RiverHawks sign former Cub Randall Simon, Dawson denied request to enter Hall as Cub

By Joe McGehee
Staff Writer

The Rockford RiverHawks announced today (Jan. 27) the signing of eight-year major-league veteran Randall Simon. The 2010 season will be Simon’s 19th in professional baseball.

The left-handed first baseman will give the RiverHawks’ franchise instant name recognition with fans who recall Simon’s brief stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2003.

After being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in mid-August, Simon batted .282 with six home runs and 21 runs batted in (RBI) in 33 games. Simon went on to hit .333 in the 2003 post-season, which saw the Cubs reach the National League Championship Series.

Simon has spent time with six teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), including Detroit, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Simon boasted a .283 batting average, 49 home runs and 237 RBI in 537 MLB games.

On an unrelated note, the MLB Hall of Fame denied former Cubs right fielder Andre Dawson his request to enter the Hall of Fame as a Cub. He will instead be inducted as a Montreal Expo.