Baseball in Fort Wayne

Former Fort Wayne Wizards outfielder, Paul McAnulty is considered a long shot to make the San Diego Padres roster, but he determined to prove the skeptics wrong. Last season at Triple-A Portland, he hit .310 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs over 125 games. This spring, he has picked up where he left off.

“He’s in the mix of guys who are battling for left field,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “What he’s done in the Minors with the bat warrants him a chance at this level. This winter we decided the best chance for him was in left field. He’s definitely a hard worker.” [source: MLB.com]

He’s been tried at first base, third base and in the outfield. And while his defense has been the source of much criticism, his bat has done most of the talking. “It’s something special to watch him hit,” said Padres catcher and McAnulty’s Portland teammate, Luke Carlin. In September of la season, McAnulty launched his first big league home run, an 11th inning walk-off pinch hit home run against Colorado.

While in Fort Wayne during the 2003 campaign, McAnulty played in 133 games, had 124 hits, 27 doubles and 73 runs batted in. He also hit .273 with the Wizards. In five seasons of minor league ball, he has a .305 average with 73 dingers over 2,112 at bats.

[tags]Paul McAnulty, Padres, Wizards[/tags]