It’s been a challenging July for new GM Mike Bauer and the Thunder Bears. Following what had been a solid June, the team is off to a rough 2–8 start this month. The Bears also failed to have any players selected for the GBC All-Star event—a tough blow considering they’re the defending GBC champions and that there are only five teams in the EurAsia conference to choose from.
RF Isaaco Aglietti, who still leads EurAsia with a .381 batting average and a 1.032 OPS, was a notable snub that fans have found hard to stomach. He lost out in the voting to Jerusalem RF Ted 'Long Ball' Benson, who leads the conference with 28 home runs. Apparently, the long ball carried more weight with voters than plate efficiency in what was clearly a tough decision.
Moscow was also dealt a blow with the news that SP Brick Pollitt tore his rotator cuff—an injury that likely ends his tenure with the club. As seen through a number of recent moves at both the major league and AAA levels, the team is trying to get younger and distance itself from players over 35. (Pollit is currently 36.) The 39-year-old Yoshino Endo might have been a candidate to take Pollit’s place in the rotation, but he was clearly part of the youth movement moves and recently claimed off waivers by Sydney.
In response, Bauer promoted newly-acquired AAA starter Leonard “Free Bird” Hill to the major league rotation. Hill didn’t fare well in his debut against Johannesburg, surrendering five earned runs on six hits, including two home runs. But what has GM Bauer and the front office even more concerned is an unidentified intrusion into Moscow’s scouting database. Hill’s scouting report was defaced, and the team is actively investigating the source of the breach. Our sources were able to obtain a copy of the tampered report, pictured below.
