The Backyard 2033.17: Kids Pressing for Promotion

[cheekimonk]

The Backyard
26 May 2033
Nashville, TN
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As a general rule, GM Ben Teague would prefer youngsters to reach at least 20-years-old before making the step up from the (R)/(A) ranks to AA or higher. This year, however, there is a wave of talented youngsters that may force his hand:

19yo CF (A) Grant Lee (8/8/9/6/7) - The heralded 1st-round pick has sizzled his way from Short-A and up the ladder. In 9 games at Short-A he punished opposing pitchers with a slash of .394/.488/.636 2 doubles, 2 HR, and 10 RBI. That quickly got him a call to A-ball where he has continued his dominance hitting .325/.403/.496 with 8 doubles, 4 HR, and 20 RBI in 29 games.

19yo LF (A) Justin Jackson (8/8/9/5/7 Talent) - Jackson has followed Lee's trajectory with the exception of starting 2033 in rookie-ball. There, in 11 games, he hit .295/.367/.705 with 3 doubles and 5 HR with 10 RBI. Joining Lee in single-A has seen Jackson slash .352/.380/.672 with 8 doubles, 5 triples, 7 HR, and 26 RBI in 29 games.

18yo CL (A) Matthew Mangual (10/7/6 Talent) - Like Lee, Mangual is a product of this year's draft. While he didn't dominate rookie-ball to the extent that Lee and Jackson did, appearing in 12 games and logging 4 SV with a 3.86 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, Teague gave him the bump to (A) regardless and the kid has responded with aplomb. In 12 appearances he is dominating A-league hitters recording 5 SV with a 1.38 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Given his age it's unlikely he gets the call to (AA) this year but he is certainly trying to force the FO's hand.

18yo RP (A) Kiyohara Yamada (12/7/5 Talent) - Like Mangual, Yamada performed decently enough in rookie-ball posting 4 SV with a 3.72 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 7 games. Getting the call to (A) has also lit a spark for him as, in 17 games, he has a 3-1 record with 8 SV, a 1.72 ERA, and 0.83 WHIP. It's getting very hard to justify keeping him in A-ball.

19yo SS (A) Ángel García (6/5/9/8/8 Talent) - Unlike the players above, García began the season in class-A. While he's not putting up the superior numbers of Lee or Jackson, he has still been impressive getting on base in 85 games hitting .266/.353/.447 with 16 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, and 44 RBI. He has also been a wizard at SS posting a .995 PCT, +3.8 ZR, and 1.058 EFF.

In addition to the above, 19yo CL (AA) Francisco Reyna (12/7/6 Talent) has already bullied his way out of class-A as, in 15 games, he posted 5 SV with a 0.77 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He is acclimating well to AA recording 9 SV in 13 G with a 3.46 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He could be paving the way for Mangual and Yamada. It looks like the Goats are assembling a dominate bullpen for the future or, at the least, have some very valuable trade chips.

[RonCo]

Nice set of kids there.