July 21,2043
On May 9th of last year, the situation that Nashville outfielder Gipper Kengos found himself in couldn't have been better. "My team was having success, and the club thought enough of me to give me a four year extension," said Kengos. "Things were good." At the end of 2042, Kengos finished with an even .300 average, 12 homers (his most since 2038 when he hit a career high 13), 33 steals (to only 4 caught stealing), and a solid 3.2 WAR. Perhaps more importantly to Kengos was the number 160. "It's my goal every year to be on the field for every game, like I did my first full year with Mexico City (2037). 160 games was huge for me," explained Kengos.
Fast forward to July 21, 2043. Kengos is batting .203. He has a .536 OPS. and a -1.2 WAR. He's not in the lineup most days, having been supplanted as the primary left fielder by Jose Machado. In fact he has only accrued eight at-bats through three weeks of July, going 0 for 8. What the hell happened?
"I wish I could tell you, man," said a dejected Kengos. "Things were fine in April but then I hit a really bad slump in May and couldn't get out of it in June, either. I can't blame Skip for benching me. I would have done the same thing, especially the way Machado is swinging the bat."
Machado, an April waiver claim from the Yellow Springs Nine, has flourished in his role of playing against right-handed pitching. The biggest difference between Machado and Kengos has been plate discipline. Machado has 18 walks and just 20 strikeouts in 160 at-bats, while Kengos has 24 walks and a whopping 80 strikeouts in 300 at-bats.
Will Kengos get another chance? "I'm ready when the time comes," said a determined Kengos. "Don't count me out just yet."
