Kyle Russell first joined the Chattanooga Lookouts midway through the 2010 season, when he succumbed to Southern League pitching and struck out 1.5 times a game.
Russell returned to the Lookouts last year and fared much better, but he played a supporting role to the all-star tandem of Alfredo Silverio and Scott Van Slyke. The 25-year-old outfielder from Texas has the most plate experience in Chattanooga entering tonight’s season opener against the Tennessee Smokies at AT&T Field, and he’s ready to assume some ownership chores.
“I want to be a leader for this organization, and I want to be a leader for this team,” Russell said. “I want to have that mark by my name, so the guys upstairs can see that this guy has really matured. I’m really looking forward to doing what’s right on the field and off the field and turning this team into a winning team.”
Rated by Baseball America as the best power-hitter prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Russell played 120 games with the Lookouts a year ago and hit .259 with 29 doubles, 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. His strikeouts per game dipped to 1.2, and he was promoted late in the season to Triple-A Albuquerque, where he played 11 games.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pounder from the University of Texas got squeezed out of Triple-A camp last week, so a quick start could result in a quick promotion.