Luke Hughes
From BR Bullpen
Luke Trevor Hughes
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- High School Hampton High School (Perth)
- Born August 2, 1984 in Perth, Western Australia Australia
Luke Hughes has started 2007 on a solid note in his first AA season, hitting over .340 in mid-June. He is a veteran of the Australian national team.
In 2001-2002, Hughes was the All-Star second baseman in the International Baseball League of Australia.
Hughes was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2002. He debuted professionally a year later with the GCL Twins, reaching base safely in 19 straight games at one point. He hit .305/.361/.426 and made the Gulf Coast League All-Star team at third base ahead of Eric Duncan. He was 10th in the GCL in average. During the 2003 Claxton Shield tournament, Hughes hit .429 to help the Queensland Rams to the title.
In 2004, Luke batted .284/.338/.418 for the Elizabethton Twins while moving to second base. During the 2004 Claxton Shield, Hughes won the Gold Glove Award.
Hughes began 2005 with the Beloit Snappers, batting .257/.319/.390 in 72 games before being promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle, where he struggled (.202/.222/.262 in 23 games). The second baseman for the Australian team in the 2005 Baseball World Cup, he went just 1 for 15 with 2 walks and five strikeouts.
Hughes returned to the Australian team for the 2006 World Baseball Classic, going 0 for 3 with a walk, strikeout and time hit by pitch. The 21-year-old again fared poorly for the Miracle, hitting .231/.287/.312 in 95 games, primarily back at third base. In the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, the Australian batted .455/.618/.773 with 8 runs, 10 walks and 7 RBI. In 5 games at second and four at third, he was error-free. He just missed the top five for the tourney in average, 3 points behind fifth-place Dirk van 't Klooster.
In 2007, Hughes hit .283/.356/.438 in 92 games for the New Britain Rock Cats and was a mid-season Eastern League All-Star.
Hughes hit .333/.359/.583 for Australia in the 2007 Baseball World Cup. Despite batting 9th, he drove in 8 runs, one behind team leader Justin Huber. Hughes tied a game against the Dutch national team with a 9th-inning sacrifice fly against Michiel van Kampen. Against the Venezuelan national team, Luke cracked a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 11th to win the game. He broke open a tie game against Team Canada in the top of the 9th with a double and the go-ahead run. America's Jayson Nix beat him out for All-Star honors at second base in the tournament.
Hughes batted .522/.577/.652 in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament with 8 RBI in 7 games. He was third in the event in average, trailing Joo-chan Kim and Jimmy Van Ostrand, and he tied Matt Rogelstad, Van Ostrand, Dae-ho Lee and Kuo-Hui Lo for second in RBI, trailing only Seung-yeop Lee. He was one of their best players in their losses to Mexico and Taiwan as 4-3 Australia failed to advance to the 2008 Olympics.
In the 2008 Futures Game, Hughes started at third base for the World team, hitting 5th. He flew out against Clayton Richard in the first and struck out against Jess Todd in the 4th before being replaced by Juan Francisco. He was the only Australian in that Futures Game.
Sources: 2004-2007 Baseball Almanacs, IBAF website, World Baseball Classic website, 2007 Twins Media Guide, Minor League Baseball website
