The Story of Salvador Padilla

[legofarley]

I am the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Union Baseball Alliance League (UBA) and have been since the league's inception in 1900 (currently 1937). And I wanted to share with you the story of Salvador Padilla - quite possible the closest player to IRL Ted Williams the UBA will ever see.

Salvador was born in Candelaria, Puerto Rico in 1905. While playing youth league baseball he was discovered by UBA scouts and was asked to play baseball in America. At age 17 he signed on with the Sioux Falls Canaries, an unaffiliated team in the rookie level Frontier League. The lefty outfielder would make a big impact for Canaries during his time there.

In 1923 Padilla was named the number 33 prospect in the UBA system. An interesting choice on the part of the baseball writers, Padilla was an unknown kid playing for a team that did not feed directly to a major league team. This caught some attention from the UBA major league organizations, who thought Padilla might be worth keeping an eye on.

During the 1922 and 1923 seasons Padilla rode the bench in Sioux Falls, not actually making a gameday appearance until 1924. But with a 35 man roster it's not unreasonable to have to wait your turn. During the 1924 and 1925 seasons Padilla played a 4th outfielder role for the Canaries, appearing in only 77 games those two seasons (68 games per year schedule).

Padilla had a breakout year in 1926 with the Canaries by working hard to start the beginning of the season in July strong. Then he cemented his place on the lineup by going 5 for 5 twice in 3 games in early August. Not surprisingly, Padilla's performance of .378 BA, .479 OBP, and 37 RBI in 63 games earned him the 1926 Frontier League Outstanding Hitter Award. He would repeat his performance again in 1927 and 1928 with the Canaries and take home the hardware again in 1928.

His 1928 performance, along with his 49 RBI in 65 games caught my attention when he became a minor league free agent in the fall of 1928 at the age of 23. He was young, accomplished, and regarded as a skilled player. So, I fought to bring him to Brooklyn and was successful in wooing him into a Dodgers uniform.

His rookie season at the major league level was not a disappointment. In 1929 he appeared in 137 games (162 game schedule) batting .362 with 13 HR and 89 RBI. I'm still amazed he didn't win Rookie of the Year. But he was voted to the All-star Game - a true feat for any rookie. And, he helped the Dodgers to a UBA Championship.

Salvador's sophomore season (1930) saw a performance that stunned the UBA. At age 24, he again earned a trip to the All-star Game. And this time appearing in only 126 games, Padilla put up 22 HR, 110 RBI, and cruised to .412 batting average. In his 2nd year, he was 2 HR from topping the single season record, and he set the standard of excellence by being the only player to ever hit over .400 (a record he still holds). I thought right then and there this kid was headed for the Hall of fame. Not surprisingly, he took home more hardware for his hardwork - this time it was the 1930 UBA Ty Cobb Award.

Padilla continued to work hard for the Dodgers organization, earning 4 more trips to the All-star Game (6 total) with his last being in 1934. Between 1930 and 1936 he put up solid numbers, with a single season worst of .283 BA (how awful! ), he compiled a career average of .345 BA at the major league level. He was a part of two championship Dodgers teams.

That is until this year (1937) rolled along. He is now 31 years old. During the first half of the season he struggled hitting only .182. This unfortunately forced the coaching staff to sit him for awhile, as he had earned his right to refuse a minor league assignment. Tensions rose and tempers flared until I was asked to trade Padilla. He will finish the 1937 season with the Detroit Motors, and we wish him the best in the future.

Padilla could still very well earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. He is currently 31 and his career numbers thus far are impressive: .345 BA, .390 OBP, .889 OPS, 120 HR, 1343 Hits, 28.5 WAR (4.0 average WAR). Just four more years of 200 hits could earn him consideration for a seat in the Hall. And with the talent he has displayed in his career I think that is a very attainable goal for him.

If there is interest i will keep everyone updated on his progress.

[slugga27]

This should be in the Dynasty forum.

[legofarley]

Originally Posted by slugga27

This should be in the Dynasty forum.

And if i keep writing on it I will move it there. But I posted here because it can be a stand alone story.