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Off-Season Reconfiguration Begins?
The door has barely closed on this past season, and already the Yellow Spring Nine front office have tipped their hand on what the future might bring, agreeing to a deal that will send rookie starter Roy Minty back to Phoenix in return for two minor league prospects.
Minty, who was acquired in the deal that originally sent Tiernan O’Macken to the Talons, pitched well in his major league debut season, going 9-6, and posting a 3.42 ERA. The team was, however, in the enviable position of having several arms, and in possession of what can essentially be considered an entire AAA team full of additional BBA-ready pitchers. With the emergence of Jerry Bouroque and Loan Duval, and the reappearance of Carlos Valle, something probably had to give. Minty’s fragile nature made him the most likely candidate to move on, and move on he did.
“It was a good run here,” Minty said. “But I spent a lot of time envisioning myself in a Talons uniform, so I suppose it was destined.”
The deal netted a pair of 21-year-old players in SP Jose Hernandez and 2B Jim Fry.
Hernandez pitched in Travers City (R) last year, starting 15 games and posting a 5-2 record. He’s got a classic “throws it hard and sees where it goes” profile. Scouts like his approach to the game, however, and the Nine expects to be able to coach a little command into what is currently a 101 MPH heater.
Fry also spent his season in Traverse City, posting respectable if not eye-blistering results. He projects to second base right now, though some suggest his future role would be at the hot corner.
“We really like both of these young players,” said GM Ron Collins as he climbed onto the flight that will take him and his front office to Cat Island for their annual victory celebration and off-season planning conference. “They are good workers and will help build the organization even more deeply—which I know is something Bo [owner, Bo Jordan] wants us to work on.”
Fans Peeved
“That’s it?” one fan posted upon hearing the news. “Minty is a seriously good young pitcher, and all our GM can get is a couple 21-year-old rookie league stiffs?”
Some more level-headed responses seem to point to the idea that the move signals a complete shake-up is coming--though most fans don't see that coming. Most seem to side with the totally logical gentle-being who suggested that what the club really ought to work on was finding a GM who could guide the team over the hump. “After two goddamned decades of this," Grace McAllen posted, "it’s now beyond obvious that Collins was the right guy to correct the ship’s heading way back when, but he’ll never get us over the hump."
In the meantime, the front office's flight to Cat Island is scheduled to be five hours and forty five minutes.