Every player has his own unique story. No path to the BBA is identical. You have your blue chip prospects that can't miss, you have your "bumpers" who burst onto the scene out of nowhere to make an impact. While those two are the most extreme and also most desirable. There are still many paths that aren't straight. Many ups and downs, zigs and zags. The 2041 Robins have a pair of those players. They refer to them as the has been and the never will be.
Has Been
Bobby Lynch needs no introduction. We all know who he is. If the name looks or sounds funny it's only because it's missing some O's, B's and lots of unnecessary capitals and punctuations. BOOOOBBBBBYY LYNCH!! as he was once known, was perhaps the greatest asset it the BBA. A young left starter who many proclaimed could be the next Steve Nebraksa. Early in his career he was dominate and made GM's around the league salivate. One by one they would send Edmonton their best trade proposals. Sometimes they even offered good players in return.
But that all changed on May 14th, 2035. Bobby Lynch heard the pop that no pitcher wants to hear. After surgery, 13 months on the shelf, and a drastic drop in stuff... the Bobby Lynch that we all new and loved was no more.
Lynch came back and nearly won the comeback player of the year award ton 2036. He then dominated in 2037 to successfully win the award and reestablish his value. In 2038 he even won a Landis.
Along the way though the wear and tear was taking a toll on his arm. Causing an even greater strain on his stuff. Edmonton correctly sold on Lynch to gain a handful of solid prospects rather then paying him for his name recognition. Lynch pitched just well enough in Calgary to secure an $87 million extension. The Pioneers soon realized that was a mistake and sent Lynch to Brooklyn as a negative value salary dump after a hot start to 2041.
Bobby took the momentum and keep dealing for the Robins. He ended the season going 18-9 with a 4.8 WAR(4th best of his career). So where does the path of Bobby Lynch go from here? Was this just one last hurrah and his arm will continue to fall off, perhaps with another major injury? Or are we seeing Bobby Lynch 2.0. A pitcher that learned how to pitch rather then just collecting stuffed animals at the county fair. Only time will tell.
Never Will Be
Unless you are a die hard BBA fan, you probably don't know who Takeo Aoki is. He's an about to be 26 year old pitcher who has been shelled during bits and pieces of the last 6 seasons. He's cleared waivers on at least two occasions and has been on the next to cut list for virtually the past 3 seasons.
So why doesn't Brooklyn just cut this scrub already? Well for starters... he has 65 potential... as a starter.
Aoiki's scouting history might be one of the most bizarre in the league. He has had more peaks and valleys then a Bolliger and Mabillard Hyper-coaster. His potentials have been as high as 8 stuff, 7 movement, and 6 stuff(never at the same time) and as low as 5, 4 and 2. And it hasn't been a defined arch either way. One attribute goes up, the others go down and vice versa.
Every time he has been left for dead, a scout comes back and gives a new report. Yet none of the results have been seen on field. So as he currently stands as a 8/6/5 potential starter who has 10 stamina and throws 100 miles an hour(with a nasty pickoff move as well). Aoki will once again earn another shot in the spring of 2042.... until a scout comes back and says otherwise. Or maybe it's just time to find some new scouts?