Regular Kinston shortstop Lindsay Foster had to make way for a newcomer in June 1990, the Indians' first-round pick Tim Costo, The Associated Press wrote.
Foster, however, thought it shouldn't have been that easy, he told The AP.
"I feel like the shortstop job should be mine," Foster told The AP then. "He should have to beat me out. But if they need me to help him out, I'll help him out."
Foster played that season in his fifth year as a pro. He went on to see time in eight pro campaigns. He topped out briefly at AAA.
Foster's career began in 1986, taken by the Blue Jays in the second round of the January draft out of Louisburg College in North Carolina.
Foster started with the Blue Jays with rookie Medicine Hat. He saw 40 games and hit .283. He knocked in a run on a single in an August game.
He moved to short-season St. Catharines and single-A Myrtle Beach. He hit .251 in 95 games. He then saw single-A Dunedin and AA Knoxville for 1988. He hit .270 in 35 games at Knoxville.
Foster arrived in the Indians system for 1989, playing the season at AA Canton-Akron. He hit .265 in 70 games. He then played most of 1990 at high-A Kinston, but also saw 13 outings at Canton-Akron.
He moved to the White Sox system for 1991 and AA Birmingham. His new manager Tony Franklin cited Foster on a list of the team's speedier new additions, according to The Birmingham Post-Herald. Foster stole 36 bases the previous year.
"If they get on, you will see them run," Franklin told The Post-Herald of those players. :How much running they do will depend on how well they swing the bat."
Foster hit .212 in 116 games for Birmingham that year. He also stole 23 bases. He returned to Birmingham for 1992. He also saw one game at AAA Vancouver where he went 2 for 3.
That April, Foster knocked in two runs on a single, according to The Post-Herald.
"He (the pitcher) threw me a fastball in and I was just trying to hit it hard," Foster told The Post-Herald.
Foster isn't credited as playing in 1993, but he returned in 1994 for independent Thunder Bay. He hit .216 in 73 games to end his career.
- Des Moines Register, Associated Press, June 26, 1990: Costo remains at shortstop for Kinston
- Birmingham Post-Herald, April 5, 1990: Barons
- Birmingham Post-Herald, April 10, 1992: Kennedy sends two-hit message
Made the Majors:1,331-33.2%
Never Made Majors:2,673-66.8%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:545
10+ Seasons in the Minors:329
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