PVBL: Galena Hamsters
Two-thirds done, and the Hamsters Look Strong!
July 26, 2000

Galena,IL--After playing 98 games and completing nearly two-thirds of the 1999 season, the Galena Hamsters look as strong as ever! Currently, they have a 62-36 record and a 0.633 winning percentage. Some of the Hamsters players are putting up typical numbers, whereas others have surprised.

Here are some of the Hamster veterns who are putting up typical numbers:
              
                      Avg    G   AB    R    H  2B  3B  HR  RBI   
Jones, Chipper       .343   99  391   73  134  23   0  22   72   
Williams, Bernie     .309   94  363   63  112  27   0  22   76  

Name                   W   L   Pct   ERA     IP    H  HR   BB   SO  
Gonzalez, Jerermi     11   5  .688  3.59  133.0  144  11   27  106  
Jones, Tennessee      12   6  .667  3.02  128.1  112  15   18  127  
Jackson, Mike          2   1  .667  2.46   29.1   25   1   12   21

Perhaps what is more interesting are the Hamsters that are having breakout or career years. These are the guys that are keeping the Hamsters on top of the Spock division:
Name                  Avg    G   AB    R    H  2B  3B  HR  RBI   
Jones, Andruw        .257   88  346   51   89  21   0   8   37   
Stocker, Kevin       .324   80  333   59  108  17   0  14   57   
Guerrero, Wilton     .292   78  281   42   82  15   0   9   49   
Grieve, Ben          .272   74  268   36   73   9   0  16   42   
Miller, Orlando      .329   72  240   33   79   9   0   9   37

Wilton Guerrero is a young first baseman who hit his way into the starting lineup this season. He took advantage of an injury sustained by Ben Grieve early in the year, and has held down the first base position ever since. Grieve has since moved to the position of DH, which seems to suit Grieve better.

Orlando Miller may be the most surprising Galena Hamster of all. He was acquired in a pre-season trade that sent CF Deion Sanders and RHP Jerry Spradlin to Sacramento in exchange for the shortstop. GM and owner Matthew Peck was criticized by some fans because they felt Galena gave up too much for Miller, who was a .229 hitter with limited defensive abilities coming into this season. Miller got his chance to start, however, when Galena's starting shortstop, Kevin Stocker, injured his knee. Miller hit .340 in his 4 weeks as starting shortstop, and hasn't slowed down. He's currently starting at second base, taking over for the slumping Luis Castillo.

Most scouts consider Andruw Jones to be about a year away from busting the PVBL wide open. This is Jones' first year as a starting outfielder, and the Hamsters are expecting a lot from Jones in 2001. Jones is getting stronger every year, and also more disciplined at the plate. A .300 batting average with 30 long balls in 2001 is not out of the question.

Ben Grieve is beginning to break the PVBL wide open now. Grieve started out the season in horrible fashion, hitting only .235 on June 15th. Since then, he's batted .322, raising his average to .272, and already has 16 homers on the season. Grieve could quite likely become one of the premier PVBL hitters in a few years.

Overall, this has been one of the finest seasons in Galena Hamsters history. Galena may not win 100+ games this year, but the season is quite exciting because for the first time since '97 there is a divisional race in the Spock! Anchorage is only 2.0 games behind the mighty Hamsters, so each game is important. Let's play ball!

--written by Matt Peck