Former Lewis-Clark State College baseball player Justin Fuller might be involved in the trade that determines who wins the National League West Division this season.
On Monday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Fuller, a shortstop, to the Chicago White Sox for the left-handed bat of Jim Thome. The White Sox, who have been in a tailspin of late, decided to trade some of their top names on Monday and Thome provides a big stick off the bench for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles currently leads the NL West, but with San Francisco and Colorado close behind. Thome is expected to come off the bench as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers.
In return, the White Sox get rid of a large salary and picked up fuller, who was with the Dodgers’ Class A Advanced Team, Winston-Salem, in the Carolina League. In 56 games with Winston-Salem, Fuller was hitting .254 (45-of-177) with 11 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He also has 17 RBI.
Fuller was selected by the Dodgers in the 11th round (323 pick overall) in the June 2006 draft.
