Toney --- A Story by ripwalk

Cole · 01-10-2003, 04:26 PM

This is a story written by me, about one of my OOTP players. It is similar to the Rascoe Barahona story, and I wrote it because OOTP players often feel very lifelike, and I just have an interest in writing. It's kind of long, but I hope you read through it all, and I'd appreciate all comments... Thanks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a professional baseball manager, you meet and get to know a lot of baseball players throughout the years. Every so often, you meet one that is unlike all the others, and that you can’t help but take a certain liking to. I’ve had many players like this throughout the years, but one sticks out in my head, above all the rest: Toney Defilippo.

Toney came to our team not as a high draft pick, or in an anticipated trade, but rather, he came to our minor league system as a walk on, and someone that no one really had high expectations for.

I remember reading the early scouting reports about him; “Toney is not the greatest of all players”, “Toney is destined for a life in the minors”, “Toney seems to be an average all-around player”. So, as far as the scouting reports seemed to indicate, I probably wouldn’t be seeing Toney on my big league roster anytime soon.

Despite all the poor scouting reports, I was very impressed with Toney when I first met him. I wasn’t impressed with his hitting ability, his defense, or his ability to steal bases. What struck me was just how much Toney loved to play the game. Every at bat, every pitch, every swing, Toney would have a certain sparkle in his eye, that just showed how much he loved the game. Not only did Toney show a love for the game, he also seemed dead set on improving, and proving the scouts wrong. I watched him closely over the course of a few months, and noticed he would always be the last one off the practice field. He was always taking extra swings in the cage, doing extra sprints, and getting more practice at his catching position.

Eventually, Toney refined his skills, and got a promotion to our double AA club. He struggled there for a while, but then once again, trained hard, put in the extra effort, and got another call up a year later, to our AAA team.

Once on our AAA team, it is a franchise rule for the GM, and myself, the manager, to meet with the players individually, and discuss their future, and where we see them fitting into our organization.

I recall with great fondness the excitement that accompanied Toney Defilippo into the main office when we conducted our meeting with him. You could just tell that he was very excited to be only one step away from the big leagues, and I was very proud that all his hard work was close to paying off. Once again, he was nothing but a gentleman in dealing with us, and I was fully expecting to let him know that we expected him to be in the big leagues within the next few years; but the GM seemed to have other ideas. The GM, in less than polite terms, told Toney that he didn’t see him going any farther than he already had, but we appreciated having him on our AAA team. The only real high point to the meeting was when the GM told Toney that if he continued to improve, he would be considered if one of the regular catchers suffered an injury, and an extra player was needed. Toney seemed delighted to even hear that much, but I was almost insulted by the words of the GM, and I was very disappointed that Toney took the news with nothing more than his usual well mannered ways, and big smile.
I knew Toney Defilippo could play in the majors, and I was almost certain he would get there someday. As soon as Toney left the room I addressed the GM and let him now how disappointed I was about what he had said, and how he had shot Toney down. The GM backed up his claim by showing me the numerous scouting reports I had seen before, and some minor league stats. I had to admit, it wasn’t all that impressive. He had a career minor league batting average of only .272 and was only hitting .257 in his first 17 games of AAA. Nonetheless I was still upset, but ended the argument, in fear of losing my job if I kept it up.

The seasons progressed slowly, and I always made sure to see how Toney was doing, and to keep in touch with him. He told me several months after that he really was upset at what the GM had told him, and he was going to do everything he could to prove him wrong, and make it to the majors. I was glad to hear it, and I was equally pleased when Toney slowly brought his AAA batting average up, and continued to show improvements behind the plate.

Then, one season, with a commanding lead over our division, and a playoff birth in sight, our second string catcher went down. Although a bit sadistic, I couldn’t help but smile when the catcher was injured, and the promotion of Toney Defilippo was announced the next day. Although he only got 44 at bats that first season, he hit an impressive .455. Every time Toney got a hit I would always glance up into the press box at our GM, as if to say “I told you so”.

We won the World Championship that year, and no one was more excited to have been a part of it than Toney, even though he didn’t step on the field in the playoffs. With the new season on the horizon, no one worked harder than Toney Defilippo. He had made it, and he wasn’t going to get demoted now.

In the seasons that followed, Toney got more and more playing time, and really started to find a niche as our solid number two catcher who would put up good numbers. He batted .348 in 115 at bats the following season, and no one was more surprised than the GM. The year after that, the GM was satisfied in Toney’s improvements, and so was I; Toney Defilippo had become a major league starter. He played in every game for us that next season, and batted .296. For the next few years, it was a given, Toney Defilippo would be our starting catcher, and he would go on to bat near or over .300 for all of the next 5 years.

The next big development came years after Toney had achieved his first major league hit, and years after he had already proven himself as a big league starter. I was walking down the hall of the clubhouse when I ran into the GM, who was beaming. His grin stretched from ear to ear, and he could barely contain his excitement. I asked what he was so happy about, and he told me he had made a trade. I inquired with interest, and was quite shocked to find out he had traded for a catcher. The player was Elisha Willcox, a power hitting catcher. Now admittedly, Toney wasn’t much of a power hitter, and all the scouting reports would agree “Toney is no threat to go deep – zero power”. So I was very concerned why the GM had signed a player who is definitely starting catcher caliber, when we already had a perfectly capable catcher. My questions confirmed my greatest fear. The GM had full intentions of Willcox becoming our number 1 catcher, and moving Toney back to being a substitute. Needless to say, I was enraged. I couldn’t hold back these thoughts either, as I let the GM know exactly how I felt. I was disgusted that a player could contribute so much to a team only to be replaced by someone simply because they have more power. The GM dismissed my arguments and told me to follow orders, or I may not have a job to come back to.

So, regretfully, in fear of losing my job I pencilled in Elisha Willcox as our starting catcher, while scheduling Toney to ride the pine. This was the first time that Toney didn’t take something with a well mannered smile, and I could tell that he was disgusted with me, and the whole organization, when I let him know he was no longer our starting catcher.

Willcox started the season off fairly well, and put up the good power numbers that the upper management was obviously looking for. Toney did well as a substitute too, as he hit .316 in 76 at bats.

Then, about midway through the season, I came to the ballpark early one day, and went into my office. On my desk was a memo, from the GM. I looked at it, and I couldn’t even help jumping into the air when I read it. The memo told me that the GM had traded Elisha Willcox last night, and that Toney could now go back to being our number one catcher. The last line of the memo especially caught my attention: “I did this for you”.

I rushed immediately into the player’s locker room to tell Toney the news. He had been pretty upset with me, but I knew he’d be overjoyed to hear the news. I got to the locker room and saw that the GM had beaten me to it. He was already in the locker room, telling Toney the news. I looked at the two of them, and was very pleased to see that this time it wasn’t the GM who was grinning from ear to ear.

doubles · 01-10-2003, 04:52 PM

Great read..

Jared

Cole · 01-10-2003, 07:12 PM

Wow ... it's pretty disapointing how few replies I got ...

42 people viewed it so far... anyone have any feedback? Good, bad or ugly?

TotalEnd98 · 01-10-2003, 09:37 PM

Good story, man.

After reading the Barahona story and the ones that follow, I think I'm going to write up a similar one. So take pleasure in the fact that your story is the one that finally convinced me.

Cole · 01-10-2003, 09:47 PM

Yeah ... it adds a whole new dimension to your players and league when you think about extra stuff about them that isn't really a part of OOTP. They become even more lifelike when you start thinking about what they are like off the field, what kind of team player they are, etc etc.

Sim Rat · 01-10-2003, 09:47 PM

A bit hokey (if that's the correct spelling), but it must have been nice to see a guy work his way from the low minors all the way to the big leagues when the odds were against him.

What I'd love to see are stories of a player going way past normal retirment age to forge an epic career, or an aging player left for dead, only to revive his career out of nowhere and become effective again.

jjmac69 · 01-10-2003, 10:07 PM

I liked it I look forward to see the next story on toney

The Professor · 01-10-2003, 11:11 PM

Good stuff...

...a compelling and lively story about a guy who made it against the odds and the manager who came to believe in him above all others. I really enjoyed it!

Willy · 01-11-2003, 03:06 AM

Good story and idea ripwalk,
As a suggestion, cut and paste your story in the dynasty forum and update it through his [or others] careers. It would be interesting to read up on him as he progresses. It's going to get mighty busy in this forum in the next couple of weeks as Spring training and OOTP5 come full force.

Willy

Cuss16 · 01-11-2003, 07:05 AM

cool story, awsome ending!

Smellyface · 01-11-2003, 11:59 AM

Very good story. Sometimes a certain player just feels like the right guy, even if the scouts disagree. If anyone is interested in another fictional player story, I posted one a little while back in the comments and feedback section under the name "Meant to be a Legend." Doesn't seem like as many people check out that forum as the general discussions one... and the story is already on the second page, so maybe some of you missed it...

dsvitak · 01-11-2003, 12:15 PM

I liked it a lot!

To humanize the game is a good thing....to feel empathy for the little electronic humans, to me anyway, dramatically increases my enjoyment of the game.

Good for you!

rockze25 · 01-11-2003, 12:26 PM

Actually reminds me of myself who plans to tryout with the scouting bureau and a couple major league teams in June.

satchel · 01-11-2003, 06:46 PM

Great story. I assume that the fellow actually followed this career path in your league. Very entertaining.

twins15 · 01-11-2003, 09:08 PM

Very good story ripwalk.

Redhead_Alaskan · 01-13-2003, 03:34 AM

Good Story and an interesting one. I liked it mostly because it wasn't about the league's superstar, but about somebody who wasn't supposed to be very good and made it anyways.

01-10-2003, 04:26 PM	#1
Cole Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Posts: 2,685	Toney --- A Story by ripwalk This is a story written by me, about one of my OOTP players. It is similar to the Rascoe Barahona story, and I wrote it because OOTP players often feel very lifelike, and I just have an interest in writing. It's kind of long, but I hope you read through it all, and I'd appreciate all comments... Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As a professional baseball manager, you meet and get to know a lot of baseball players throughout the years. Every so often, you meet one that is unlike all the others, and that you can’t help but take a certain liking to. I’ve had many players like this throughout the years, but one sticks out in my head, above all the rest: Toney Defilippo. Toney came to our team not as a high draft pick, or in an anticipated trade, but rather, he came to our minor league system as a walk on, and someone that no one really had high expectations for. I remember reading the early scouting reports about him; “Toney is not the greatest of all players”, “Toney is destined for a life in the minors”, “Toney seems to be an average all-around player”. So, as far as the scouting reports seemed to indicate, I probably wouldn’t be seeing Toney on my big league roster anytime soon. Despite all the poor scouting reports, I was very impressed with Toney when I first met him. I wasn’t impressed with his hitting ability, his defense, or his ability to steal bases. What struck me was just how much Toney loved to play the game. Every at bat, every pitch, every swing, Toney would have a certain sparkle in his eye, that just showed how much he loved the game. Not only did Toney show a love for the game, he also seemed dead set on improving, and proving the scouts wrong. I watched him closely over the course of a few months, and noticed he would always be the last one off the practice field. He was always taking extra swings in the cage, doing extra sprints, and getting more practice at his catching position. Eventually, Toney refined his skills, and got a promotion to our double AA club. He struggled there for a while, but then once again, trained hard, put in the extra effort, and got another call up a year later, to our AAA team. Once on our AAA team, it is a franchise rule for the GM, and myself, the manager, to meet with the players individually, and discuss their future, and where we see them fitting into our organization. I recall with great fondness the excitement that accompanied Toney Defilippo into the main office when we conducted our meeting with him. You could just tell that he was very excited to be only one step away from the big leagues, and I was very proud that all his hard work was close to paying off. Once again, he was nothing but a gentleman in dealing with us, and I was fully expecting to let him know that we expected him to be in the big leagues within the next few years; but the GM seemed to have other ideas. The GM, in less than polite terms, told Toney that he didn’t see him going any farther than he already had, but we appreciated having him on our AAA team. The only real high point to the meeting was when the GM told Toney that if he continued to improve, he would be considered if one of the regular catchers suffered an injury, and an extra player was needed. Toney seemed delighted to even hear that much, but I was almost insulted by the words of the GM, and I was very disappointed that Toney took the news with nothing more than his usual well mannered ways, and big smile. I knew Toney Defilippo could play in the majors, and I was almost certain he would get there someday. As soon as Toney left the room I addressed the GM and let him now how disappointed I was about what he had said, and how he had shot Toney down. The GM backed up his claim by showing me the numerous scouting reports I had seen before, and some minor league stats. I had to admit, it wasn’t all that impressive. He had a career minor league batting average of only .272 and was only hitting .257 in his first 17 games of AAA. Nonetheless I was still upset, but ended the argument, in fear of losing my job if I kept it up. The seasons progressed slowly, and I always made sure to see how Toney was doing, and to keep in touch with him. He told me several months after that he really was upset at what the GM had told him, and he was going to do everything he could to prove him wrong, and make it to the majors. I was glad to hear it, and I was equally pleased when Toney slowly brought his AAA batting average up, and continued to show improvements behind the plate. Then, one season, with a commanding lead over our division, and a playoff birth in sight, our second string catcher went down. Although a bit sadistic, I couldn’t help but smile when the catcher was injured, and the promotion of Toney Defilippo was announced the next day. Although he only got 44 at bats that first season, he hit an impressive .455. Every time Toney got a hit I would always glance up into the press box at our GM, as if to say “I told you so”. We won the World Championship that year, and no one was more excited to have been a part of it than Toney, even though he didn’t step on the field in the playoffs. With the new season on the horizon, no one worked harder than Toney Defilippo. He had made it, and he wasn’t going to get demoted now. In the seasons that followed, Toney got more and more playing time, and really started to find a niche as our solid number two catcher who would put up good numbers. He batted .348 in 115 at bats the following season, and no one was more surprised than the GM. The year after that, the GM was satisfied in Toney’s improvements, and so was I; Toney Defilippo had become a major league starter. He played in every game for us that next season, and batted .296. For the next few years, it was a given, Toney Defilippo would be our starting catcher, and he would go on to bat near or over .300 for all of the next 5 years. The next big development came years after Toney had achieved his first major league hit, and years after he had already proven himself as a big league starter. I was walking down the hall of the clubhouse when I ran into the GM, who was beaming. His grin stretched from ear to ear, and he could barely contain his excitement. I asked what he was so happy about, and he told me he had made a trade. I inquired with interest, and was quite shocked to find out he had traded for a catcher. The player was Elisha Willcox, a power hitting catcher. Now admittedly, Toney wasn’t much of a power hitter, and all the scouting reports would agree “Toney is no threat to go deep – zero power”. So I was very concerned why the GM had signed a player who is definitely starting catcher caliber, when we already had a perfectly capable catcher. My questions confirmed my greatest fear. The GM had full intentions of Willcox becoming our number 1 catcher, and moving Toney back to being a substitute. Needless to say, I was enraged. I couldn’t hold back these thoughts either, as I let the GM know exactly how I felt. I was disgusted that a player could contribute so much to a team only to be replaced by someone simply because they have more power. The GM dismissed my arguments and told me to follow orders, or I may not have a job to come back to. So, regretfully, in fear of losing my job I pencilled in Elisha Willcox as our starting catcher, while scheduling Toney to ride the pine. This was the first time that Toney didn’t take something with a well mannered smile, and I could tell that he was disgusted with me, and the whole organization, when I let him know he was no longer our starting catcher. Willcox started the season off fairly well, and put up the good power numbers that the upper management was obviously looking for. Toney did well as a substitute too, as he hit .316 in 76 at bats. Then, about midway through the season, I came to the ballpark early one day, and went into my office. On my desk was a memo, from the GM. I looked at it, and I couldn’t even help jumping into the air when I read it. The memo told me that the GM had traded Elisha Willcox last night, and that Toney could now go back to being our number one catcher. The last line of the memo especially caught my attention: “I did this for you”. I rushed immediately into the player’s locker room to tell Toney the news. He had been pretty upset with me, but I knew he’d be overjoyed to hear the news. I got to the locker room and saw that the GM had beaten me to it. He was already in the locker room, telling Toney the news. I looked at the two of them, and was very pleased to see that this time it wasn’t the GM who was grinning from ear to ear.

01-10-2003, 10:07 PM	#7
jjmac69 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 150	I liked it I look forward to see the next story on toney __________________ <a href="/http%7C//www.sportplanet.com/sbb/iba/">CDIL</a>

01-10-2003, 11:11 PM	#8
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	Good stuff... ...a compelling and lively story about a guy who made it against the odds and the manager who came to believe in him above all others. I really enjoyed it! __________________ History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are."

01-11-2003, 03:06 AM	#9
Willy Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Regina, Sk Posts: 443	Good story and idea ripwalk, As a suggestion, cut and paste your story in the dynasty forum and update it through his [or others] careers. It would be interesting to read up on him as he progresses. It's going to get mighty busy in this forum in the next couple of weeks as Spring training and OOTP5 come full force. Willy __________________ Consoles are for little kids.

01-11-2003, 07:05 AM	#10
Cuss16 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: BC, CANADA Posts: 2,994	cool story, awsome ending! __________________

01-10-2003, 04:52 PM	#2
doubles Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 485	Great read.. Jared

01-10-2003, 07:12 PM	#3
Cole Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Posts: 2,685	Wow ... it's pretty disapointing how few replies I got ... 42 people viewed it so far... anyone have any feedback? Good, bad or ugly?

01-10-2003, 09:37 PM	#4
TotalEnd98 All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: New York Posts: 1,687	Good story, man. After reading the Barahona story and the ones that follow, I think I'm going to write up a similar one. So take pleasure in the fact that your story is the one that finally convinced me.

01-10-2003, 09:47 PM	#5
Cole Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Posts: 2,685	Yeah ... it adds a whole new dimension to your players and league when you think about extra stuff about them that isn't really a part of OOTP. They become even more lifelike when you start thinking about what they are like off the field, what kind of team player they are, etc etc.

01-10-2003, 09:47 PM	#6
Sim Rat Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 73	A bit hokey (if that's the correct spelling), but it must have been nice to see a guy work his way from the low minors all the way to the big leagues when the odds were against him. What I'd love to see are stories of a player going way past normal retirment age to forge an epic career, or an aging player left for dead, only to revive his career out of nowhere and become effective again.

01-11-2003, 11:59 AM	#11
Smellyface Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 211	Very good story. Sometimes a certain player just feels like the right guy, even if the scouts disagree. If anyone is interested in another fictional player story, I posted one a little while back in the comments and feedback section under the name "Meant to be a Legend." Doesn't seem like as many people check out that forum as the general discussions one... and the story is already on the second page, so maybe some of you missed it... __________________ Corked Bat Baseball League

01-11-2003, 12:15 PM	#12
dsvitak Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 5,450	Good Story! I liked it a lot! To humanize the game is a good thing....to feel empathy for the little electronic humans, to me anyway, dramatically increases my enjoyment of the game. Good for you!

01-11-2003, 12:26 PM	#13
rockze25 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 243	Actually reminds me of myself who plans to tryout with the scouting bureau and a couple major league teams in June.

01-11-2003, 06:46 PM	#14
satchel Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Ft Smith Ark. USA Posts: 2,681	good Great story. I assume that the fellow actually followed this career path in your league. Very entertaining.

01-11-2003, 09:08 PM	#15
twins15 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Area 51 Posts: 4,792	Very good story ripwalk. __________________ "Ah man we're just hungry man" - Dovonte Edwards Bismarck Boy Scouts of the OTBL - league yes-man Ross Gload at baseball-reference.com Book Quotes and Book Lists

01-13-2003, 03:34 AM	#16
Redhead_Alaskan Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 224	Good Story and an interesting one. I liked it mostly because it wasn't about the league's superstar, but about somebody who wasn't supposed to be very good and made it anyways. __________________ "Never conform"-Woody Mesa