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Vince Naimoli
I watch Shane walk out of my office as I hold his contract in my hand. Filing it away in one of my cabinets, I grab another manila folder and begin thumbing through it. It’s my latest minor league report, sent straight to me from the managers of our farm system. “All right, Chuck, it’s time to see who we should keep our eyes on.”
I hand Chuck a copy of our AAA team’s reports and begin going down the list of prospects. I stop at the name of a starting pitcher on the Bulls’ roster. “Hey, take a look at the scouting on Doug Wae-…Wog…Wayger?” I mumble.
“Doug Waechter.” Chuck corrects.
“Let’s call him DW.” I suggest. Chuck nods in agreement.
“Well, apparently DW could be a good addition to our staff in a few years.” Chuck says.
“Few years, nothing, Chuck.” I interrupt. “If Hensley has trouble with our current active roster, we’ll be calling up some of these guys before the season’s over.”
“I agree. Anyway,” Chuck continues, “it looks like he’s got a pretty good move to first and he can field, too.”
“I’ll write him down.” I jot down DW on a sheet of notebook paper, peeking over at my roster five or six times to make sure I spell his last name right. I also write a few notes by his name, explaining why we’re interested in him. This only serves to jog our memories, because after you scout a hundred guys looking to get into the big leagues, they all seem to blend together. “Let’s keep going.” I say and stare back down at my list.
An hour later, I set my pen down and review my notes:
Players To Watch in Farm System
AAA Durham Bulls:
SP Doug Waechter – “front of the line starter”, good defensive player
SP John Webb – great movement on pitches, needs to work on pickoff move
SS B.J. Upton – spectacular contact hitter, great speed, possibly leadoff hitter?
OF Jonny Gomes – adept at all outfield positions, pretty good HR power
OF Joey Gathright – decent batting skills, great in the field, good baserunner
AA Montgomery Biscuits:
SP Jon Switzer – great defense, keeps hitters off-balance
MR Jose Diaz – throws in the upper 90s, good stamina on the mound
MR Chad Orvella – scouts say he’ll be great, but needs defensive work
CF Elijah Dukes – combines solid hitting with great base-swiping, some good D to boot
RF Delmon Young – shows lots of promise in hitting, said to have a cannon of an arm
A Bakersfield Blaze:
SS Reid Brignac – could be a 5-tool player with his hitting, glove, and speed.
SP Jeff Niemann – awesome pickoff move, coupled with a hard fastball and good range
SP Matt Walker – A lot of the same qualities as Niemann, we will have a great staff soon
RF West Bankston – Good power hitter, with a great arm from right as well.
I lean back in my leather chair, staring up at the ceiling. “Well, Chuck, according to the scouting reports, we have one of the best minor league systems in baseball.”
“We do seem awfully stocked with good prospects.” Chuck agrees. “Let’s hope they’ll all pan out and give us a killer major league team in a few years.”
“Nah.” I say dismissively. “We’re gonna shake up the A.L. East this year. I have a good feeling about this Hensley kid, and he’s not gonna fail us.”
“How can you be sure?” Chuck asks.
“Because I know he doesn’t want to go back to teaching high school ball. No one wants to leave the Show. Ever.”
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