GET TO KNOW YOUR 2041 DRAFT CLASS
The following information is collected from high school and college coaches, analysts, reporters, websites and media guides, as well as Twitter accounts and various team blogs.
LUIS ÁVILA, 1B/RP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Manuel Martínez (Jacksonville, 1B)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Petroleum Engineering
FAVORITE FOOD: Mama's arepas
FUN FACT: The 22-year-old two-way player hasn't played for his college team since enrolling in school and last played organized baseball in 2037 for his high school team, where he had a 10.64 ERA in 11 innings. No one has seemed to have told him, but Ávila thinks a signing bonus is a fee you pay in order to get drafted. Born into wealth (his family has owned Venezuelan oil fields for five generations), Ávila was willing to pay a Brewster team $3M to draft him. Oh, won't he be surprised when his name fails to be called next month!
ROBERTO BANDA, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Ricardo Viera (New Orleans, RP)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely To Manage A Starbucks
FAVORITE FOOD: Biscuits with red-eye gravy
FUN FACT: As a child, Banda would spend summers on Guatemalan mountainsides with his parents, helping them work in the coffee plantations. Banda’s father loved baseball and knew being a southpaw pitcher was a ticket out of poverty, so he forced Roberto to pick beans only with his left hand.
LARRY BARKIN, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Lucas McNeill (Yellow Springs, 1B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Least Likely To Give A Speech
FAVORITE FOOD: Skyline chili
FUN FACT: Barkin has struggled with a speech impediment since he could first talk, often flipping first letters of words in a sentence (ie when asked his name, he'll accidentally say "Barry Larkin").
COLLIN BROWNING, RP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Jon Reed (San Fernando, SP)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Theme Park Management
FAVORITE FOOD: Pineapple pizza
FUN FACT: Browning grew up in Hawthorne, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles and thirty miles from the famous Disneyland theme park. Browning would visit “the happiest place on earth” at least once a week every summer growing up, dreaming of working there one day. When recruited by Disney’s affiliated university to play baseball, Browning got a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his right bicep.
PETER CANNON, RP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Unknown
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: When asked, classmates responded with “Who’s Peter Cannon?”
FAVORITE FOOD: Unknown
FUN FACT: ----- ----------- ----- -------- --- --------- ----- -------- -- - -------- ---- ----- ------- -- ---------------- ------ ---- ---------- ---- ------- ---- -- ---------- ---- ----- -- --- ------ ------------ -- ----- [Redacted by BBA due to on-going investigation. Cannon has no record of playing baseball, only having joined the Samsung Lions in 2040 before being released in February 2041. BBA officials are looking into Cannon’s background and validity of being a real person leading up to the draft.]
HENRI CHARRIERE, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Jean-Luc Lacaze (Twin Cities, RF)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Prettiest Eyes
FAVORITE FOOD: Cognac shrimp with buerre blanc
FUN FACT: Charriere’s father, Rene, was a member of the French national baseball team. Unfortunately, Charriere's mother, Eloise, slept with almost all the members of the French national baseball team, putting Rene's status as Henri's biological father in question.
LARRY FAIN, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Stephen Taub (Hawaii, SP)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Best Sideburns
FAVORITE FOOD: Rocky Mountain oysters
FUN FACT: Fain’s older sister, Tessa, was a three-time Colorado State Champion in downhill skiing until a serious collusion with a pine tree left her wheelchair bound and ending the family's motto of "No pain, no Fain".
FRANCISCO FRANCO, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Héctor Márquez (Seattle, SP)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Computer Science
FAVORITE FOOD: Prime rib and garlic mashed potatoes
FUN FACT: Franco scored a perfect 36 on the ACT test, opening the door to nearly every college in the country. Despite being drafted out of high school in 2037 by Long Beach in Round 1 (Supplemental), Franco decided to attend college to persue his education while playing baseball at the university. Franco is currently developing an app that locates missing socks from the dryer.
CINEMA JONES, CF
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Weaver Ripley (Phoenix, CF)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely To Be Photographed On The Red Carpet
FAVORITE FOOD: Buttered popcorn
FUN FACT: Cinema got his “nickname” from his love of movies at a young age. He’s been called Cinema for so long that even his single mother has forgotten his real name (and she's not talking.)
OWEN JONES, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Reece Wareham (Mexico City, 2B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Teacher’s Pet
FAVORITE FOOD: Mutton chops
FUN FACT: Jones grew up playing cricket, but thought it was “a game for sissies”. He practiced his fielding by having his sister throw rocks at him, a task in which she didn't need any encouragement.
NATSUME KONDO, LF
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Dennis French (Boise, CF)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Best Couple (with girlfriend Irena Lobachevsky)
FAVORITE FOOD: McDonald’s
FUN FACT: Kondo trains in the winter with the Russian Red Army and recently set personal records in "10K run in snow" and "RPG proficiency".
FRANCISCO MARTÍNEZ, 2B
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Jharod Thealer (Edmonton, 2B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Least Likely To Throw A Party
FAVORITE FOOD: Black bean soup (“the spicier, the better”)
FUN FACT: Martínez loves to play video games but since turning 18, he’s turned his attention to online poker.
JOHN MCCLAIN, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Chet Parrish (Atlantic City, SP)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely To Host A Game Show
FAVORITE FOOD: Sushi
FUN FACT: McClain is the Student Body President of his school and was named Homecoming King.
JORGE MORA, LF
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Frank Boerner (Hall of Fame LF)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Library Sciences
FAVORITE FOOD: “Anything soft, preferably high in fiber”
FUN FACT: Mora, who will turn 25 during this season, has an eight-year old son who could be draft-eligible in 2051.
FRANCISCO MORALES, C
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Antonio Tobias (Charlotte, C)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Class Clown
FAVORITE FOOD: Mac’n’cheese
FUN FACT: On the night of February 29th, 2020, Morales’ mother was about to give birth to her first son. Not wanting a Leap Year Baby, Morales’ father instructed doctors to keep the baby inside as long as possible. Nearly twenty-four hours later and after endless rounds of painkillers to his mother, Morales was born. Many believe the side effects from the drugs and the “extra baking time” is what led to Morales’ current 6’6” height.
LOGAN NILES, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Emilio Morales (Omaha, 3B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely to Win the Lottery and Lose the Ticket
FAVORITE FOOD: Strawberry Puffs gummies
FUN FACT: Logan "LJ" Niles is the son of current Omaha Hawks General Manager Justin Niles.
FERNANDO PEÑA, RP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Enrique Herrera (Phoenix, RP)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Latin American Studies
FAVORITE FOOD: Taco Bell and Mountain Dew
FUN FACT: This is Peña’s sixth time being draft eligible. He’s told his agent to look into professional basketball options (Peña is 7'1" and played on the Costa Rican U17 basketball team) if he’s not selected.
GUSBY PINKERTON, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Mingo Boone (Hall of Fame SP)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely To Become Prime Minister
FAVORITE FOOD: Rock candy
FUN FACT: Pinkerton earned the nickname “The Cannibal” by his parents after they discovered he got into the refrigerator as a child and ate an entire raw steak.
JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ, 2B
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Ángel Zalapa (Valencia, 2B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely To Appear On American Idol
FAVORITE FOOD: Buffalo wings
FUN FACT: Rodríguez passion outside of baseball is music, as he’s trained in drums and bass guitar. Rodríguez has a popular Soundcloud account under his reggaetón rap name “Tiny Bubbles”.
JUAN RODRÍGUEZ, RF
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Mark White (San Antonio, RF)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Nutrition and Food Science
FAVORITE FOOD: Smoked brisket
FUN FACT: In 2034, a then 14-year-old Rodríguez drove to his family to see the nearby Beaumont Drillers. After the game while signing autographs to children and desperate middle-aged men, then 19-year-old prospect Mark White tossed his glove to Rodríguez. To this day, he still uses White’s glove in the outfield.
TAROEMON SUZUKI, RP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: San-Pao Shang (Seattle, SP)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Quantum Mechanics
FAVORITE FOOD: Pork dumplings
FUN FACT: Suzuki has not played competitive baseball since being released by the U.S. Marine Corps Fighting Leathernecks in 2035. After his education with the military academy, Suzuki has been working for the Japanese government, developing cryptanalysis programs. Despite being 5’8” and time away from the game, scouts are still interested in his 93 MPH fastball (and his even quicker mind.)
AMOS SWALLOWS, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Bobby Lynch (Calgary, SP)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely to Forget His Lunch at Home
FAVORITE FOOD: Unknown
FUN FACT: Growing up with the privilege of a wealthy family in Edmonton, Swallows always looked up to local star Bobby Lynch since he went to his first game with his father, Lynch's rookie year. Lynch tossed him a ball after a dominant game against the Kernels that season and Amos was enamored at the idea of becoming just like Lynch. However, it wasn't until he started to imitate then-Wichita hurler Abe Colbert and his knuckleball that Swallows started to dominate the competition and earn the attention of scouts.
SID TURCOTTE, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Mons Raider (Edmonton, 1B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely to Have a Street Named After Themselves Back Home
FAVORITE FOOD: his Grandma’s goulash
FUN FACT: Turcotte hails from Williston, ND, where almost everyone eventually finds themselves working in the region’s ‘oil patch’. Given his exceptional baseball talents that will take him away from such a small hometown, Turcotte could pave the way for a future a Sid Turcotte Street that intersects the Williston’s main road, Phil Jackson Junction.
DICK WALTON, SS
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Luis González (Chicago, 3B)
HIGH SCHOOL SUPERLATIVE: Most Likely to Work for the ‘Lamestream’ Media
FAVORITE FOOD: Moo goo gai pan (According to legend, Walton would order the dish from his local Chinese restaurant so often that eventually when he hostess picked up the phone and recognized the number, she would say “Hello, moo goo gai pan man!”)
FUN FACT: Walton earned the nickname “Boy Reporter” from teammates for constantly regaling them with his exploits as the editor of the school newspaper.
YUN ZHANG, SP
FAVORITE BBA PLAYER: Zhi-xin Chien (Charm City, SP)
COLLEGE MAJOR: Cosmetology (emphasis in esthetics)
FAVORITE FOOD: Jalapeño and peanut butter hot dogs
FUN FACT: At four years old, Zhang started to grow his trademark mustache, which his parents refused to shave or hide, instead capitalizing on their child’s abnormal condition with an Instagram account that peaked at 4.3M followers.
