Chasing The Storm 2038-4: Time to call up some prospects

[njherdfan]

This season, the Seattle Storm have largely been muddling along. They have been playing largely .500 ball, but they haven't yet shown the ability to go on a run to threaten for the division lead. Now, Seattle has turned to two of its top offensive prospects in the hope that their promotion can jump-start the offense. Francisco Salazar was called up 2 weeks ago, and Vincent Vanderhugen recently got the call and will be heading to Seattle.

Salazar was Seattle's first round pick in 2036, and fans hoped that he would be Seattle's best catcher since Kirk Burkett. Last year, as a 20 year old, Salazar was an above-average hitter in AA, and Seattle fans were wondering if, and when, Salazar would make his major league debut. So far, through 10 games, Salazar has not disappointed. He has posted an OPS of .829, which is far better than Seattle's other catchers have produced, and it appears that he has established his place in the lineup for the near future.

Vanderhugen was drafted in 2034, and has long been thought of as an all-hit, no-field player. In the past, Vanderhugen played left field, but his natural home seemed to be the DH spot. Vanderhugen has gotten off to a terrific start in AAA this year, with a .915 OPS. However, it didn't appear that there would be room in either of the outfield corner spots for him. Recently, Seattle decided to have Vanderhugen play first base in AAA, in the hopes that he could play the position well enough to make the majors and supplant Pat Crum. Thus far, Vanderhugen's defense at the position appears to be be acceptable, if not great, but that's enough for the Seattle brass, who will be calling him up to play first. Seattle fans have been waiting for this day for a long time, and they can't wait to see what he'll bring to the lineup, and they're equally curious to see if he can play any defense at all.

[RonCo]

You could have waited a couple more weeks.