Hawkins re-writes Atlantic League home run record
September 27, 2022
By Devon Teeple
GM’s Perspective
It’s been around four years since I wrote about Courtney Hawkins’ time with the Sugar Land Skeeters.
At that point in his career he’d been a first-round pick, been promoted, been demoted, been released, been hurt, and in not so nice words, been written off.
That’s the life of a pro athlete. But one thing you cannot question about Hawkins is his resilience. A string of injuries plagued him from 2015 to 2017, nevertheless, when he was healthy, he was on the field.
The Corpus Christi, Tex. native has put on the uniform of more than 13 teams in 11 pro seasons. And still keeps putting up the numbers. The career year I wrote about in 2018 has been eclipsed twice now, including this year with the Lexington Legends where Hawkins has been going Aaron Judge on the Atlantic League pitchers.
At 28, and in the prime of his career, Hawkins matched the Atlantic League record for home runs (Ozzie Canseco, 2000) with 48. His 125 RBIs, 72 extra-base hits and .655 slugging rank him second in the all-time Atlantic League record books.
By far, 2022 is a year to remember. One of the greatest the Atlantic League has ever seen. And yet proof again that Indy ball can provide a platform for players to become their best selves.
There can be the naysayers with countless questions; why does someone keep playing? Their time has gone … what’s the point? You were a first-round pick and now you’re in independent ball?
The above isn’t made up questions for filling space. I’ve been asked those questions personally about my career…players I’ve spoken to have told me they have been asked the same or even worse.
You can’t measure someone’s dedication or desire to do what they love.
And that’s the underlying message within the Indy game. These guys aren’t getting paid a lot, there’s not much fanfare, but everyone once in a while there’s a Courtney Hawkins. A guy who’s seen the good and bad that the game can provide and one day he sets the league on fire.