November 24, 2037
Following the trade of Juan Sweetworld to the Brooklyn Robins, the Las Vegas Hustlers turned their eyes to the free agent market to search for a new center fielder. What they found was a middling collection of players that could best be described as "misfit toys".
"There just isn't much of use out there," mused Las Vegas GM Matt Rectenwald. "Warts aplenty, man. It's kind of ugly."
Among the rubble, Rectenwald may have come across a gem amongst the misfit toys. At first glance, Jon Turner (pictured above) may not look like much, but dive a bit deeper and there just might be some value there. "Well, he only cost us $10,000," chucked Rectenwald. "He's got some things going for him. He can certainly field the position- he just won the Triple-A Gold Glove Award for center fielders. He can run like the wind. And while his bat won't play everyday, he showed he could hit lefties last year."
Originally a fifth round draft pick by Havana (now San Fernando) back in 2031, Turner has put up a career +87.5 ZR over his career. He can't hit, but that's not even the biggest rap on him.
So what is it, then? It's THIS:
11/02/2029 Injured (bruised finger), day-to-day for 1 day.
11/05/2030 Injured (Hyperextended knee), day-to-day for 5 days.
11/09/2030 Injured (Mild hamstring strain), day-to-day for 5 days.
11/11/2030 Injured (Sore back), day-to-day for 5 days.
11/18/2030 Injured (Bruised shoulder), day-to-day for one week.
11/26/2030 Injured (Sore elbow), day-to-day for 4 weeks.
11/27/2030 Injured (Hamstring tendinitis), out for 3 weeks.
06/02/2031 Injured (Knee contusion), day-to-day for 2 weeks.
07/09/2031 Injured (Sore hamstring), day-to-day for 3 days.
08/03/2031 Injured (Sore elbow), day-to-day for 4 days.
08/16/2031 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for one week.
08/18/2031 Injured (Fractured knee), out for 5-6 months.
05/05/2032 Injured (Sore back), day-to-day for 1 day.
06/15/2032 Injured (Intercostal strain), out for 2 weeks.
04/12/2033 Injured (Sprained finger), day-to-day for 2 weeks.
06/30/2033 Injured (Twisted ankle), day-to-day for 6 days.
08/05/2033 Injured (Post-concussion syndrome), out for 4 months.
05/06/2034 Injured (Finger blister), day-to-day for 1 day.
06/27/2034 Injured (Hamstring tendinitis), out for 4 days.
07/12/2034 Injured (Mild shoulder strain), day-to-day for one week.
08/05/2034 Injured (Mild calf strain), day-to-day for 1 day.
08/09/2034 Injured (Elbow contusion), day-to-day for 6 days.
10/19/2034 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 4 weeks.
10/21/2034 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 3 days.
04/13/2035 Injured (Pulled abdominal muscle), day-to-day for 3 days.
05/27/2035 Injured (Bruised hand), day-to-day for 1 day.
05/29/2035 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 3 weeks.
06/04/2035 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 5 days.
06/27/2035 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 5 days.
07/05/2035 Injured (Knee soreness), day-to-day for 1 day.
07/11/2035 Injured (Knee soreness), day-to-day for one week.
07/18/2035 Injured (Torn posterior cruciate ligament (knee)), out for 8 months.
04/11/2036 Injured (Bruised thigh), day-to-day for 6 days.
04/22/2036 Injured (Sore back), day-to-day for 6 days.
05/04/2036 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), day-to-day for 2-3 weeks.
05/20/2036 Injured (Hamstring tightness), day-to-day for 1 day.
06/23/2036 Injured (Flu), day-to-day for 4 days.
07/07/2036 Injured (Strained rib cage muscle), out for 5-6 weeks.
08/21/2036 Injured (Fractured thumb), out for 4 weeks.
04/07/2037 Injured (Twisted ankle), day-to-day for one week.
04/08/2037 Injured (Twisted ankle), day-to-day for 3 days.
04/10/2037 Injured (Sprained ankle), out for 3 weeks.
06/03/2037 Injured (Sore elbow), day-to-day for 2 weeks.
07/08/2037 Injured (Back tightness), day-to-day for 2 weeks.
07/28/2037 Injured (Knee soreness), day-to-day for one week.
08/26/2037 Injured (Knee soreness), day-to-day for one week.
09/05/2037 Injured (Mild oblique strain), day-to-day for 3 days.
"We're aware of his injury history," said Rectenwald. "Let's try to spin it to a positive- it shows a lot of character that he's been able to persevere through all of that."
Could the Hustlers really be considering a platoon of Antonio Cortez and Turner as their center-field solution in 2038? "It's an open audition right now," said Rectenwald. "Someone will seize the opportunity."
