Most of the time, when players debut in the big leagues, they’re highly touted prospects. Fans know their name, they await anxiously for their arrival and cheer on their every move. They watch them climb the ranks until they finally reach the promised land that is big league baseball. And then there are the stories like Alvin Conley.
Conley was a little known outfielder selected by Portland in the second round of the 2052 draft. He was actually the 5th pick taken by Portland that year and was the third and final second rounder the team had. He was one of those guys that if you squinted real hard you might see him down the road as a 5th outfielder type, but most likely he spends his career floundering around the Triple-A circuits in hopes of getting a shot. Well, Conley never made his rounds in Triple-A. Or even Double-A for that matter.
No. You see, Conley found something special this off-season. He found another level of hitting. He found some contact. He found some pop!
After spending 3 seasons in rookie ball and over 3 more in Single-A, the 22 year old Conley got it together. He quit missing pitches. He started hitting with power. And, surprising to even him, he got an invite to spring training. “We noticed” added Kate Fiscus. “We saw the transformation.”
Conley performed in spring training. He hit .283, belted 3 home runs and added 4 doubles. It led to an exchange between the front office and manager Mons Raider about what to do with him. “He’s never played above Single-A” commented GM Chris Wilson. “Who cares, he can hit” retorted Raider. “He can play for us now.” Raider won the debate.
Conley made the opening day roster, and not only that, he was the starter for the Lumberjacks on opening day as the team’s designated hitter. One might expect Conley to be nervous making his debut in front of the home crowd at “The Trail” Monday. But who has time to think about nerves when everything is whirling by you so fast. “I never had time to think about it” Conley said. “One minute I’m on a bus in Bend, Oregon. The next thing you know I’m hear, wearing this sweet uniform and playing in front of 50,000 fans. This is amazing.”
So nerves? No. All Conley did in that first at-bat was hit a hard ground ball up the middle for a single. Three at-bats later he duplicated the feat and ended the night 2-4. How could the rookie follow that up? Well, he went 2-4 again the following night. Only this time, the two hits were home runs. “Don’t pinch me” Conley told reporters after the game. “This is surely a dream and I don’t want to wake up.”
In his first full week in the big leagues, Alvin Conley hit .400 with 3 home runs. He leads the team in nearly every offensive stat through the team’s first 6 games. And we agree….. Don’t wake up, Alvin.
