In 1997, he hit over 50 homeruns and drove in more than 150 men. In 1998
and 1999, he was crucial in getting the Hogs into the postseason. But in
2000, Ryan Klesko will play in Battle Axe for the struggling Knights. He
signed a contact with Battle Axe today after Shapiro told him that he would
not be able to return to Punxatawney for a variety of reasons.
"We'll have a hard time playing without him," said new team captain Tony
Batista. "He's been in the lineup almost every day for three years.
Playing without him will not be the same."
This free agent signing leaves the Hogs in a bit of a bind. They can field
a decent outfield, but decent isn't good enough for many fans. If the
season were to start today, Dave Martinez would leadoff in centerfield, Alex
Ochoa would play right, and left would be handled by the Robin Jennings and
Roberto Kelly.
"Robin lifted weights a lot and bulked up," said Shapiro. "We would be
comfortable with him and Roberto. But we want something better."
All else aside, this looks to be a great season for the Groundhogs. The
dynamic duo of Tony Batista and Scott Rolen have improved even more.
Batista must now be considered one of the top three or four second basemen
in the game. Scott Rolen is one of the top contact hitters at third. The
rest of the infield is solid as well. Jose Valentin is still one of the
best, and Jason Giambi has developed into an excellent hitter. Alex Ochoa
has made great strides and looks to have another great year in the outfield.
On the pitching side, Rocky Coppinger continues to improve while the rest of
the staff have continued solid ability.
Even so, the Hogs are looking to trade for two things during this
offseason--an ace starter and a top outfielder. Reportedly, talks are
underway with a number of teams.
The following players have been put on the trading block:
1B Geronimo Berroa
1B Jason Giambi
LF Robin Jennings
LF Roberto Kelly
3B Joe Netzel
CF Webb Messenger
P Masato Yoshii
P Dustin Hermanson
P Pat Mahomes
P Henry Neale
P Jaime Bluma
P Jim Burright
P Charlie Bunker
P Steve Green
In addition, the Hogs might be willing to trade Juan Guzman, Bobby Thomas,
Sean Bergman, or Jon Lieber in trade that would bring in a top pitcher.
Please contact us if you can offer: a good starting pitcher, a good
outfielder, or some first round draft picks.
