It's easy to forget that Paul Konerko started his professional career within the Dodgers farm system. He was drafted by us in the 1st Round of the 1994 amateur draft as the #1 ranked prep catcher in the country. Steadily, he rose up through the ranks by exhibiting good power with a knack for getting on base. Konerko soon switched to a corner infield position and earned a spot as one of the top prospects in the country. Unfortunately, his initial foray into the Majors was underwhelming.
In the middle of the 1998 season he was traded to Cincinnati for a deal that still makes me wince. Along with reliever Dennys Reyes (my namesake), Konerko was exchanged for aging closer Jeff Shaw. Just over 4 months later he was shipped to Chicago for Mike Cameron. There, he would stay for the remainder of his career.
It was reported earlier this year that 2013 may be his last in the Majors. Via Chuck Garfien at CSNChicago.com.
Konerko has two years remaining on his contract, and while he's focused on having another big season for the White Sox, he gave his first hint that 2013 might be his last in a big league uniform.Featured in this post are 3 different autographed Baseball card of Paul Konerko in Dodger Blue. Above is a 1998 Bowman certified autographed card. Directly below is a 1998 SP Authentic Chirography autographed card.
"No doubt it could be," Konerko said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. "Yeah, in all reality I would see it ending after next year or maybe another year. I mean, at some point you got to go home and be around your kids and have other things to do."
1998 Fleer / Skybox "Signature 2001" autograph
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