Sabertooth Returns
(Advanced data shows that in 2029 Blackwell had 256 hits that combined to travel a total of 800 feet.)
There is a trivia question making its way around the forums. It asks "What active players have won 3 Landis Titles?" There was a time and a place where Holden Blackwell (7/5/2/2/9 Ratings) would be thought of as a sure fire name on that list.
Upon entering the league at the young age of 19 with the California Crusaders, Holden was lucky enough to win a Landis in his very first season, before the age of 20. After a lack luster 2025 and start of the 2026 season, Blackwell was jettisoned to Brooklyn in a trade that was meant to be a start of a rebuild in Brooklyn and the Crusaders loading up for another Landis. As it turned out, this was part of a series of moves that helped propel Brooklyn to a Landis in 2026. Blackwell was just 21, an emerging star in the league and had two Landis titles under his belt by the age of 21.
Personally, his career took off further then anyone's wildest dreams. Every year it seemed he kept getting better and better culminating in a 2029 season for the ages. Blackwell set the single season BBA record for hits(256) and singles(209). Yeah, they were cheap hits. Blackwell is the prototypical "punch and judy" hitter that will throw the bat at the ball if it's anywhere close to the zone.
He is not the modern day GM's type of player. He doesn't walk, doesn't strikeout, and has no power. But for a creative GM who likes to find undervalued players, Blackwell set the mold for what would become the 2032 "Run, Run, Robins" team that relied heavily on high contact, high avoid k, high speed, low eye. Guys like Blackwell, Antonio Valentin, and Tony Gustafsen (7/5/1/4/8 Ratings) paired with the now infamous "pitching platoon" for what is truly one of the most uniquely constructed and fascinating teams in recent memory. But that is a team news for another day.
While Blackwell thrived for several seasons in Brooklyn, the team did not. In fact Holden could be pointed to as one of the final nails in the coffin of the 2026 team. Following his historic 2029 season, Blackwell was set to hit free agency at the ripe age of 25. It was no win situation for the Robins. Do you let a 25 year old 7 WAR 3rd baseman walk? Or do you have the foresight to know it's not a savvy decision and pick up the draft pick. At the end of the day the Robins locked up their quirky hot cornerman for 6 years and $93,260,000.
To the Robins credit, the last two years were back loaded options that they were able to get out of. But damn, what ended up being 4 years and $60 million is still a lot for a guy who doesn't hit homers or walk. It was one of many financial missteps around that time that are still plaguing Brooklyn to this day.
Flashforward to 2033, Holden was set to hit free agency for the first time at age 29. Still searching for Landis #3. The Robins hoped to bring him back on a lesser deal. His elite contact had taken a slight hit and injuries around the league seemed to be on the upturn. The 3 year $31 million check that Edmonton wrote was to much to match. Needless to say his quest for another Landis didn't go well north of the border.
When the Robins saw him in the free agent pool, they kinda-sorta regretted their current financial model for a moment. If only they had a million or two to bring back the franchise legend. Then on one January day, with no offers in toe. Blackwell contacted Brooklyn and said he'd be willing to come aboard on a minor league deal if the Robins gave him a serious shot.
So where does Sabertooth fit on this current team? Plans right now are for Chris Workman (5/7/5/8/7 Ratings) and Clarence Kirkpatrick (6/7/7/5/5 Ratings) to platoon at the hot corner. Maybe the obvious entry point is the blithe blunder Brooklyn brought upon themselves by "position specializing" Workman as a 3B. It wiped out his 3B experience and quite frankly, there is no guarantee he'll be able to pick it up again. If he gets injured on day one of spring training... then what? Go into the season with a starting 3B with 1 Experience? Kirkpatrick isn't no glove wizard either. Neither is another spring invite and old friend Earl "E-5" Jackson. For a team leveraging a lot of stake on pitching, Blackwell could go a long way into making the team better then the sum of it's parts. He's a career +77 ZR at 3B and those skills have not eroded.
Perhaps the most compelling part of this story is that it sets up yet another interesting paradigm in a season billed as "the season of fate". Brooklyn haphazardly wipes out Workmans 3B skills, someone randomly posts a question about players winning 3 Landis', Holden(the first player acquired under current regime) falls in Brooklyns lap with 2 rings and a shot at playing time. It's just kind of eerie. You can't write this stuff. Watch Blackwell go out and hit .300, win a Zimmer, and help this team win a Landis this year. Of course that won't happen because I just jinxed it. But at least it's fun to think about.
