When the Hustlers traded for Monty Lynch, they were hoping he could give their offense a spark. The plan became reality in Lynch's first week with Las Vegas.
Lynch hit .366/.422/.634/1.056 in his first 10 games with the Hustlers. He added 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 10 runs batted in, and a stolen base to these gaudy numbers as he stepped into the cleanup role in the Hustlers lineup. "These guys needed a spark, and I'm happy to give it to them," Lynch added. "We (the Austin Riverbats) beat them in the Doubleday Series last year but a lot of my former teammates mentioned how much talent was on this Las Vegas club. I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm not a leader by any means, I'll just let my bat do the talking and try to fit in with the club."
Team captain Riley Hinson, who hit 3 homeruns with Lynch ahead of him in the order last week, was excited about the addition. "The guys in the front office made a nice pickup here," Hinson beamed. "The rest of the guys are excited to have Monty as a Hustler, we're looking forward to having him solidify the cleanup spot."
While Lynch fit into the offense naturally, the big question was going to be his conversion to left field. While Lynch is a talented defensive player, having played center field most of his MBBA career, he had not spent any extended time in left field. In the first 10 games, he did make one error there but showed steady progress and looked more comfortable with each game. "Honestly, while it's a new thing for me learning angles and action off the bats from this field, I will tell you that I have every intention of being the best left fielder in the league by the end of the season," Lynch said.
General Manager Matt Rectenwald explained that the teams pristine financial situation made this trade a no-brainer, and that while he regarded the two players leaving the system in this trade (Bill Deming and David Donato) as potential major leaguers someday, they had no spot in the Hustlers future and thusly it made this a "free pickup" in many senses, and a no brainer of a deal.
