Adam Hyzdu

Adam Davis Hyzdu

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Moeller High School
• Debut September 8, 2000
• Final Game April 26, 2006
• Born December 6, 1971 in San Jose, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Adam Hyzdu was the San Francisco Giants 1st round pick (15th overall) in the 1990 amateur draft out of Cincinnati's Moeller High School.

Debuting in pro ball with the Everett Giants of the Northwest League in 1990, Hyzdu .245/~.320/.387 in 253 AB. Moving up to the Midwest League in 1991 with the Clinton Giants, Hyzdu hit only .234/~.338/.327 with 131 K in 410 AB. Nevertheless, he was moved to the High-A San Jose Giants of the California League in 1992. Returning to his place of birth did him some good, as he hit .278/~.355/.414 with 9 homers and 10 steals in 457 AB. Hyzdu split 1993 between the California League and the Texas League, but did not fare well in his first taste of AA ball. He hit .202/~.252/.318 in 302 AB with the Shreveport Captains with a 20/82 BB/K ratio. Back in San Jose, he hit .291/~.397/.630 with 13 HR in only 165 AB.

In December of 1993, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Hyzdu from the Giants in the 1993 Rule V Draft. In March of 1994 the Reds, unable to keep him on the major league roster, returned him to the Giants, then immediately traded Chris Hook and Scott Robinson to get him back. Hyzdu split 1994 between High-A and AA, just as he had in 1993. For the Winston-Salem Spirits, Hyzdu hit .276/.336/.552 with 15 HR in 210 AB. With the Chattanooga Lookouts, he hit .263/.310/.406. Back with Chattanooga in 1995, he hit .263/~.356/.439 with 13 HR in 312 AB, but he had his best BB/K yet - 45/56. In March of 1996, the Reds released him.

Hyzdu hooked on with the Boston Red Sox chain for 1996 and competed in his third AA league. For the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League, he hit .337/~.423/.618 with 24 doubles and 25 homers in 374 AB, leading the league in SLG and made the league All-Star team. Hyzdu got his first taste of AAA in 1997 with the Pawtucket Red Sox. He managed a respectable .276/~.384/.499 with 21 doubles, 23 homers and a career-high (to that point) 72 BB in 413 AB. Two months prior to his 26th birthday, he was granted free agency. Hooking up with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998, Hyzdu played little for the Tucson Sidewinders, hitting .340/~.426/.550 in only 100 AB.

In 1999, Hyzdu joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, where he had his best success. Splitting 1999 between AA and AAA yet again, he hit .316/~.387/.612 with 26 doubles and 24 homers in 345 AB with the Altoona Curve and .250/~.313/.614 with another 5 round trippers in only 44 AB with the Nashville Sounds. In 2000, Hyzdu began the year with Altoona, and ended it with a retired jersey and his major league debut. He hit .290/~.400/.554 with 39 2B and league leading totals in games (142), runs scored (96), total bases (285), XBH (72), homers (31), and RBI (106). He was also four behind the leader with a new career high 94 walks and was named Eastern League Most Valuable Player. The Curve retired his number minutes after the final game; he was a fan favorite in Altoona and developed a cult following even among some other Pirate fans. Appearing in 12 games with the Pirates, he hit .389 with 2 doubles and a homer among his 7 hits. Hyzdu spent 2001 to 2003 shuffling between Pittsburgh and Nashville, not really playing enough in either spot. He got 72 AB with the Pirates in 2001 (.208/.260/.431), 155 AB in 2002 (.232/.324/.484), and 63 AB in 2003 (.206/.320/.333). One of the highlights of his time with the club was the week of July 15-21, 2002, when he hit .588 with 3 homers and 11 RBI and was named National League Player of the Week. In four years, the Pirates gave him only 308 AB, but he managed 18 home runs. Given his low OBPs in the majors, it is unsurprising he was not given more opportunities.

In 2004, Hyzdu signed with the Red Sox again. Playing every day for Pawtucket, he hit .301 and slugged .568 with 33 doubles, 29 homers, and 84 walks, leading the IL with a .412 OBP and making the All-Star team. He had only 11 PA with the world champions (.300/.364/.800).

Hyzdu split 2005 between Boston, Pawtucket, the San Diego Padres and the Portland Beavers. In 43 PA in the majors, he could only manage a .194/.286/.250 line, but got into 1 game in the ALDS. He did hit 16 doubles and 15 homers in 325 Triple A AB.

Hyzdu's major league career through 2005 showed only 354 AB in 6 seasons with a .229/.311/.441 line, but with 18 doubles and 19 homers. His minor league numbers over 16 seasons showed 5,461 AB, 328 2B, 253 HR, and a .277/~.365/.487 composite line.

In his last major league appearances, he went 1 for 4 with the Texas Rangers in 2006 and spent most of the season with the Oklahoma RedHawks, batting .271/.370/.476 with 19 homers. He signed with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks for 2007. He was given a shot at first base but did not impress management and they planned to return Nobuhiko Matsunaka there. He finally debuted with the Hawks in late April in right field.

Source: 1991-2006 Almanacs, 1995 Baseball Guide

Notable Achievements

• 2000 Player of the Year Eastern League Altoona Curve