81-46    67/71   30/10   CF-53
LF  Derrick May     42-55-45    52/58   28/10

Also capable of playing OF:
SS Kurt Abbott...CF-69
2B Bip Roberts...LF-73, CF-58
3B Matt Williams...CF-53 (go figure)

--written by Jeremy Chrabascz