2048.02 - The Long Beach Independent - Surfers Sign Mei

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2048.02 - The Long Beach Independent - Surfers Sign Mei

Post by Lane » Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:44 pm

HSIN MEI, 37, SIGNS WITH SURFERS

December 31, 2047
Long Beach, CA


It will be a happy New Year in the Long Beach front office, as sources are reporting to The Independent that 16 year veteran catcher Hsin Mei has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Surfers, pending a physical. The sources indicate that the deal is one year guaranteed with team options for years two and three.

The 37 year old is coming off of a 4.2 WAR season, his best since 2038. He hit .270/.336/.495 in his return to New Orleans following a one year stint in UMEBA with Bucharest. With 54 career WAR, Mei has consistently been one of the BBA's top catchers since his first full season in 2032. As an international free agent bonus baby, he received a $12.6 million bonus from the Crawdads in 2027.

It is widely known throughout the Surfers organization that GM Stephen Lane has long been a fan of Mei, and has attempted to sign him nearly every time he has entered free agency. The Surfers have not had a consistent impact player behind the dish since the days of Ippolito Basaglia, hero of the 2029 Brewster Baseball Association Champions. Basaglia's last successful campaign in Long Beach was 2033 and he bowed out of the league after the 2038 season, having ammased 22.4 career WAR.

To the Surfers lineup, Mei brings excellent gap-to-gap power, hitting 31 doubles and 23 HR in 2047. Even as his skills have declined in his late 30s, he has maintained an aversion to strikeouts and should be a stabilizing force in the middle of the lineup. He's not known as an outstanding pitch framer, but he makes up for it in his ability to handle a pitching staff, a skill honed at the BBA level since 2031. In the clubhouse, he's respected by teammates and is a popular leader on and off the field.

As for our outlook, we wouldn't expect Mei to repeat his 2047 season, but it does appear that he's got some gas left in the tank. We could easily see Mei put up a 2 WAR season in Long Beach, which would be approximately a 3 WAR improvement over the incumbent catcher position performance in 2047.
Stephen Lane
Vice Commissioner / Historian
General Manager, Long Beach Surfers
Since 2026

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