Off Topic
“I'm talking about wanting things in life. I'm talking about having dreams. And all that starts right here, right here. If you don't have dreams, you don't have anything."
= Dennis Quaid (as Jim Morris), The Rookie
May 5, 2046: YELLOW SPRINGS – The YS9 front office took questions from the press today after announcing that they had chosen 6’2” 190 lb. right-handed pitcher Damian Taylor with their first selection in the 2046 draft. Taylor pitched college ball with Gulf Oil this spring, posting a 2.56 ERA to go with his 3-3 record in eleven starts. “Our scouts think his fastball and slider could play with the parent club now,” said assistant GM Chris Mason. “We expect his start in Indianapolis, though, just so he can get himself used to the idea of throwing professional baseball.”
“That’s where I knew he’d go,” his mother added, hugging him all conversation long. “I had a dream yesterday and it was like some kind of power was telling me it would be Yellow Springs!”
That power was apparently strong enough that she was ready, having already baked and decorated a cake with her son’s name and the club logo in the middle—which she presented to the video stream, hands shaking so hard that her son had to take it to save it from disaster.
While the 20-year-old has been a starter in college, most team scouts project him to throw from the bullpen—which is a staple of the Nine brand, and apparently a part of the team strategy for acquiring him. “We’ve said before that we draft for position,” Mason said, “and while it’s likely Damian was the best player on the board right now, we’re also anticipating that financial issues might open a hole for a guy like him earlier than later.”
The Nine’s financial constraints are such a cloud looming over the not-so distant horizon, that it’s nearly impossible to separate them from any move the team makes at this point. So it’s probably no great surprise that the drafting of Taylor sent social media fandom into a tizzy about the futures of big-ticket relievers Al Colbert and Angel Hernandez, who are projected to cost upward of $10M between them next year. With Rex Foster, Bruce McKinley, and Blaine Tyler expected to be looking for substantial raises, and with Carlos Pineda and Tomas Ramirez in line for Free Agency, something has to give.