Baseball in Fort Wayne

Maybe he was trying to increase his speed for another stint in professional wrestling. Okay, probably not. But the Chicago White Sox’s 31-year-old catcher, A.J. Pierzynski arrived in Arizona with 15 fewer pounds on his frame and ready to do whatever he could to put last year’s nightmare as a team in the background [source: mlb.com].

Reportedly, the former Wizards catcher decided to change eating habits while maintaining his regular workout in an effort to shed a little extra weight and reach an optimal condition.

“I’m getting older and don’t want to carry the extra weight,” said Pierzynski of his slight conditioning change. “I worked out just as hard, did the same stuff I’ve always done.

This is actually the first I have heard about Pierzynski in a while. He certainly comes with a reputation. Do a simple search on-line, and you will find many stories about him being one of the most hated players in the game to a downright miserable person. How many of them are true, I don’t know.

But despite the professional wrestling, the fight with Michael Barret and the many other incidents that have happened, I am sure Twins fans love the man. It was back on November 14, 2003 that the Twins traded A.J. and cash to the San Francisco Giants. In return, they got a couple quality talents; Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. The Giants released Pierzynski about 13 months later.

Pierzynski was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the third round (71st overall) in the 1994 draft. He played with the Wizards in 1994 and 1995. Over 515 at-bats, he collected 144 hits, 35 doubles and 84 runs batted in. More about Pierzynski can be found in Baseball in Fort Wayne on page 109.

Photograph courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

[tags]A.J. Pierzynski, Minnesota Twins, Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, San Francisco Giants, Trades, Fort Wayne Wizards[/tags]