Dec. 2, 2003

Former Tiger Junior Spivey traded to Brewers

Junior Spivey as a sophomore at Cowley.

Junior Spivey, a former standout baseball player at Cowley County Community College, was part of a nine-player deal that sent him from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

Along with Spivey, who played second base for the Diamondbacks the past three seasons, Arizona sent infielders Craig Counsell and Lyle Overbay, catcher Chad Moeller, and minor league pitchers Chris Capuano and Jorge de la Rosa to the Brewers in exchange for first baseman Richie Sexson, pitcher Shane Nance and a player to be named later.

Spivey was a member of the 2001 World Series championship team, and was voted to play in the All-Star game in 2002. That season, Spivey batted .301 with 16 home runs and 78 runs batted in. He also clubbed 34 doubles and stole 11 bases.

Last season, Spivey battled injuries that limited him to 106 games. He finished the 2003 season with a .255 average, 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in. Spivey is a career .279 hitter, and has a .980 fielding percentage while starting 267 games at second base. He is set to earn $2.37 million in 2004.

The Brewers had planned on starting Keith Ginter at second base, but the acquisition of Spivey could send Ginter to the bench.

Cowley head baseball coach Dave Burroughs, who coached Spivey in college, thinks the move will be beneficial for the 28-year old.

“From my vantage point he is going to get to play every day, so it might be a step in the right direction,” Burroughs said. “Leaving a contender might bother him, but it will be good for him to get to play every day. Also for my own selfish reasons, he will be in the same division with the (St. Louis) Cardinals, so I will get to see him play more. I think it was a good trade for the Brewers.”

Spivey, who helped Cowley to a record of 92-24 during his two seasons (1995-1996) at the school, was a 36th-round draft choice of the Diamondbacks in their original draft effort of 1996.

Sexson, who is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $8.6 million in 2004, batted .272 with 45 homers and 124 runs batted in for the Brewers in 2003.

Although the Diamondbacks take on Sexson’s $8.6 million contract for next season, they shed Counsell’s ($3.15 million) and Spivey’s ($2.37 million) deals. With the trade last week of Curt Schilling and his $12 million salary, the Diamondbacks have cut roughly $8 million from their payroll.

Arizona’s payroll was $94 million in 2003, and the club has said it would like to get it to around $80 million in 2004.

Spivey’s hitting statistics: