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The Oakland Telegraph
5 August 2030
Player in focus: Dennis Hawkins
Last month, star batter Dennis Hawkins signed a lucrative new 3-year contract to stay with the Oakland A's organisation through to the end of the 2033 season. Our resident column filler, Lou Kingatyoukid, who by an extraordinary chance also just happens to be the niece of editor Eddie Tor, gives us the lowdown on the expert hitter.
Role
Claims to be an outfielder, but has the slight limitation in that role in that he isn't very good at fielding. Plays designated hitter against righty pitchers, batting number one or two in the lineup.
Nickname
None. This is a serious man, right here.
Career history
A hyper-talented junior, Hawkins was drafted straight out of high school by San Francisco as the fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft. The lefty developed only slowly in the Giants' minor league roster, finally making his major league debut in late 2024. Oakland GM Paulie Beane came knocking after the 2025 season. Fresh from winning the third of their four straight World Series titles, Beane was looking to shed payroll and bring in young talent. San Francisco agreed to take all-star starting pitcher Denny Miller and catcher Luis Torrens in exchange for Hawkins. He's been a regular in the Oakland lineup over the subsequent four and a half seasons as designated hitter, although his woeful hitting against lefties has meant Beane has usually only started him in about 140 or so games each year. One of the A's most popular players, to date he has a career 126 OPS+ and .870 OPS, and is a three-time all-star.
Career highlights
2 World Series rings (Oakland 2026, Oakland 2029)
3 AL Championship pennants (Oakland 2026, Oakland 2028, Oakland 2029)
2 NL West pennants (San Francisco 2024, San Francisco 2025)
3 AL West pennants (Oakland 2026, Oakland 2028, Oakland 2029)
3 all-star selections (2027, 2028, 2029)
Hobbies
Jumping traffic lights, returning library books a week late on purpose.
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