November 8, 2056
by Valerie Davies, for the Yellow Springs World
Yellow Springs, OH - In an unsurprising move, the Yellow Springs Nine announced today that they have executed the 9 million dollar option on catcher Ron Shiplack. Shiplack came over to the Nine from the Brewster-winning Rocky Mountain Oysters mid-season along with minor league outfielder Julio Cabrera in exchange for SP Bruno Bugbie, C Parker Davenport, and RP Byron Radcliffe.
Shiplack immediately brought a spark to the team, batting .293 with 2.0 WAR and helped the second-half resurgence that saw Yellow Springs go over .500 late in the season for the first time under Gm Rob McMonigal and even flirt with a Wild Card spot, ultimately only being eliminated with 5 days to go in the season.
Meanwhile, Cabrera hit .344 for the playoff-reaching Tarpons, showing he has some value as well. It was a definite winning trade for McMonigal, as Bugbie regressed as the season went on, starting only 6 more games for the Oysters out of 18 games, with a 4.48 ERA and and ERA+ of 100, down from 132 for Yellow Springs. Davenport was released outright. Radcliffe barely played with the Oysters, appearing in only 6 games before moving to Chicago in a further trade.
All in all, it worked out extremely well for the Nine and McMonigal, whose first trade with the Oysters is still controversial to this day, especially with Ken Plante performing poorly in 14 starts with the BBA club this year to a 6.09 ERA and over 5 walks per nine innings.
"We've been delighted with the energy, enthusiasm, and quality of play that Ron brought to us after coming over from an organization I hold in high regard. I've never been shy about how I consider the Oysters a model organization, willing to take risks and make a move when they think it will help them. Sometimes they get the better of a deal. Sometimes we do. I think at least so far it's pretty clear we got a great value in Shiplack, but on the other hand, they all got Brewster rings, so I don't think Bret is sad about the whole thing."
I asked if McMonigal had always planned to pick up the option.
"I wasn't sure at first, but as the season went on, it became clear Ron is one of the best catchers in the BBA. He can deliver a key hit and ensure our pitchers make just the right selection in a key moment. We were 37-31 after the break, and it's no secret that Ron was a huge part of that. As we wrapped up the season, it became a no-brainer."
Shiplack at 9 million really is a no-brainer, given the upcoming free agent class at catcher. But what about in 2058, when he will be 37 and the option is for 14 million? I tried to get an answer out of McMonigal, but he merely smiled.
"It's a bit early to discuss 2058, Valerie. I'm laser focused on 2057 and getting us back to a winning record and pushing attendance back up over 4 million fans again."
I also checked in with Shiplack himself, who obviously had no choice in any of this.
"At first it was a little bit of a shock. I really liked playing for Rocky Mountain and had great teammates there. And, well, let's be honest here, the past few years, Yellow Springs hasn't exactly been a team you wanted to play for. But I got here and I saw the core Mac [McMonigal] has been putting together and I quickly see a team that's got so much potential. They just needed some help in some key areas. Without sounding too immodest, I'm manning one of those key areas."
I pushed a little further on the atmosphere around the team.
"I've heard the rumors, yeah," said Shiplack. "There's some players who are really angry about how their time with the team ended and they aren't shy about sharing. I remember one guy telling me he was 'glad to escape Hell' after being traded. A few others discussed being promised roles and then having them yanked away. And of course, there's all the pitchers this team has churned through.
"But I wasn't here for any of that. So I'm no going to comment. I will say that right now we have a good, tight-knit group who are aware they're on the verge of something special here in Yellow Springs, but that the only way to stay a part of that is to perform."
I took one final shot, asking about the rumored lack of discipline.
"Now we don't know each other well, Ms. Davies, but even you should know I'm not going to talk about that. Ask me about the team's performance, about my performance, anything like that. But I'm not going to discuss anything that might get misquoted. Not after 16 years."
Not wanting to end on a sour note, I turned the conversation to his 2,000th hit.
"That was a really special feeling. I know that it takes at least 3,000 hits – and sometimes not even that – to get into the BBA Hall, but still there's a great feeling when you've been around long enough to reach that milestone. It's something I'll think about for the rest of my life. I've got the ball in a special place in my house."
Lastly, I asked what was next for Shiplack.
"Well, I'd love a Brewster, but that's hard to control. I came so close this year, but, oh well. Things work out for the best. I don't know that I can get to 2500 hits, but I think I've got a legit shot at 1000 runs batted in. That would be cool to hit another 4-digit number. We won't even talk about making 200 homers. I'm good at a lot of things, but power isn't one of them."
Shiplack will look to build on his numbers -and the Nine's success – in 2057.
