Hangin’ out with … Matt LeCroy

Matt LeCroy is one of the most accomplished players to ever sign with the Barnstormers. He spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, hitting 60 home runs in 476 games. He also played in 10 postseason games, including one start in the 2002 ALCS with the Twins.

In this interview, LeCroy talks about why he’s not bitter that he’s in the Atlantic League, his reputation as a bad defensive player and his chances of getting another shot with a major league organization.

How did you end up with the Barnstormers?

When I was looking for work in January and February, my agent told me there wasn’t much of an opportunity for me. He came across some guys he knew in Lancaster. He knew Von (Hayes) and Keith (Lupton) and the talk kind of started.

I ended up signing a contract to go play with Oakland. I kind of knew it wasn’t going to work out the way I wanted it to. I took my release. They actually offered me a Triple-A job, but I wasn’t going to play. I hate to say it but it doesn’t do me any good if I wasn’t playing.

There was an opportunity for me to come here and they were real nice keeping that job open for me. I wanted to play and this seemed like a good place.

Some ex-big leaguers are bitter or grumpy when they end up in the Atlantic League. You’re not like that at all. Why is that?

I’ve had a great career. I’ve always played the game hard and had fun. I don’t care if it’s minor league, independent or what, I’m going to try to treat it the same way. That’s to play as hard as I can and respect it. You never know when it’s going to get taken away from you.

I heard you wanted to play in a rural area. Is that why Lancaster appealed to you?

I’m from a small town in South Carolina and I’ve got two little girls and a wife. It seemed like this was the right spot. It had good fans, a good place to bring my children, so that’s really all that matters.

Last season your numbers weren’t as good as they’ve been throughout your career. What went wrong?

I had surgery at the end of the summer in 06. Last year was a struggle for me to get back. I just wasn’t healthy, but I tried to play. At the end of the year I got called up and I felt great.

I took a foul tip off my elbow in Washington. It crushed a bone spur. I kept playing and I kept getting cortisone shots. I knew it was something I would have to take care of, so I started to get ready for the next year and it started hurting me again. I had surgery. It was a scope. They really cleaned a lot of it out. There was some scar tissue that kept building up on me last year. I had to really hit the rehab. By the end of the year I didn’t feel any setbacks. That was a positive.

People have often said you’re a good hitter who isn’t good with the glove. Does that criticism bother you?

I know that if I had been a little bit better on defense, I probably would have played more. i never played first until I got to the big leagues and they’d always take me out of the game for defensive purposes. Any time you can play good defense, you’ll get more at-bats and play in more games. I was a hitter. That is what I worked on all the time. It got me to the big leagues, but fielding is something I wish I had been a little better at.

I couldn’t run when I was growing up. I just worked my tail off hitting and I got stronger and stronger. I started hitting a lot of home runs, got drafted twice and it was something I felt confident about.

With your name recognition, your history, you should get another chance in affiliated ball. Is that how you see it?

I want to keep playing. As long as you’re playing, somebody is going to see you. Hopefully, I can help this team win some ballgames, do well and see what happens. I’ve always been taught to have a good attitude. I want to win. That’s all I really care about. In this league, it’s about being winners. In the minor leagues, they don’t really stress winning much.

Do you think people are wondering: Whatever happened to Matt LeCroy?

You know what? I went to spring training with Oakland, so that kept me out there a little bit. They keep up with me in Minnesota. I got a standing ovation last year when I went back to Minnesota. It was pretty neat. You know people know who you are, but when they do that for you, they appreciate what you’re doing. That was sweet.

That was a great place, man. We had good fans, we had a good team and good teammates. It was just a good time. They love baseball. They treated me well and treated my family well.

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There will also be a feature on LeCroy in Lancaster Newspapers’ special pullot section, which hits newsstands Thursday.