Welcome to Montevideo
The best addition to the UMEBA universe this year was a Double-A affiliate minor league. Based all over South America the South America Baseball League (SABL) consists of eight teams in one straight division representing the eight UMEBA teams. Cairo’s affiliate, the Montevideo Leones, are based in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. The Chariot Archers are pleased with the addition and currently five out of the franchise’s Top-10 prospects are playing down in Uruguay and it will be six once Correa is activated from the IL.
Let’s have a look at the six top prospects that will start off playing for the Leones :
#1 21-yr-old Fraser Pond (SP)
Fraser was the fifth overall draft pick by Cairo in 2038. He recorded a 5-5 record in twelve starts during his first pro year at Taipei in the Far East Baseball League and went into 2039 rated the UMEBA’s #5 prospect. He started the year well, winning the April pitcher of the month award and getting an invite to the FEBL All-Star Game. He extended his workload, starting 28 games and posting a 12-9 record with 184 strikeouts in 152.2 IP. Despite that 2040 saw him slide down to #10 in the UMEBA prospect’s rankings. His third pro season in the FEBL saw him make his 2nd All-Star Game appearance and he bettered his record to 13-7 with his lowest pro ERA of 3.50. Pitching 149 innings he allowed just 113 hits and struckout 200 batters for the first time. Now, still as the UMEBA’s #10 prospect, he faces his first promotion to Double-A.
#2 19-yr-old Anastasio Correa (RF)
Anastasio was snapped up as a minor league FA by Cairo in March 2038 after Twin Cities (who had drafted him 258th overall in the 2038 draft) released him. The 17-yr-old was sent to Taipei and he played just 10 games in his first pro season, getting six hits, six runs and recording his first ever pro home run. In 2039 he was the UMEBA’s #17 prospect and played 65 FEBL games in his second season despite a sprained ankle robbing him of the heart of his season. His triple slash line was .263/.358/.451 and he added eight homers, scored 33 times and drove in 43 runs. By 2040 he was the UMEBA’s #13 prospect. He was selected for his first ever FEBL All-Star game and in 76 regular season games he improved his triple slash to .336/.438/.560 whilst hitting 10 homers & 56 RBI. As he heads for his first ever AA season one of the things he will be working on is his outfield defence which he really must improve to progress. He’s still young, but his bat is probably not enough to be a big league DH so he needs a defensive head to remain in the Cairo organisation which prides itself on defence.
#3 23-yr-old Rakim Stevenson (SS)
Rakim was a third round pick in the BBA’s 2036 draft, but only lasted a year in the Outlaws organisation. Recognising his great defensive potential Cairo were quick to snap him up as a minor league FA. Sent to Taipei aged 21-yrs-old as the UMEBA’s #9 prospect in 2038 he made the All-Star game, hit five homers, 76 RBI and an average of .276. Most impressive was his ZR of +11.2. Rising to the UMEBA’s #7 prospect 2039 was spent in Taipei again, his defence was still good, but the bat took a backward step and he sat out nearly a month with a strained back. By the start of 2040 he had slipped to the UMEBA’s #12 prospect and instead of promotion he was back in Taipei. He had his zest back, making the All-Star game again his triple slash was .341/.449/.496 and he hit 9 homers & 71 RBI. This year is make or break, down to UMEBA’s #18 prospect, he gets his first promotion. At 23-yrs-old now he can crack on towards the shortstop role that the Chariot Archers need to fill, or he can disappear into that journeyman sinkhole.
#7 24-yr-old Fernando Salcedo (SP)
Fernando went undrafted in the BBA 2040 draft but was picked up for a short while by San Antonio. They gave him five games at Triple-A before releasing him into the waiting arms of a Cairo minor league contract. He made two starts in the UMEBA going 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA. This is the last chance saloon as he gets a chance at Double-A to try and unlock his potential, 2042 will be Triple-A or the highway I’m afraid.
#8 24-yr-old Grant Reese (SP)
Undrafted in 2034, Grant lost time to a succession of fairly major injuries and was finally an eighth round pick of Las Vegas in 2039. He spent a year and a half in the Hustlers organisation before being released in July 2040. Cairo picked him up as a project in December 2040, looking at his three pretty good pitches but disappointingly after just two 2041 starts he is already DtD with back stiffness.
#9 24-yr-old Jose Sanchez (SP)
Jose followed the Salcedo route – undrafted, injured, 2039 11th round pick Las Vegas, released in July 2040. Cairo signed him up a month later and he caught the back end of the season in Taipei, posting a 1-1 record with a save in nine outings from the bullpen. Now in Double-A this could be Jose’s last chance to progress before becoming a journeyman.
So with the Chariot Archers top three prospects here in Montevideo, it’s not just the success of the newest affiliate the Cairo fans are rooting for, it could well be the success of the franchise if those three make great strides in 2041.