From High School to General Manager

[metsgeek]

That's great! I can see that scene in my head. The career minorleaguer finally gets into the show and gets a ring!

Awesome!

[Rowleyball]

Matt got the call from his agent while he was on his way to the airport in Albuquerque.

Agent: “Hey there Matt, what are you up to?”

Matt: “I’m on my way home to see some friends. What’s up?”

Agent: “Well, I talked to Mr. Sweeney (the Demons’ GM). I’ve got some bad news.”

Matt: “OK.”

Agent: “They’ve chosen not to renew your contract. You’ve been released.”

(silence)

Agent: “Matt?”

Matt: “Yeah, I’m here.”

Agent: “I can get in contact with the other teams if you’d like me to. I’ll do my best to get you an invitation to spring training. You never know; you might even end up with a major league roster spot with a young team in need of a leader like you.”

Matt: “I’ve got to think things over, I’ll call you back.”

Agent: “OK, bye.”

Matt: “Bye.”

[dangarion]

Wow, that was really cool Some of the best reading I've had on the site for awhile.

[Redhead_Alaskan]

Wow. This is one of the best reads I have ever seen. Keep it up.

[Ben Music]

I sure hope the Demons offer him a coaching spot.

[schielma]

I have really enjoyed reading this. I can't wait to see what else happens.

[Hetz]

I can't wait to see what happens next! Great job!

[Rowleyball]

For Rowley, it didn’t take long to make the decision. He was going to try to get back into baseball, trying out for any team that would let him. He contacted every team in the UBL, but only one team showed any interest at all. The Houston Rockets formally invited him to their spring training facility in New Orleans, where their AA team is stationed. Rowley worked out all winter, trying to regain his youthful form. When February came around, Matt packed his equipment and headed to Louisiana.

Matt worked out with the team, participating in every activity, drill, and workout. Although he was arguably the hardest worker of all of their invitees, the Rockets’ coaches were not impressed with his play. They knew about his decline in the Albuquerque farm system, but they were fascinated by how he worked with the younger guys. All of them, from the millionaire major leaguers to the teenage prospects, respected Rowley for his work ethic and passion for the game.

Halfway through March, Rockets’ GM Billy Briggs asked Matt to speak privately in his office. Briggs told the 30-year old that he would not be offered a spot on the 40-man roster nor be offered a minor league contract. He did offer Rowley an opportunity for other work. The Rockets had been interviewing for a roaming minor league bunting and baserunning coach. Briggs said that after what he had seen from him in spring training, Rowley would be perfect for the job. Matt took a few days to think about his options, and reluctantly accepted the offer. He acknowledged the fact that his playing days may be over, but working as a coach would be the next best thing.

[Rowleyball]

Now as the official Bunting and Baserunning Instructor for the Houston organization, Rowley was sent back and forth between each of the Rockets’ minor league teams. These were the locations of the teams he worked with:

AAA - Oklahoma City
AA - New Orleans
A - Jackson (Mississippi)

“This has been a wonderful job; coaching really comes naturally to me,” Matt told a minor league reporter. “The guys are great and I’ve made many friends in this organization already. But still, my favorite part of this job is being able to shag balls during BP or cut in and take a few hacks. Playing this sport is my favorite thing on this planet. I couldn’t imagine a better job because I get to be around the game every day.”

In addition to his coaching duties, Matt has also spent time researching prospects around the league. Briggs relies on him for accurate and precise analysis of minor league stats. Matt will give him a tip on someone who is on the rise and might be available for trade for a fairly cheap price.

Rowley was also part of the team of scouts who analyzed amateurs available in the draft in June. Outfielder Carl Bornstein, the Rockets’ 2nd round pick, was a huge pickup for the team, and Rowley was a big reason why they ended up with him. Bornstein was passed by many teams because of his strange body structure (6’3” – 165 lbs) and unorthodox swing. The clumsy 21-year old had huge numbers at Stanford, but he dropped to the second round because teams didn’t want to risk choosing a 165 pound power hitter. While analyzing the entrees into the draft, Rowley saw Bornstein’s numbers and saw past everything else. He flew to Palo Alto to meet the lefthanded outfielder in person, and he was convinced that Bornstein had the kind of attitude and personality to succeed right away. In only 84 games in single A Jackson, the young phenom amazingly hit 23 HR drove in 73 runs in 327 at bats.

Matt has proved himself to be a valuable asset for the organization. “I’ve been busy this year,” Rowley admitted, “moving from the field, helping out guys with their skills, to the office, analyzing stat sheet after stat sheet. It’s been very rewarding. I never saw myself as a front office type of guy, but I am getting more interested in what goes on behind the scenes. I’m looking forward to what I can do to help this team win.”

Houston finished the 2013 season tied for last place in the Central Division of the Eastern League, winning only 68 games, but they do have one of the highest rated minor league systems in the UBL. The Rockets are building a core group of youngsters that look to be very formidable once they reach the majors.

[Ben Music]

Great installments!

[Joe Canadian]

Amazing read, great idea for a Dynasty Thread... hope to see more soon.

[Rowleyball]

Although he had been drafted right out of high school, Matt had been taking classes during the winter to slowly work on his business degree. This past winter, he finally graduated from California State University Northridge with a degree in Business Administration.

After a successful season as a coach, scout, and stat analyst, Rowley’s place in the organization shifted slightly. Instead of the hodgepodge of duties he had last year, the Houston front office gave Rowley a full-time scouting job. Most of his time would be traveling around the country evaluating high school and college potential prospects, and after the draft he would also fill in and scout major league teams every now and then.

Early in the season, while watching a high school game in Springfield, Missouri, Matt noticed a particularly interesting player. His name was William Racette, a left handed centerfielder who had it all. The native of the Ozarks had a good bat, good power, above average speed and stealing ability, outstanding range in the outfield, but his most impressive talent was his patience at the plate. His teammates had even given him the nickname “The Professor” because of his pure knowledge of the game.

Rowley got in contact with Racette, who was very mature for his age. The 18-year old and his family convinced Matt that if he was drafted, he would not turn down the offer to go to college.

“I told them that, while going to college can be an outstanding experience, being drafted possibly in the first round was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Rowley commented. “I let William know that we have the second overall pick in the amateur draft in June. If we decide to take him and he signs with us, he will be given a hefty signing bonus. The Racette family was not wealthy because William’s parents were teachers. The multimillion dollar signing bonus would help his family significantly. Although they value education above everything else, they knew that William would do fine on his own. I also pointed out that he could do what I did: take classes during the winter and earn his degree over time.”

Rowley followed Racette’s progress through the high school season very closely. When June came around, the Rockets did in fact choose William with the second pick overall. He immediately was sent to play at single A Jackson, where he performed well. Although he had a few nagging injuries, Racette hit .270 with an outstanding .440 Obp in 42 games. He also hit 8 HR and drove in 25 runs.

The Rockets had another tough year at the major league level. They finished last in the Central with a 66-96 record. Houston had built on their already solid minor league system, which is now ranked as the third best system in the UBL. Lead by newcomer William Racette, the Rockets hope they have what it takes to compete in the near future.

[Rowleyball]

Rowley, now a promising front office man for the Houston organization, was promoted to Assistant Scouting Director in 2015. Before the season started, the team’s Head Scouting Director, Joshua Mills, decided to take the year off to recover from an untimely water skiing accident. Mills had a hard time coming into work because he was briefly limited to a wheelchair, so he turned the job over to Rowley during the interim.

At only 32 years of age, Rowley was in charge of a large team of scouts, many of whom were as much as 25 years older than him. “It has been awkward at times,” Matt said, “but the entire team is very respectful of me, as I am of them. I try not to dictate to them. I’m attempting to the best boss I can be without overstepping my duties. I think I’ve done fairly well so far. I’ve started several great relationships within the organization that I’m sure will help me out in the future.”

As Scouting Director, Rowley had a successful draft. The Rockets again had the 2nd pick overall, and with it they chose high school outfielder Bill Easton. A very intense player, Easton is known as the “Terminator” among his teammates. He comes to the Rockets’ organization out of a small town in central Florida, where he grew into a local legend. Easton is most well known for hitting for the cycle AND pitching a perfect game on the same day. Easton was not even the top pitcher on his team, but that day he simply could not fail. The 6 foot lefty is not intimidating, but his intense, all-out effort on every play amazes even the most experienced scouts. After playing the last few months at single A Jackson, Easton is the top ranked hitting prospect in the entire UBL.

The Rockets’ major league team made some improvements in 2015. Although they finished in 2nd place in the Central division, they were 25 games back of the Chicago Fire with a 72-90 record. Chicago is another team on the rise, they have increased their win total each of the last four seasons, so the Rockets will have their hands full if they hope to compete in the next few years.

[Rowleyball]

For those of you guys still following this thread, I'm going to have to come back to it in a few weeks. I've got a busy couple of days coming up, and then spring break. I'll continue when I'm back from break.

[ctorg]

I'll be looking forward to it. This is a great read.

I had an idea to do this and post reports but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Perhaps I still will.

[Dwolfson20]

One question: is it possible to enable manager mode in the middle of a career that has already started?

[Rowleyball]

Yes. You can turn manager mode on in the middle of an already started career. As far as I know, you can retire at any time also, and then start a new manager career in the same league.

On a different note, 100 POSTS!! WOO HOO!! hehe

[PhilyMouth]

Great read man. I think for the heath of your guy he should start looking foward to becoming a great mind of baseball.

[PhilyMouth]

ignore my post...im dumb..didnt read the whole thing

[William4192]

This is awesome. If you keep posting, I'll keep reading. Also, are there any more threads like this?