Hong Kong Shuffle
04/15/2056
Ju-ao Huie took the long way to Atlantic City. The Manama Pearls drafted an 18 year-old Huie with the 19th overall pick of the 2050 UMEBA draft, paying him a $950,000 signing bonus. The right-hander had a future value of 50, with potential ratings of 8/5/7 at the time. How he came to be a free agent in 2051 isn't abundantly clear, but he was picked up by Sacramento that February with a signing bonus of $1,020,000. In the offseason of 2052, Sacramento dealt Huie (and a whole bunch more) to Chicago for shortstop Badr Isam. In the winter of 2054, the Black Sox left Huie unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, where he we was nabbed by Atlantic City. And then he was essentially traded for himself, so Atlantic City could park him in their minor league system.
This is what his official scouting report has to say:
He should headline a quality arsenal with an outstanding curveball. His raw stuff continues to improve and is projected to be among the best in the league. Huie has frontline starter potential.
The most recent scouting evaluation has Huie's future value still at 50, with potential scores of 9/5/7. His current overall value is rated at just 35, with pitcher ratings of 9/5/4. Keep an eye on that walk rate this season. He has a classic three-pitch mix of fastball, curveball, and changeup, with very good individual pitch ratings. Huie has fallen out of the Top 100 since December, and is the #5 ranked prospect (and #2 ranked pitching prospect) in the Gambler's farm system. Huie's velocity currently tops out at 97 mph. That 9/5/7 potential makes him an iffy proposition in the rotation, but maybe not. He does look to have a future in a BBA bullpen at the least. You can picture him eating up a lot of innings in either role with that 11 stamina.
Last season was Huie's first appearance in Class AAA. There wasn't a lot about his performance that stood out. He started in eight games, with 47 1/3 innings pitched, averaging nearly six innings per start. He had a 99 FIP-, 4.94 ERA, and 0.6 WAR in that period. Two things about Huie's career stats are intriguing. The home run rate is quite low, while the scouts say his Movement rating has never been particularly good. Which is wrong, the scouts or those lying stats? He has averaged 100 or more pitches per game for three years running, so he is stretched out.
With respect to injuries, Huie's injury proneness is rated as Normal. His injury history isn't very unusual, with finger blisters and arm trouble cropping up now and then, but nothing major.
Huie has a low Adaptability rating, and nothing else stands out with his make up.
