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06/16/2051: Was traded by the Chicago Black Sox to the Las Vegas Hustlers in exchange for SP Francisco Ortíz.
"I've been driven to always do better my whole life," said Lloyd, the 26-year old native of Sydney, Australia. "Baseball was getting huge in Australia when I was growing up, and I played as much as possible. Pick-up games, league games, school games. Put me in coach, I'll play anywhere. That was me."
After proving himself as a prep player, Chicago signed him as an International Free Agent. "I was what they called a bonus baby," chuckled Lloyd. "Honestly, I was truly a baby when it came to being a professional baseball player. Here I am, some Aussie kid, and all of a sudden I'm playing in Mexico (Monclova) and the Dominican Republic (San Pedro de Macoris). Talk about a fish out of water. I was just a kid. And I was struggling. Not only on the field, but off of it. Being home sick isn't some made up deal, it's for real. And I had it badly."
Now imagine you're a home sick 19 year old, languishing in the D.R., not able to speak the language, and you get called into the manager's office. You get told that you just got traded to the Las Vegas Hustlers. "When they first told me, I thought I was going straight to the Hustlers," said Lloyd with a laugh. "Like I said, I was a naive kid. I had no idea what being traded meant. But I certainly knew who the Hustlers were!"
He got his nickname, "Casino", because he was always organizing card games amongst his teammates. "Not only that," said Lloyd, "but I was cleaning up on those games." Seemed natural that he would ultimately be in Las Vegas. "Either there or Atlantic City, I suppose, but is there really a comparison?," mused a clearly joking Lloyd.
Lloyd made a steady progression throughout the Hustlers minor league system, briefly reaching the BBA in 2054, and for good in 2055. He's continually improved each season but this year, he's on a different level. "I just try to get better each and every game," said Lloyd.
