59.01 Montreal Unveils New Development Lab

[Bob Breum]

Back in 2056, now-retired Blazer Quant 'Greek Freak' Kouros was interviewed after recording his 2,500th BBA hit. Among his remarks, he said, “I have to credit our hitting coach, Elmer Peters, with helping me prepare every day. I also want to give appreciation to the club's embrace of the new holographic batting cage technology. It's incredible! When I walk to the plate at Ubisoft in the first inning, I've already had multiple lifelike at-bats against the day's starting pitcher. I really miss that when we're on the road."

Now, the other owners have recognized the value of investing in the latest technology. BBA owners in conjunction with the BBA Player Association agreed to mandate franchise-level player development labs be in place after the 2058 season. In addition to the holographic bullpens and batting cages, there are now Holodeck® outfield wall simulators and entire Holodeck® infields. Modern ultralightweight motion capture suits are used at all positions, helping players and coaches improve mechanics of running, throwing, fielding, and hitting.

During the offseason, intensive training is available to ten players at each franchise. This was a limitation imposed by the owners in the collective bargaining process, fearful of the costs involved.

Here are the ten players that the Blazers selected for the inauguration of their new player development facility:

The most recognizable name is Blazers second baseman Miguel 'Thrillseeker' Martínez, coming off a 40 home run season in which he put up 5.7 WAR. Miggy will be working to improve his quality of contact. Last season saw his batting average decline from .269 to .238. He asked to be included as part of the group and team officials were delighted. The presence of the 27-year-old All-Star will certainly catch the eye of the prospects in attendance, setting a strong example.

Another big league veteran who will be taking part is Mike LeBlanc, the oldest of the cohort at 29. The polar opposite of Miggy, LeBlanc has elite contact skills but lacks power. The team hopes to find some hidden power in LeBlanc’s six-foot, 200-pound frame. He will be working with coaches to enhance his bat speed and increase his exit velocities. LeBlanc DHed last season; he can play corner infield when needed.

The final veteran among the group is stopper Adam Bristcoe, age 27. Last season, Bristcoe struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings. He throws two elite pitches, a cutter and slider, in addition to an excellent changeup. He hopes to cut down on walks, as his walk rate was 3.4 walks per nine. As such, he’ll be working to improve his control.

Montreal plans to use 20-year-old Dan 'Tangles" Wilkinson at first base against left-handed pitching next season. Drafted in the first round back in 2054, he has rocketed through their system, crushing pitching at every level. Dan needs to work on cutting down on strikeouts. Last season saw him strike out 111 times in 400 plate appearances in AAA, while hitting .330/.370/.571 with 20 doubles and 22 home runs. Some players would be satisfied with that, but not Wilkinson, who was team captain of the New Jersey squad. He drives himself hard. Coaches are hoping that they can channel this determination to ready him for a full season in the big leagues. Last season, he hit .244/.311/.537 in 45 plate appearances for the Blazers.

Two Rule 5 draftees will be training alongside their new big league comrades. Nolan Miller, age 24, was selected by Montreal and worked out of the bullpen for the Blazers. With no experience above A ball, he was thrown into a pennant race. He thew 36 innings, mostly in mop up duty. The youngster has four pitches, but all are only average offerings. He will be need to improve them if he hopes to avoid being sent down to AAA New Jersey to start the season.

The other Rule 5 guy is 23-year-old Leonardo Rodríguez, who joined the Blazers in a mid-season trade. A first baseman, he DHed against right-handed pitching. In 245 plate appearances, he hit 10 home runs while batting .229/.339/.443, for a 121 OPS+. Like Miggy, Leo will be working to improve his contact skills. He has a plus-plus eye and plus power but needs to make more contact if he is going to hold onto his DH role.

There are two more potential big leaguers in the group. The 23-year-old Hamza 'Mouth' bin Uthman enjoyed a cup of coffee with the Blazers last season, logging 5 plate appearances in which he garnered three hits and a stolen base. At AAA New Jersey, he hit .302 with 32 stolen bases. Unfortunately for bin Uthman, his best position, first base, is not available at the big league level. The good news is that the Blazers desperately need outfield help. He’s in training to improve his outfield skills. They aren’t bad, but they aren’t good. Ubisoft demands “good.” There’s a roster spot waiting for him if he can show team officials that he can be a capable defender in an outfield corner.

Like bin Uthman, the other aspiring big leaguer is an outfielder. Clancy Lee, only 20 years old, has demonstrated an ability to play all three outfield positions, but coaches are not convinced that he’s ready for center field in Ubisoft. Acquired in trade last season, Lee hit well at AA Mississauga and is probably a year away from the BBA. But the center field job in Montreal is being held together by bailing wire and duct tape. It could implode overnight. The club wants to be ready for that eventuality, so they’re asking Lee to prove to them that he can be the next man up if that happens. Lee is highly regarded for his work ethic, so coaches are guardedly hopeful that an offseason focused on improving his play in center field will pay off.

The last two slots are allocated to Montreal’s top two pitching prospects, drafted in the first round in 2058 and the second round in 2057.

José Martínez, age 18, joined the club after the most recent amateur draft and was assigned to Dearborn Heights, their A ball affiliate. He has a five-pitch repertoire, but like Miller, none are above average. Harry Stewart, also 18, pitched in Short Season A in 2057 and at Dearborn Heights last season. He has six offerings, one of them a plus fastball. None of his other pitches stand out. Both youngsters will be working to improve their pitch arsenals.

In “Win Now” mode, the Blazers are primarily concerned about being competitive in the upcoming season. Three slots are dedicated to BBA starters: Martinez, Bristcoe, and Wilkinson. Two are occupied by fringe regulars: LeBlanc and Rodriguez. Three are allocated to players hoping to win or keep BBA jobs: Miller, Lee, and bin Uthman. Only two are being used to develop prospects who are far away from the bright lights of Ubisoft Field.

It will be interesting to see if players’ work ethic affects their chances of success. Five of the group are noted for their high work ethic: Bristcoe, Wilkinson, Miller, Lee, and Stewart. LeBlanc is regarded as bright but lazy, the prototypical gifted child. Bin Uthman is also noted for his intelligence. Perhaps Captain Wilkinson can inspire the cohort to mutual success.

[BaseClogger]

Martinez and Stewart are so similar. I’d say you have a type.

[Bob Breum]

Martinez and Stewart are so similar. I’d say you have a type.

Erik has a type.

[JRamirez]

All right, good read. Good luck to you.

[RT60]

Nice mix. I am personally scared to include prospects because with my luck they will get hosed.