Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Matt LeCroy’

Former Wizard, Matt LeCroy will manage the Hagerstown Suns, a Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals (hat tip to the TinCaps).

Lecroy, who began his career with the Minnesota Twins and also played with the Nationals, spent eight seasons in the Majors and will be making his coaching debut. Rich Gale, Tony Tarasco and Ramon Aviles round out the team’s coaching staff.

“Playing with the Nationals, I got to know a lot of those guys, the coaching staff and the General Manager, and I loved the staff,” Lecroy said. “It was a good fit for me and I am looking forward to it.”

LeCroy was selected in the first round (50th overall) by the Minnesota Twins of the 1997 draft. While a member of the Wizards in 1998, he appeared in 64 games. He hit .276 with 9 home runs and 40 runs batted in and drawing 34 walks over 225 at-bats. LeCroy made his big league debut with the Twins in 2000 and played them until signing with Washington as a free agent prior to the 2006 season. LeCroy closed out his playing days in the Atlantic League following a brief stint with the Oakland A’s in Spring Training last year.

Photo is courtesy of the Fort Wayne TinCaps

Last February, Matt LeCroy signed with the Oakland A’s following Jeremy Brown’s sudden retirement. The A’s offered the catcher and first baseman a spot on their Triple-A squad, but LeCroy turned it down to play in the Atlantic League for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

“We’re very excited to have him in the middle of our lineup,” manager Von Hayes [a former Major Leaguer who also previously managed in the Midwest League] said. “He’s a proven power hitter, somebody who obviously should do very well in this league. He still has quite a few years left to play.” [Source: Lancaster Online]

LeCroy was selected in the first round (50th overall) by the Minnesota Twins of the 1997 draft. While a member of the Wizards in 1998, he appeared in 64 games. He hit .276 with 9 home runs and 40 runs batted in and drawing 34 walks over 225 at-bats. LeCroy made his big league debut with the Twins in 2000 and played them until signing with Washington as a free agent prior to the 2006 season.

Photo is courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards