| Ryan Klesko was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round of the 1989 amateur draft. After playing sparingly at the MLB level in 1992 and 1993, Klesko saw part-time action for the Braves at LF and 1B during the strike year of 1994, then solidified himself as the team's starting LF during Atlanta's 1995 World Series season. He would go on to mash 20+ HR four times for the Braves with a .281/.361/.525 triple-slash line, good for a 127 OPS+, although his LF defense was quite poor according to Total Zone Rating. In 1999 he was moved from left field to first base (where he was no better with the glove) because Andres Galarraga had been diagnosed with cancer.
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