SS Torston Boss of the Paris Patriots honored: Wins the EBA EBA Batter of the Month Award.
Boss, 30 years old, was once expected to be a big part of the Louisville Sluggers future. He was their starting third baseman from 2011-2015 and showed some promise before being dealt to Omaha in 2015. He performed well in the second half of the season for the Barnstormers before being relegated to a bench role in 2016, in which he raked (.899 OPS). Tired of being a bench player, Boss defected to the EBA and signed with the Paris Patriots, where he's been an All-Star in both of his seasons.
Will he ever return to the MBBA? He certainly could, if a team was looking for a quality player to serve as an infield backup, but I can't see any team giving up PP for Boss at this point. He can stay in the EBA until his contract comes up after 2020, and see what happens.
SP Santiago Pagán of the Madrid Matadors honored: Wins the EBA EBA Pitcher of the Month Award.
Can a pitcher be a successful starter with awesome control and stuff, but really subpar movement? The traditional answer is no, but this is the EBA where even two pitch guys can be great starters. In the MBBA a guy like Pagan would be a middle relief guy at best, in the EBA he's an All-Star starting pitcher.
Will we ever see him in the MBBA? Maybe if his movement improved by some fluke, but at age 27, he probably is what he is.
RF Javier Barrón of the Rome Raiders honored: Wins the EBA EBA Rookie of the Month Award.
Scouts think Barron has a lot of power potential that hasn't developed quite yet. A one-time signee of the Las Vegas Hustlers international complex, they quickly gave up on him and he signed with the London Bishops, was named the #1 prospect in the EBA, and was traded to the Rome Raiders. His rookie season has been quite impressive (11 HR, 24 RBI, .364/.427/.671/1.098).
Will we ever see him in the MBBA? I don't think so. Guys like Barron are a dime a dozen in MBBA Triple-A teams, there just isn't a market. Why wouldn't he stay in the EBA where he might have a long career as a star?
