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Rookie Pitcher Angling for Rotation Slot
SAYS OFF-SEASON PROGRAM LEFT HIM "STRONG"
Aussie Looks to
Join RotationFebruary 25, 2062 | Catalina Island | A total of seventy baseball players have now descended on Catalina Island, home to the Bikini Krill's spring training facility. Among them was the much-anticipated arrival of 21-year-old Paul Worboys, an ex-1st round draft pick of the team and a native of Australia--Newcastle, to be specific.
Worboys, who had been whispered to be making his debut with the big club last season, but who got sidetracked with shoulder inflammation, has been the subject of much off-season speculation and hype as news came from Pain Island, the club's high-tech developmental facility where Worboys was sent to aid his recuperation after posting a 2.89 ERA in AAA last season, with most pundits suggesting that injuries to three-fifths of the rotation would have certain resulted in his mid-season arrival if it were not for his shoulder issues.
The question now is whether that injury could manifest itself as a chronic condition or not. Something the team and the pitcher both certainly hope is not the case.
Front Office Wary
of Promises?"We expect big things from Paul," said assistant GM Monica Green when asked about Worboy's progress earlier in the year. "It's too early to say anything for certain, buy all signs are good so far. If he can get through this, though, we all think his future is going to be off the charts, though."
It is no longer too early to say.
Worboys arrived directly from Pain Island, and said "I feel good. It was a really tough program, but I'm a lot stronger now. I can feel it in my mechanics."
Team Trainer
Predicts Success"Paul did well," said Dr. Dirk Steele, co-director of the Pain Island Training Site. "We had him on a strict regimin that included dietary and psychological tempering as well as a classicprogram for muscle development. No program is perfect, but we expect he'll be more resilient going forward."
Scouts suggest that the program helped on the field, too, noting that Worboys fastball was ticking the velo-gun at a mile and hour faster. "That helps him set up his secondary pitches, too," an anonymous source said, suggesting that Worboys' sinker, which he throws from the same release window, would likely be even stronger as a result. If true, the expectation is high that 2062 will be the year he joins the rotation.
"I'm just glad to be here to fight for a place on the roster," Worboys said. "I'm ready to play some baseball."
SAYS OFF-SEASON PROGRAM LEFT HIM "STRONG"
Aussie Looks to
Join Rotation
Worboys, who had been whispered to be making his debut with the big club last season, but who got sidetracked with shoulder inflammation, has been the subject of much off-season speculation and hype as news came from Pain Island, the club's high-tech developmental facility where Worboys was sent to aid his recuperation after posting a 2.89 ERA in AAA last season, with most pundits suggesting that injuries to three-fifths of the rotation would have certain resulted in his mid-season arrival if it were not for his shoulder issues.
The question now is whether that injury could manifest itself as a chronic condition or not. Something the team and the pitcher both certainly hope is not the case.
Front Office Wary
of Promises?
It is no longer too early to say.
Worboys arrived directly from Pain Island, and said "I feel good. It was a really tough program, but I'm a lot stronger now. I can feel it in my mechanics."
Team Trainer
Predicts Success
Scouts suggest that the program helped on the field, too, noting that Worboys fastball was ticking the velo-gun at a mile and hour faster. "That helps him set up his secondary pitches, too," an anonymous source said, suggesting that Worboys' sinker, which he throws from the same release window, would likely be even stronger as a result. If true, the expectation is high that 2062 will be the year he joins the rotation.
"I'm just glad to be here to fight for a place on the roster," Worboys said. "I'm ready to play some baseball."
