It's both a blessing and a disguise for Las Vegas Hustlers starting pitcher Lorenzo Morales to be in a star studded starting rotation for the defending MBBA Champs. "The good news is, I kind of fly under the radar," Morales quipped. "The bad news is, I kind of fly under the radar." When you are surrounded by the likes of this rotation, it's easy to do so. Christopher Stoller is easily one of the most talented hurlers in the MBBA, when not facing injury problems. Davey Acheson is the golden boy, a top 10 MBBA prospect in 2000-2001 who has turned into one of the Frick's top hurlers. Then there's legendary future Hall of Famer Ken Howell. Add to those three the fifth starter, the next phenom, 23 year old David Crocker. Morales certainly gets lost in the shuffle.
That was not the case in the month of August, however. League observers stepped up and acknowledged Morales' stellar month by awarding him the Frick League Pitcher of the Month Award. Morales was 4-1 with a 1.31 ERA in August, bringing his season numbers to an "ace like" 13-6, 2.83 (1.16 WHIP).
"It's certainly no surprise to us," GM Matt Rectenwald explained. "A lot of league observers were shocked when we made the "Madorin deal" with Calgary back in 2000, but we wouldn't have made that deal without Morales being included. We often 'go for it' in trades, but this was a deal in which we were able to trade a hot commodity, get a replacement back in Morales, and also improve in other areas. Many thought we lost that deal, but looking back, I'll make that deal every day and twice on Sunday!"
So, while Johnny Madorin begins a long rehabilitation from a torn labrum, Lorenzo Morales is enjoying the best season of his career. It's only fitting that the month of August saw these two careers intertwined once again.