Professional career
In 2008 Kroeger played for the Chicago Cubs Triple-A affiliate,the Iowa Cubs. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Additionally,he played three winter ball seasons for the Leones del Caracas club of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League,resulting champion in the 2009–10 season and being a key part in the team's regular lineup. [1]
Kroeger batted an average of .167 (9-for-54) with three doubles in 22 games for Arizona,including five runs scored and two RBI without home runs.
In 13 minor league seasons,Kroeger hit .276 with 154 home runs and 743 RBI in 1,434 games. His most productive seasons came in Venezuela,where he was widely known as 'La Pesadilla' (The Nightmare),primarily due to his clutch hitting ability for delivering a game-winning hit or belting a home run against the opposite team,as well as for the phonetic similarity of his surname to the fictional character Freddy Krueger. Overall,he posted a .297/.401/.482 slash line with 27 homers and 128 RBI in 224 games during his five-season stint in the league. [2]
Besides Caracas,Kroeger played with the Águilas del Zulia and Bravos de Margarita and served as a reinforcement for the Caribes de Anzoátegui in the 2010-2011 postseason,when he earned Most Valuable Player honors. [3]
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