Leone seeks return to majors

He played only one season of varsity baseball as a waif-like senior at Bonanza High School. But that didn't stop Justin Leone from making it to the major leagues.

Leone, who stood only 5 feet 7 inches tall and barely weighed 160 pounds in high school, returned to his hometown Thursday night as a solid 6-1, 210-pound left fielder for Fresno. The Grizzlies made quick work of the 51s in a 3-0 win at Cashman Field that took only 2:04 to play.

The 30-year-old Leone, who went 0-for-4, is batting .289 and leads Fresno with eight home runs, 12 steals, 32 walks and 35 runs scored. An infielder/outfielder who plays primarily at third base, he has 26 RBIs in his first season in the San Francisco Giants' organization.

"He's doing a great job playing all over the place," said Grizzlies manager Dan Rohn. "He's a very versatile young man and a good athlete. He can run, throw, hit and hit for power.

"He's got all the intangibles to be a good major league player. He's just got to put them all together. If he keeps putting up numbers, somebody's going to give him a chance."

Leone sprouted while playing at Barstow (Calif.) Community College and then packed on pounds of muscle in the weight room at St. Martin's College in Lacey, Wash.

"I just noticed a difference, if I did work out, how much better I felt hitting a baseball," said Leone, who still lives in Las Vegas. "I noticed a difference in my power, so I really concentrated on that. I had a lot of good friends in college who liked to work out, and we just pushed each other and it definitely paid off."

Leone was drafted in the 13th round by the Seattle Mariners in 1999. Despite hitting no homers in high school, Leone emerged as a power hitter in professional baseball, belting 100 homers in five seasons, from 2000 to 2004, culminating with his first call-up to the majors.

"It was a long road to the big leagues, that's for sure," Leone said. "I went through some rough years. Getting called up was unbelievable."

Leone hit .216 with six homers in 31 games for the Mariners before his season was cut short by a broken hand, and he also missed most of the 2005 campaign with a hand injury.

Leone signed with San Diego last year and hit .260 with 20 homers and 73 RBIs for Triple-A Portland, appearing in one game with the Padres.

He is hoping his strong start with the Grizzlies will lead to another trip to the big leagues.

"I'm not going to give up on this game. It's been too good for me, and my family really enjoys it," said Leone, who is engaged and has a child on the way. "I've never thought about quitting, that's for sure, because I know what I'm capable of doing in this game: playing every day in the big leagues. I just want to get back there and show what I can do."

• NOTES -- Los Angeles sent outfielder/infielder Marlon Anderson to the 51s on a major league rehabilitation assignment, and San Francisco outfielder Dave Roberts joined Fresno on a major league rehabilitation assignment.

The Dodgers also sent pitcher Eric Hull back to Las Vegas, and 51s pitcher Greg Miller was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville.