2049.02 - The Long Beach Independent - Youth On Parade

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THE FUTURE IS...SOON?

March 7, 2049
Catalina Island, CA

The fruits of a run of high draft picks for the Long Beach Surfers are starting to appear on the 2049 Spring Training Roster. After back to back division championships in 2044-45 the Surfers record dropped off like a Jimmy Greenwood curveball. They bottomed out at 59 wins in '49 and have not won more than 70 since then.

The top prospect of the bunch is right handed starting pitcher Sam Rutgers, the 10th overall selection in the 2047 draft. The 23 year old's four-pitch repertoire includes a high-90s fastball and a well rated screwball, a pitch that the Long Beach front office has been known to covet. Since draft day, the coaching staff has managed to squeeze a few more MPH out of Rutgers' 6'1'' frame, and the scouts have bumped up their ratings of his stuff from 9 to 10.

On the offensive side, 2046 first rounder Steveland Morris is seeing time at 2B and SS on the island this spring. He made significant improvements last year in his second go round at AAA Commerce, improving his strikeout rate and seeing his OPS rise 80 points. Scouts still see plenty of room for improvement in his K avoidance, but his stealing ability has been as advertised, grabbing bags at a rate of 105 per 162 games in his minor league career. With the [url=https://statspl.us/brewster/reports/new ... 41983.html]Francisco Platoon still in place for this season, and plenty of competition for the second base job, we could see Morris' BBA debut being delayed until potentially 2050.