July 30, 2036
Long Beach, CA
As the Surfers return home from a successful road trip (5-2, including a sweep of California) they'll have a fresh face in the locker room. Twenty-one year old Kevin Graham, a 2033 draftee will be joining the club to start against the Calgary Pioneers.
Graham, a righty, has a 2.98 ERA in 12 games (7 starts) for AAA Santa Fe this season. He's a ground ball specialist (55.7% this year) and has absolutely shut down right handed hitters. In 103 PA vs RHB this season, they're hitting just .161/.225/.269 (yeah that's a sub-.500 OPS!). Because of their ballpark, the Pioneers typically field a very right handed lineup, and indeed you'll only find three lefties and a switch hitter in the lineup when they face a RHP.
Graham rates a solid 7/9/7 vs RHB, but will struggle against LHP with 5/7/6 ratings. His future is likely in the bullpen as a righty specialist, though there will certainly be opportunities like this to take the hill for a start.
It was certainly a surprise addition to the roster, with 11 SPs already on the 40 man, and Graham not needing to be added for Rule 5 protection for another year. This is however in line with the Surfers M.O. this year, going all in to return to the playoffs. Rookies Sloan Daniel, Michael Best, and Imad bin Ibrahim have been crucial pieces in the team's current record of 58-47.
The trade of Alejandro Soto opened up a spot on the 40 man roster for Graham, and struggling starter Allain Jolivet has been demoted to AAA Santa Fe to make room on the active 27 man roster.
