Nine Celebrate Cole's Newcomer of the Month Nod
September 1, 2055
Portland, OR – The Yellow Springs Nine are pleased to congratulate infielder Arthur Cole on his recognition as the August Frick League Newcomer of the Month award. The power-hitting 24 year old. had 33 hits and 5 home runs, en route to a .324 batting average in August.
For the season, Cole is batting .282 with 16 home runs and 41 runs batted in. The batting average is a career high for Cole, whose OPS for the year is .869, his highest since his Short A days.
"I'm truly honored for this opportunity. I kept telling people that all I needed was a chance to show what I could do if given the chance to play regularly. I knew I could get my average up, could keep hitting homers, but more importantly, could get the key hits to keep us in games. I'm glad that skip [Manager James Ramsey] is showing faith in me and that the league is taking notice.
Cole was a second round pick in 2048, drafted 78th overall. His path to the majors wasn't guaranteed, as his glove has always been a weak spot, and even in 2055, it's not as strong as would typically play in the majors.
"We are well aware Arthur isn't Thum out there," said GM Rob McMonigal. "But few players are. Arthur tries extremely hard every day to get better as a fielder. But that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to celebrate his well-deserved award, which will hopefully give him a push in the Newcomer of the Year voting."
No matter what, no one can take this award from Cole, which he and the team hope are the first of many over the next several years.
