Future Hall of Famer Acquired
(Unfortunately he doesn't hit or pitch as good as he looks)
It's that time of year again folks. We are going to stare at some spreadsheets and argue about who should or shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. You want to know one name that is undoubtedly a Hall of Famer and probably will never get a vote? Why it's the new Robins hitting coach Travis McDermott. McDermott is one of the all time great managers in the history of the Brewster. Yet sadly there is no wing in said museum for managers. So with amazing 19 playoff appearances, 2 Landis victories, and 26,930 career victories. McDermott will have to settle for an unbolded footnote in the transaction wire stating he got hired as a lowly hitting coach.
For McDermott, it's a home coming of sorts. 40 years ago to the day he was a 23 year old kid given the chance of a lifetimes. A chance to become a manager in the BBA. It was the Baltimore Monarchs that gave him his first shot. The Monarchs of course later moved to Brooklyn to become the Robins. Younger then most of the players on the team, Travis showed that his wisdom went beyond his years. He guided the Monarchs to a 97-66 record that season. After missing the playoffs in 1998, McDermott went on a streak of 17 out of 18 years making the playoffs with the Monarchs, culminating with a 2013 Landis win.
After 3 more non descript seasons in Baltimore, the Monarchs moved to Brooklyn and McDermott was livid. Feeling that everything he accomplished would be wiped away, Travis left the franchise in favor of the division rival Halifax Hawks. He won a Landis in his first season there. The riff between McDermott on Brooklyn would go on for years. Rather then receiving the predictable standing ovation during his return trips, Travis was always booed out of the building. McDermott would spend 5 years as the Hawks manager, then another three as a bench coach. The directionless Hawks franchise then sequestered McDermott in AAA for the next 5 seasons before bringing him back up as a bench coach for another 3 years. He then spent 3 miserable seasons at the helm of rebuilds in Hawaii and San Antonio before sitting out the entire 2036 season as he contemplated life outside of baseball.
That's when he received a strange call from a 718 area code. It was the Brooklyn Robins looking to make things right. They said that they could not offer him the managers role or a bench coach slot. But they did have a hitting coach position open and would love for the franchise great to get the proper sendoff in Brookyn. After all, who better to help guide this Brooklyn team to a Landis then a guy who has actually done it before. McDermott was humbled by the opportunity and the baseball lifer immediately said yes.
