HacMan, Siegle to be Giants' Draft representatives
DENVER -- Maybe Jeffrey Leonard can approach the podium at next month's Draft with one flap down.
Leonard, who gained attention by running out a home run with one arm motionless at his side, has been selected to represent the Giants at the First-Year Player Draft. Leonard, a two-time All-Star outfielder who played with the Giants from 1981-88, was hired by the club in March as a community ambassador.
Known as a tough, uncompromising performer, Leonard reached his zenith with the Giants in 1987, when he was named Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series though San Francisco was eliminated by St. Louis in seven games. "HacMan" hit .417 (10-for-24) with four home runs in that series.
Leonard, who also played for the Astros, Dodgers, Brewers and Mariners besides the Giants, batted .275 with 99 home runs, 435 RBIs and 115 stolen bases during his San Francisco tenure. During his 14-year Major League career, Leonard hit .266 with 144 homers, 723 RBIs and 163 steals.
The 2014 Draft will take place June 5-7, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Thursday, June 5, at 3 p.m. PT. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 4 p.m., with the top 74 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of the second and third days will begin with a live Draft show at 9:30 a.m. PT on June 6.
MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 100 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and you can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft.
Leonard will be joined by Tony Siegle, a senior advisor in the Giants' baseball operations department who is among the industry's most respected and recognized individuals.
Siegle has held front-office positions with eight different organizations spanning five decades and has worked for the Giants on three separate occasions. He assists general manager Brian Sabean and the baseball operations office with waiver and rules compliance, contract negotiations, salary arbitration issues and trade discussions.