The Second Floor | Whomp that Sucker (63.07)

[mragland]

1.15.2063 Richmond upon Thames, Greater London

There was a knock on Jack's door.

"Come on in," said Jack, pulling his tablet out of his desk drawer.

Monarchs infield prospect Daniel Sparks came through the door. He was in Twickenham for an offseason development program and was wearing his workout gear: trainers, gray joggers, t-shirt.

"There was a note on my locker to come see you, Jack?" said Daniel.

"Yeah, close the door, have a seat," Jack replied, motioning towards a chair in front of the manager's desk.

Daniel sat down, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes wandered to a framed Hustlers jersey on the wall: Gulliver, number sixty-two, covered in signatures.

"So," said Jack, looking up from his tablet, "they've got you on a hitting program."

"Yes, bat speed. We're trying to bump my exit velo. Heavy bats, light bats, that sort of stuff."

Jack nodded, "and how do you think it's going?"

"Pretty good, I think. Feels like we're making progress. It's a bit tricky maintaining the same mechanics when the weights shift, but I think it's coming along."

"Pretty good," repeated Jack. "That might be an understatement." Jack read from his tablet, "'Wow, just wow. He has been working very well with trainers and not only is he clearly showing increased power in his swing, but he is showing promise of even more. Should he continue the training at this rate, I cannot wait to see him at the plate next season.'" Jack put down the tablet. "That was the report I got on Friday. That sound about right to you?"

A smile began to spread across Daniel's face. "Yeah, sounds good to me."

"Me, too. This is the club's plan for you going forward, Daniel. We'll be doing something a little different. You're gonna spend spring training with the big club, but we're going to be moving you over to third base." Jack raised his hand to forestall any comment. "Now, I know you haven't been playing much at third in the minors, which is our fault, because the Monarchs infield is a little crowded, but I think third base is you clearest path to the GBC at this point. Best case scenario, you'll be leaving spring training on the London plane, worst case, you'll spend a few weeks in Victoria for polishing."

Jack got up from his chair. "So, keep it up in the cages and we'll see you again come March."

The two shook hands. Daniel thanked Jack and headed out.

The scouts didn't think that Daniel's power ceiling was that high, but it would likely be enough to land him at or near the middle of the Monarchs' lineup for the foreseeable future. Jack decided to be cautiously optimistic about the newly minted third baseman's development prospects, but things looked good, real good.