The Baseball Life of Tom Haley

[Big Six]

Hi again, everybody.

I've been writing for the forum here for seven years now, and I've probably started every kind of dynasty story imaginable. None of them have ever captured my attention the way "The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell" has. I spent many, many enjoyable hours in Pat's world, watching with delight (and more than a little surprise) as he developed into one of the greatest players in baseball history.

Now I'm returning to the dynasty formula I enjoyed so much: creating an imaginary player and inserting him into a "real" baseball universe. This time, instead of traveling back to the past, I'm beginning the story in 2007, with a hard-throwing teenaged pitcher.

Unlike Pat O'Farrell, whom I had determined would play for the Boston Red Sox, our protagonist will begin as a draft-eligible prospect whose baseball future is completely unknown. And, unlike Pat, whom I envisioned as a fairly solid major league player, I'll make our new hero good enough to develop into a top-flight closer--if he's lucky enough to realize his potential.

Thomas Victor Haley was born on December 7, 1988 in Lindsay, Ontario. His father, Ron, is a physician, specializing in family practice, and his mother, Grace, teaches Grade 4. Tom is the oldest of the Haleys' three children and their only son; his sisters Megan and Kate are three and five years younger, respectively.

The baseball universe Tom enters will include all the players you would expect to find in 2007: Pujols and A-Rod; Jeter and Halladay; Big Papi and J-Roll. Tom will surely interact with some familiar characters as his career begins. However, if Tom's career is long, he'll find himself surrounded by very few "real" players, as the game generates new batches of fictional rookies every year. (I'm using OOTP8, but I'll add some "real" youngsters to the universe; you might see Stephen Strasburg or Jason Heyward appear, or perhaps Bryce Harper).

I don't know if Tom Haley's story will be as much fun as Pat O'Farrell's was, but I hope it will. And, if some of you enjoy Tom's saga along with me, even better.

Let the story begin...

[Big Six]

Lindsay Post, April 30, 2007

Haley throws no-hitter in Weldon victory

With scouts from seven Major League teams in attendance, Weldon’s Tom Haley dominated Gravenhurst’s hitters for seven innings yesterday, holding the Gryphons hitless en route to an 8-0 victory.

Haley, 18, struck out 13 batters and walked only one, and his fastball was clocked as high as 99 MPH.

Said Haley of his performance,” I wasn’t aware of the fact they hadn’t had a hit until I went out to pitch the seventh inning. At that point, I started getting nervous. I had to remind myself to keep calm, make my pitches, and remember my teammates were behind me.”

Gravenhurst coach Bob Taylor praised Haley’s poise and demeanour as sincerely as he complimented his talent. “You never want to see your team held hitless,” Taylor admitted. “But when the guy who does it is as humble and hardworking as Tom Haley, it is a little easier to take. He has tremendous stuff and a very mature presence on the mound.”

[Big Six]

New York Times, June 15, 2007

Mets Choose Canadian Pitcher Haley in First Round

In a move that leaves themselves open to a fair share of second-guessing, the New York Mets today used their first round pick in the annual amateur draft to select Tom Haley, a hard-throwing teenage pitcher from Lindsay, Ontario.

Haley, 18, possesses a classic power pitcher’s frame—6’5”, 205 pounds—and gets his fastball to the plate at speeds touching 100 MPH. He dominated the competition he faced in eastern Ontario, but some skeptics have pointed out the uneven quality of that competition.

Mets general manager Rick Hayward is, however, confident that Haley will develop into a major league pitcher. And he is choosing a somewhat unorthodox plan to get Haley to the Show.

“We’re going to groom him as a closer, beginning right now,” Hayward explained.

“I’m just fine with that,” said Haley. “I think I’ll like pitching more often than every fifth day, and the challenge of closing out games will be a rush.”

Like many teenaged draftees, Haley will begin his career in rookie ball, reporting to the Mets’ Gulf Coast League affiliate in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Note: All front-office personnel and managers will be fictional characters.

[muted79]

if this is a tenth as good as the Pat story was, this will be brilliant, really looking forward to reading more

[Hammerin Hank]

Have always enjoyed reading you're dynasty reports. Certainly look forward to yet another great series!

[Tyke]

Looking forward to this, Big Six, I always enjoy your writing.

[Big Six]

Thank you for the encouragement. I enjoy playing OOTP and writing, but dynasty writing is even more rewarding and fun when I know someone out there is reading.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Oh my. This is awesome news.

[Big Six]

From: John Keller, Manager, St. Lucie Mets (jkeller@stluciemets.com)
To: Rick Hayward, General Manager, New York Mets (rhayward@nymets.com)
RE: Tom Haley Scouting Report

June 19, 2007


Rick,

You asked me for my first impressions of Tom Haley. We got Tom into his first game tonight. He pitched an inning against the Dodgers: one inning, no hits, one walk, no strikeouts. He threw 19 pitches, 12 for strikes.

His fastball is the real deal, Rick. We got him at 98 twice on the slow gun. It's a true plus-plus, an 80 if I've ever seen one. His splitter needs some work, and he has a changeup that he didn't throw tonight. I'd rate his stuff a 40 now, with legit 80 potential.

His fastball has some life, and we can help him develop more. His splitter is nothing special, but again, we can work on it. He's got farther to go here. I give him a 25 for movement, with 70 potential.

Tom is like a lot of kids with huge arms--he's wild at times. Right now he scares some of these guys he faces half to death. He's no Nuke Laloosh, but let's just say you would be advised not to dig in hard if you face him. His control is a 25 now, 70 potential.

I think we have a true power closer here, a guy who could anchor our bullpen for a long, long time. We'll use him in the ninth inning just like you asked, and if he gets hit hard, we'll run him back out there. I think he has the makeup to handle it just fine.

Thanks for sending Tom down here, Rick. We can use him.

Regards,
JK

[Big Six]

To: Diarmuid Sutherland (diarmuid91@jetmail.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120788@jetmail.ca)

Re: Hi

June 29, 2007

Hey D,

Good to hear from you the other night. Sorry I didn't get right back to you, but things got really crazy busy here. I'm not in Florida anymore, for one thing. The Mets reassigned me to Kingsport, another Rookie League team.

Kingsport is right on the border between Tennessee and Virginia. It's up in the mountains, and a LONG, LONG way from the beach. I got spoiled down at Port St. Lucie. It's not right on the beach, but it was close enough that a few of us went there on the one day off I had while I was there.

Come to think of it, maybe the distractions had something to do with our record. We were 2-7 in the time I was there.

I pitched pretty well for the GCL Mets, though. I pitched the ninth in both games we won and got the save each time. I didn't give up a hit, walked one guy, and struck one out. Most of the guys I faced had just been drafted, like me, so I haven't seen really experiencded hitters yet. I won't see them in Kingsport, either, because the Appalachian League is also a rookie league.

Please stay in touch, D. It's always good to hear from somebody from back home. I hope your offseason workouts are going well. From what you told me, it looks like St. Michael's is going to be good again next year.

When I get back home, I'll make it a point to get to as many of your games as I can. And dinner's on me. You can return the favour when you get YOUR signing bonus.

Later,
Tom

Diarmuid Sutherland is a character from a junior hockey dynasty I've been writing about for quite some time now. Diarmuid played center for the St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League.

[Big Six]

Kingsport Times News, July 22, 2007

Red-hot Haley owns ninth inning for Mets

Conventional wisdom holds that major league baseball teams should not groom their best young pitchers as closers. For that reason, most minor league teams seldom assign ninth-inning duties to true prospects. Minor league closers are often old for their league, or possess stuff that is one notch below that of the team's most enticing future stars.

That's not the case with the New York Mets this season, however. As soon as they drafted Tom Haley in the first round of this June's amateur draft, they announced their intention to train him as a closer. After a short stint at the Mets' Gulf Coast League affiliate, Haley arrived in Kingsport, and since then, he's been the most effective reliever in the Appalachian League.

Haley, a 6'5" righthander from Lindsay, Ontario, throws hard. His fastball has been clocked just shy of 100 MPH. In eight appearances with the Mets, Haley has been scored upon only once, and he has recorded seven saves.

"Having a guy you can call on to close out games allows a manager to set up his bullpen with confidence," says Mets manager Kenny McLeod. "We know we have a ninth-inning guy we can count on. Tom has been outstanding for us."

Haley lacks the bravado that many closers adopt as part of their persona. "I haven't done anything yet," he admits. "I haven't earned the right to stare guys down or do things like that."...

[Big Six]

To: The Haley Family (fivehaleys@jetmail.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120788@jetmail.ca)

July 31, 2007


Hi everybody,

It's official. I'm getting promoted to Brooklyn tomorrow!!!

I'm looking forward to it. For one thing, the Cyclones are a winning team. I'll be joining a team that is in a playoff race, and leaving one that's playing .500 ball. And it's always an honour to be moved up a level.

On the other hand, I've really grown to like Kingsport more than I thought I would. It's a small city, bigger than Lindsay; more like Oshawa. The people remind me a lot of people from home, except they are fanatics about college football and NASCAR instead of hockey. I'm not a city guy by any means, and Brooklyn is...well, it's Brooklyn. Maybe I'll get to a couple of Mets games, though. That would be cool.

I'm very happy with the way I pitcked in Kingsport. I got my first professional decision the other night and it was a loss, but I'm the league leader in saves right now with 9. I'm sure someone will pass me by the time the season ends, though. I allowed fewer hits (9) than innings pitched (11), and I'm very pleased that I only walked one batter and struck out four.

The New York-Penn League is going to be a tougher test. It's not a rookie league--it's short-season A ball. It might not seem like much of a jump, but I've heard it can be a challenge for a guy who has just been drafted. I'm glad the Mets are going to give me a shot, though.

Chris Kelly is the manager there, and he says they are going to use me as the closer. It will be exciting to be an important member of a team that is trying to get a wild card bid to the playoffs.

I better go now, because I still have things to do before my flight tomorrow.

Love,
Tom

[Big Six]

44 Cedar Court
Lindsay, ON K9V 2N1

Mrs. Dorothy Haley
84 Walmer Rd.
Toronto, ON M5R 1X8
M5R 1X8

December 11, 2007

Dear Grandma,

Thank you very much for the shirt and sweater you gave me for my birthday. They both fit me perfectly and I like them very much. In fact, I wore them last night when I went out to do some Christmas shopping.

You asked me how my season ended up, and I suppose it was a little disappointing. I finished the year in Brooklyn, and we missed the playoffs by one game. We were one game behind Batavia for the wild card going into the last game of the year. We won, and I got the save, but Batavia won as well--that put them in the playoffs.

The New York-Penn league turned out to be a real challenge. I got hit really hard in my first game with the Cyclones, and it happened again later in August. My ERA ended up pretty high, but I did save 10 more games. The Mets say they're happy with the way I responded to being promoted, though.

I'm looking forward to seeing you when we visit you over Christmas. That's a part of my holiday season that I hope never changes.

Love,
Tom

[Big Six]

Here are Tom Haley's statistics for the 2007 season, his first in professional baseball:

TEAM      LG   W  L  SV   ERA   G   IP    H  ER  HR  BB   K   WHIP
GCL Mets  RL   0  0   2  0.00   2   2.0   0   0   0   1   1   0.50
Kingsport RL   0  1   9  1.64  11  11.0   9   2   0   1   4   0.91
Brooklyn  SSA  0  2  10  4.85  13  13.0  20   7   1   4  11   1.85
TOTAL          0  3  21  3.12  26  26.0  29   9   1   6  16   1.35

Not bad for an eighteen-year-old, is it?

[Big Six]

Savannah Morning News, April 6, 2008

SAND GNATS SEASON PREVIEW

BULLPEN

Veterans like David Koons, Jeramy Simmons, and Josh Appell should give the Sand Gnats some bullpen stability, but it's 19-year-old Tom Haley who should step into the closer's role for this year's team.

Haley, the Mets' first-round choice in the 2008 draft, pitched effectively at three levels last year, and features a 99 MPH fastball...

[Big Six]

To: The Haley Family (fivehaleys@jetmail.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120788@jetmail.ca)

Date: May 30, 2008

Hi everybody,

Sorry for the quick reply to your last email. I wasn't really in the mood to say much, because we had just lost another game. I suppose I should be getting used to that by now, but I've never been on a team that found so many ways to lose!

We're already 14 games out of first place, and it's not even the end of May! Is that crazy, or what? Everybody is telling me I'm pitching well, and I try to keep that in mind when I get sick of losing, but it only helps so much.

What bothers me most is the fact that too many of my teammates seem to be enjoying themselves too much, if you know what I mean. There are a lot of good places to party in Savannah, and most of my teammates are 21 or older, so they can get in anyplace they want. I would go out with them--OCCASIONALLY--if I could, but they go out even after we get the crap beat out of us. One of them said the other night that he hopes he makes it to AAA one day...so he can play and party in New Orleans!! That pretty much says it all right there.

I allowed a run last night, because I fell behind a couple of guys and ended up giving them hittable pitches. Some of them can hit a 99 MPH fastball if it's straight and they know it's coming. My ERA is 1.77, though, so I'm still happy. And I've saved nine of our 15 wins.

Is it terrible to say that I hope I get promoted out of here ASAP? Savannah might be a nice city if I were here under better circumstances.

Tom

[Big Six]

Savannah Morning News, June 25, 2008

All-star Haley on his way out
Mets reassign closer to St. Lucie


Relief ace Tom Haley has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal 2008 season for the last-place Sand Gnats.

Now, the Gnats will have to figure out how to turn their season around without Haley, whom the New York Mets have promoted to St. Lucie in the high-Class A Florida State League.

Haley pitched one inning for the Southern Division squad in last night's South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He retired the first two batters he faced on ground outs, allowed a hit, and settled down to end the inning on an infield popup.

Haley is the only Savannah pitcher with a non-losing record; he has won two games and lost two. He has recorded 12 saves, which means he has had a hand in all but four of the Sand Gnats' 18 victories.

"I figured it was only a matter of time before Tom was called up," said Savannah manager Curtis King. "He's allowed only 17 hits in 28 innings. He's too good for this league, and the Mets know that. He has a big-league arm, and I wish him the best."

[Big Six]

112 Eakins Crescent
Lindsay, Ontario K9V 2N1

Mr. Tom Haley
c/o St. Lucie Mets
Digital Domain Stadium
525 NW Peacock Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986

July 18, 2008

Dear Tom,

I hope I didn't embarrass you by sending you a letter here, but this is the only address I had for you, and I didn't get a chance to ask anyone in your family for your new address. I guess you're beginning to get some fan mail, though.

I bet you are really glad to be playing for a competitive team again! I check the standings for the Florida State League regularly, and since you joined the team, you have really pulled away from the rest of the teams in your division! Jupiter was close for a while, but they seem to have dropped off the pace. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the Mets have a stronger bullpen now?

Seriously, it's really good to see that you are pitching so well. Are the hitters in the Florida State League much tougher than the ones in the South Atlantic League? I know they are both Class A leagues, and I have no idea how much difference there is between the two.

I hope you're getting along better with your teammates, too. Megan told me you really didn't feel like you had much in common with the guys on the team in Savannah, that they didn't seem too committed to winning. That must be really frustrating, so I hope that isn't a problem on this team.

I'll close now so I can mail it today. I know writing letters might seem old-fashioned, but I've always enjoyed it. Please write me back if you have some time. I would love to get a letter from you, but an email would be good, too!

Take care,
Leigh Anne

[Big Six]

Miss Leigh Anne Trusdale
112 Eakins Crescent
Lindsay, ON K9V 2N1

July 24, 2008

Dear Leigh Anne,

Hi! It was really good to get a letter from you the other day. I get a few pieces of fan mail every day, I suppose. People send me my baseball cards to sign, along with a self addressed stamped enveloipe. I sign almost all of them and return them, especially if they come from kids. The other day I got 20 copies of one of my cards from some dude, obviously a collector, and he didn't send me a stamped envelope. What a jerk! I kept the cards.

It is really great to be pitching for a competitive team again! We have three really good starting pitchers who give us a chance to win every time they pitch. Nick Abel is the "old man" of the group--he's 26. He would like to be a pitching coach one day, but he plans to keep pitching until someone tells him he's through. He outsmarts most of the hitters here, which means he gets away with not throwing very hard.

Scott Schafer is the same kind of pitcher, but he is younger (21). Nothing he throws is straight, and he keeps hitters off balance. The Mets' first pick in the last draft is with us now. His name is Tim Hemenway, and he is more of a major league prospect than either Nick or Scott. For one thing, Tim throws a lot harder.

I get along really well with all three of these guys, and I also hang out with our catcher, Sixto Marquez. He is a tremendous defensive player with a great arm, and he makes me look really good when he's behind the plate.

You're right about the hitters being better. There are a few more guys in their mid-20s who have been playing pro ball for a while, and they aren't fooled easily. I'm walking a few more hitters than I have been, because better hitters are less likely to swing at bad pitches. That's something I'll be dealing with every time I move up a level, though.

I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the year here with St. Lucie, though. It would be great to pitch in the playoffs, and I'm still young, so I don't have to rush from level to level. We'll see what the Mets think.

I hope I haven't bored you with all the baseball stuff, Leigh Anne. Please keep writing! It's fun to get a letter that isn't an autograph request.

Take care,
Tom

[Big Six]

To: Diarmuid Sutherland (diarmuid91@jetmail.ca)
From: Tom Haley (thaley120788@jetmail.ca)

July 31, 2008


Hey D,

Just letting you know I got promoted again. I'm going up to Binghamton, NY in the Eastern League. It's AA, and it's closer to home. Otherwise, it really isn't much good news. I liked St. Lucie, the guys on the team are really cool, and we were almost certain of going to the playoffs. Binghamton is in 3rd place.

I'll give you a call when I get settled in up there.

Later,
Tom