Baseball in Fort Wayne

Former Fort Wayne Wizards pitcher, LaTroy Hawkins appears close to adding one more team to his list of employers. The veteran right-hander came up with the Twins in 1995 and has since played in Chicago (NL), San Francisco, and Baltimore. According to the Rocky Mountain News, Hawkins will be a member of the Colorado Rockies next year. Though the deal is not complete, it is reported to be a one-year deal for $3.5 million with a mutual option (for another).

When questioned for comment, Hawkins indicated he believes the Rockies are a team “on the verge of putting things together” and expressed little concern about the probability of making Coors Field – a park notoriously known as a pitcher’s worst nightmare – his home field.

“That ballpark has played better for the pitchers the last couple of years,” Hawkins said. “That’s not a factor. I’ve pitched in Wrigley Field, jeez. Camden Yards is not exactly a graveyard for hitters — the ball goes out. If I keep the ball down, I’ll be fine” [Source: MLB.com].

Hawkins, 33, will be used primarily as an eight inning set-up man; a role he excelled in as a Twin before joining the Cubs where they attempted to turn him into a closer.

As a Wizards standout in Fort Wayne, Hawkins put together what may be the best individual season performance in the team’s history. Hawkins still holds Wizards records in ERA (2.06), wins (15), complete games (4), shutouts (2), strikeouts in a season (179) and strikeouts in a game (15). Even more impressive is the fact that Hawkins accomplished these totals during the inaugural season of the Wizards organization and they still stand thirteen years later.

Note: Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards.