May 9, 2061
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
Pickings are slim at the end of the first round of the amateur draft, often leaving teams at the bottom of the draft searching for diamonds in the rough. More often than not they pick fool’s gold, but every once in awhile, gold is struck. That’s what Nashville hopes they found with first round draft pick, Dave Labonte.
With the 34th overall pick, the Bluebirds nabbed the little known pitcher from Wyckoff, New Jersey. Though there isn’t much data on the right-hander, his stats from his first and only year of college aren’t eye-popping. In 8 games, Labonte pitched 40 IP with a 4.28 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. And one shouldn’t expect someone who can’t break 90 MPH on the radar gun to not have extraordinary stats. However, Nashville scouts see something in the young pitcher.
RHP Dave Labonte
“He’s crafty,” said Senior Scout of Non-Analytics, Whitey Buckson. “He doesn’t throw hard, but he hits the corners. Old school pitcher. He only weighs a buck seventy five soaking wet, but we think we can add some meat to dem bones and he will throw a little harder.”
While Labonte only throws 86-88 MPH, he offers six decent pitches from his repertoire, though he doesn’t possess a great out pitch. If he starts throwing in the 90’s, Labonte could become a more dangerous pitcher. There’s nowhere to go but up for the 19-year-old. The signing only cost the Bluebirds $1 million, which is important because they unloaded the Brinks truck for IFA earlier this year.
