Who had Portland catcher Allan Uecker on their betting slip or bingo card to be leading the league in batting average at just over 25% of the season?
Buehler? Buehler?
Yeah, I'm sure no one did. But that's exactly what the Portland all-star catcher is currently doing. The life time .262 hitter is off to a torrid pace in 2063, leading the entire Brewster Baseball Association in batting with a .361 average. Combine that with his Diamond Award winning glove and it gives Portland the league's leader in WAR at 2.8. So what's with the insane batting numbers? Was it being slighted on not included on last year's Silk ballot despite a 7.0 WAR?
"Nah, I'm not that kind of player" commented a humble Uecker. "That kind of stuff doesn't bother me. I do my job to the best of my ability. A take pride in my craft, especially the defensive side of things. I want to win ball games. That's it. The individual accolades are fine and all. Don't get me wrong, I take honor and pride in winning those as well, but to say I'm more focused this year or doing something different because of last year just isn't me. I think right now I'm just seeing the ball great. I'm getting hits. I'm getting lucky. Whatever it is, I just hope to keep riding it."
While is .361 average is getting headlines, and his defensive prowess is to be expected, his .961 OPS has helped generate more offense in Portland. So much so that the team is currently 2nd in runs scored with 250 on the season. Then on the flip side, his ability behind the dish is surely a factor in a pitching staff that has allowed the fewest runs in the Frick this season.
While his ability is a large factor in the team's top record (yeah sure, we're tied with Nashville overall) it does have some fans concerned. See, Uecker is playing his final year of his rookie and arbitration contract in 2063. As of right now, he's projected to be a free agent at season's end. Things have been very quiet on contract talks between both parties, but fans are concerned over what the asking price and potential financial ramifications may be with Uecker having such a great season.
"I don't want public negotiations" said Uecker. "My agent and myself will continue to work with the front office to get what is both fair to myself and keep things functioning in Portland. I want to stay in Portland. I won a Brewster here. I want to win another for this franchise. But at the same time, I want fair compensation for my abilities. Whatever that may be."
The recent contract extension given to Lou Bayou in Sacramento has many speculating that Uecker could be in the hunt for a similar deal. Both are top tier talents at their position that bring a winning pedigree to their organization. Portland, at least at the moment, appears to have more flexibility on the back end of things with salary cap concerns. However, Portland has several important pieces coming off rookie deals very soon. Decisions in the very near future will also have to be made on important guys like Greg Squires, Murali Patachli, and Mynorli Gaajlimitz.
"We only have so much pie at the table" commented assistant general manager Sandy Mounds. "These are all important guys we want to keep at our table. We just have to make sure we distribute the pie in a way that we can still build a competitive team around them. There are our guys and we want to keep them. We just have to work financially together to make that work."
