Bayamon, Puerto Rico
September 25, 2043
Ed. Note: Translated to English from an article in El Reportero del Chicharron, used with permission.
Local Brewster Baseball Association player Ira Sanchez has returned home to Bayamon a little earlier than expected. Last week, he suffered a strained rib cage muscle that essentially ended his season. With the Long Beach Surfers already eliminated from the playoffs, the 29 year old saw no reason to stay with the team.
"I'm thankful to the Surfers, they drafted me out of college, and didn't hesitate to give me a spot on the BBA roster the very next year." Asked about any talks of an extension with the only team he's ever played for, he said that he was not opposed to returning to the team, but wanted to field offers from the rest of the league as well. At 29 years old, this is likely his only chance for a big payday.
Over his 7 seasons with the Surfers, he hit .279/.329/.741 and accrued 4.0 WAR. He mostly served as the short side of the 3B platoon, where his bat was a secondary concern to his superior glove at the hot corner. That said, against lefties, his bat was often above-average. He had one of his best years in 2040, where he slashed .332/.391/.510 against left-handed pitching, good for 1.6 WAR in just 74 games (54 starts).
As for the Surfers, there's no apparent replacement at the hot corner, either for Sanchez, or the esteemed veteran Jared Gillstrom, who timed his free-fall perfectly.
