LaTroy Hawkins

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name=LaTroy Hawkins
position=Relief pitcher
team=Houston Astros
number=22
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1972|12|21
birthplace=city-state|Gary|Indiana
debutdate=April 29
debutyear=1995
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
statyear=September 26, 2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=59–77
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=4.65
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=746
teams=
*Minnesota Twins (by|1995–by|2003)
*Chicago Cubs (by|2004–by|2005)
*San Francisco Giants (by|2005)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|2006)
*Colorado Rockies (by|2007)
*New York Yankees (by|2008)
*Houston Astros (by|2008-present)

LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972 in Gary, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Houston Astros.

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Hawkins was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the by|1991 amateur draft, and spent the next four years in the Twins' minor league system. His major league debut early in the by|1995 season was a disastrous start against the Baltimore Orioles, where he gave up seven earned runs in only an inning and two thirds of work. Hawkins bounced between the big league club and Salt Lake of the PCL over the next few years, finally landing in the Twins' bullpen permanently in by|1998.

Sporting a mid-90s fastball, Hawkins was used by the Twins as their closer during the by|2000 and by|2001 seasons, but eventually lost the job to Eddie Guardado. In the set-up role, Hawkins drew the attention of the league when he posted a 2.13 ERA in by|2002. He fared even better in by|2003, when his ERA dropped to 1.86 and he struck out 75 batters in just 77 and 1/3 innings. Hawkins became a free agent after the 2003 season.

Chicago Cubs

Hawkins drew interest from a number of teams before signing a three-year, $11 million deal with the Chicago Cubs after the 2003 season. Hawkins was signed by the Cubs to pitch the 8th inning to set up for Joe Borowski, but Borowski went down with an injury early in the season, and Hawkins took over closing duties. On September 11, Hawkins struck out the side on only nine pitches in a game against the Florida Marlins. Despite a better-than-average ERA of 2.63 on the year and 25 saves, Hawkins blew 9 saves on the year, including two during a late-September skid that cost the Cubs the wild card. These blown saves earned him the ire of Cubs fans, who made a habit of booing him loudly at Wrigley Field when he came on in relief.

an Francisco Giants

On May 28, by|2005 the Cubs traded Hawkins to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitchers Jerome Williams and David Aardsma. Upon arrival in San Francisco, Hawkins was initially converted back into a set-up role, with the team cautiously optimistic about a return to form. However, Hawkins only showed brief flashes of his previous ability en route to a league-average performance for the Giants.

Baltimore Orioles

Following the 2005 season, Hawkins was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed reliever Steve Kline. He spent one season with the Orioles and became a free agent after the season.

Colorado Rockies

On December 5, by|2006, Hawkins signed a one-year, $3.25 contract with the Colorado Rockies. On July 8, by|2007, Hawkins was the only Colorado player to help the groundskeepers and the entire Philadelphia ballclub with the tarp during a heavy storm in Denver. [cite news
author = C.J. Moore
title = Rockies' winning streak halted at five, Cook unable to hold lead; Colorado denied sweep in finale
url = http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070708&content_id=2075449&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=col
publisher = "mlb.com"
date = 2007-07-08
accessdate = 2007-12-19] Despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, he posted a 3.42 ERA in 62 appearances, including a scoreless 7th inning in the wild card playoff against San Diego. Hawkins gave up only one run and two hits in five innings of post-season work for the National League champions.

New York Yankees

On December 9, 2007, Hawkins signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees, reportedly worth $3.75 million. He became the first player since outfielder Paul O'Neill to wear the jersey number 21 for the Yankees. [cite news |author = Bryan Hoch
title = Yankees reach deal with Hawkins, Veteran right-hander likely to fill setup role in bullpen
url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071209&content_id=2322048&vkey=hotstove2007&fext=.jsp
publisher = "mlb.com"
date = 2007-12-09
accessdate = 2007-12-09] However, after returning from a road trip on April 16, he changed his number to 22 in response to the fans' booing, yelling, and calling O'Neill's name when he took the field. [ [http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10780997 Yanks reliever Hawkins bows to fans' wishes, will switch to No. 22] ]

Hawkins was suspended three games for throwing a head-high pitch to Baltimore Orioles left fielder Luke Scott on May 21. He has was fined an undisclosed amount. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3407897 Yankees' Hawkins suspended for high pitch in loss to O's] ]

Hawkins was designated for assignment on July 26.

Houston Astros

On July 30, 2008 the Houston Astros acquired Hawkins from the Yankees for minor leaguer Matt Cusick. [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3511876&name=mlb_trade_deadline]

References

External links