December 21, 2038
Going into the 2038-39 offseason, there weren't a lot of spots open to fill from free agency, nor was there a lot of cap space to make bold moves. With postseason hero Andres Martinez testing the free agent waters and asking for far more than the Hustlers (or any team) were willing to give a player who batted .168 last year, Las Vegas had to look elsewhere in a very thin (depth-wise) catching group.
Enter Marcus Forryan. Ultimately the Hustlers had to pay him more than they wanted to, but Forryan's unique skill set fit the need at the position quite well and so a compromise was reached between player and team. Forryan received a guaranteed $2.6 million for 2039, and then could earn a vesting option for 2040 of $4.4 million if he gets 500 plate appearances. That looks extremely unlikely. Forryan will play exclusively against lefties to start the year, forming the short end of a platoon with Antonio Robles.
The 30 year old native of England is a bit of an odd duck amongst his catching peers. He's huge at 6'5", 245 pounds. He's not a particularly good defensive catcher. He's not a particular good hitter, either. Like most catcher, he's slow, but in his case he's GLACIER slow. His skillset his extremely unusual, and therefore rare, from a catcher. "Marcus gives us one unique skill," said GM Matt Rectenwald. "He walks. A lot." As Billy Beane once asked Peter Brand (and we all know that was supposed to be Paul DePodesta, ok?) in the movie Moneyball: "Why do we like him?" "Because he gets on base." And do we care if it's a walk or a hit? WE DO NOT.
Despite only playing 129 games for Brooklyn last season, Forryan's 89 walks were good enough to place him 9th in the Johnson League in that category. And that's the one thing he does well. His career slash line (.247/.357/.325/.682) shows exactly the player he is. "Did I mention he walks a lot?" Rectenwald asked, rhetorically.
