by Nes Lessman
While your award-winner farm reporter rarely gets into controversies usually best left to the scandal rags, I feel it's my duty to report to our readers on this one, especially since the story was first broken by my colleague, Ethan Wardman, though it remains unsubstantiated.
As loyal subscribers to the Journal know, Lien-ying Thum, reportedly the cousin of Hall of Famer Dong-po Thum, was signed to an international contract for $280,000 in 2059. Wardman was suspicious at the time, but didn't have more proof until recently that this younger Thum was more closely related to the legendary infielder. Shortly before that news broke, the elder Thum left the coaching staff of his old organization, claiming he didn't want to work with youngsters anymore and there was no room up the coaching tree for him.
Well, now we have another piece of evidence that Wardman was right, as he usually is. Not as often as me, but still pretty often. What is that bombshell?
The Nine have finally released the junior Thum as part of its annual roster cuts near the end of Spring Training. Has he lost his protection?
Thum, while potentially gifted with the bat, hasn't shown anything in limited use. Given how good manager Angel Cuevas is, if Thum had any potential at all, he'd have gotten his reps. But in just 23 games in two seasons, Thum made the least of his opportunities, batting .081 with just 1 home run. His presence in the field is the complete opposite of his alleged dad. He was so bad at catcher that they tried him in the outfield, where he wasn't any better.
One scout I talked to said watching Thum in right field was like following a drunken man from one bar to the next, bobbing and weaving. Ouch.
At any rate, the 21 year old would have been headed back to Cuevas, who clearly wanted no part of him. Getting comments out of the Nine on this issue with Thum is difficult, but I received some official word by guaranteeing I wouldn't ask about paternity tests.
"Yes, I didn't think much of Lien-ying." said Cuevas. "He can't field and he didn't show me the power potential that the scouts kept raving about, right up until the very end. Sure, he'd occasionally land a bomb in warm ups, but it felt more like warning track power to me. And we all know he can't field. The only grass he seems to know is the one you smoke. I told McMonigal flat out I wouldn't play him in Cat Island. My goal is to field a winning team, not Nepotism central. I don't care who he's related to."
"Not all international players are going to work out, Nes, you know this," said McMonigal. "We tried based on his power potential, but the power never showed up. Neither did his fielding. It was time to let him move on. And no, Hunter leaving the organization had nothing to do with this, nor did it explain why he stayed when others left. I know Wardman claims he was prioritized, but he's an idiot."
Rumor has it after his release, Thum's power started coming in stronger. I watched a few videos and that may be the case. Was he working with his "cousin" to help improve his swing during the off-season? The talent apple may not have fallen as far from the tree as it appeared in Alamogordo.
Ultimately, it may be best for both sides that he's gone. The "Who's Your Daddy?" chants at Road Runners games sometimes became louder than the in-game announcers. With Wardman's expose and the elder Thum's departure, the distraction might have caused problems that McMonigal and Cuevas don't want as the latter starts his way up the managerial ladder, something Hunter Thum was denied, causing him to go to Madison.
At least, that's the story, right?
