April 28, 2050
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
The Nashville Bluebirds headed into the 2050 season as one of the early season favorites to be crowned champions, but after a slow start and 12-12 record, Nashville’s front office is losing patience. Role players, Robinson Valdéz and Abay Azzouzj, have already seen the door to make room for fresh blood in hopes of energizing the clubhouse.Elite relief pitching prospect, Ollie Lowry, made his debut last week after Valdéz’s departure. The flame-throwing southpaw was selected by Nashville in the 2nd round of the 2046 draft and has increased his velocity by 7-8 MPH since being drafted out of high school. Lowry has an electric fastball accompanied by a good curveball that scouts believe has the potential to be great and is equally good against RHB and LHB. The Bluebirds believe he will be one of the team’s stoppers in the future.
LHP Ollie Lowry
The man of the hour, however, is Wafid Bishr. The #1 prospect in the BBA is expected to make his long awaited debut after the Bluebirds traded away Azzouzj to the Tropics. Bishr is expected to slot in at 1B against LHP, but it is yet to be determined how much time he will see against RHP. One thing is certain, though; Bishr has great expectations and the Bluebirds desperately need some rejuvenation to the lineup that has sorely disappointed in April. The Lebanese national possesses great strength combined with good plate discipline. He may struggle making contact at times, but when he hits the ball he hits it hard and has the speed to take an extra base. He hoped to bed big league 2B, but an unfortunate injury has limited him to 1B duties, but he’s able to laugh at his own downfalls.
1B Wafid Bishr
“He likes to tell people he’s ‘unarmed, but dangerous,’” said Lowry, who played with Bishr throughout the minors. “He’s definitely got a sense of humor and likes to make the people around him laugh. I think that might be what the clubhouse needs because this team is definitely capable of playing better.”
The Bluebirds are certainly well-versed to be competitive for several years and hopefully these changes can help turn around a poor start to the season. Top prospects Hak-joon Yi and John Dawson are two other names you might see in Nashville, but roster capacity continues to be a roadblock.
