2B Xue-Qin Man
Scout Ratings (From 2035 to 2038)
Contact 9 -> 5
Gap 9 -> 6
Power 3 -> 1
The scouts had completed a thorough review of Gorilla Man's on field performance in early 2036 and gave the thumbs up to GM Scott Piccoli to proceed with signing a long term extension to Team's former #1 Pick in 2029 (Over-All #4). It didn't matter that Man had always hung out in the shadow of superstar Shortstop Mark Wareham, it could be said that Man increased Wareham's Elite On-Base ability with hitting behind Mark with his high Batting Average and ability to hit the gaps for Doubles/Triples.
Man had just finished a 2035 Campaign hitting .313, 41 Double's, 9 Triples and 200+ Hits for the third season in a row. His 2035 Season 4.6 WAR was the second highest of his career, 2nd only to his amazing 2033 season of 6.7 WAR.
An extremely talented defender, Man also had the tools to fill in in Center-field at times and not completely embarrass himself. A nice feature for a GM who had to constantly work around Jayden Harsnett's constant Day to Day injuries.
Speaking of Man's 2033 breakout season, he was fantastic, hitting .334 BA with a .871 OPS including a league leading 58 doubles, 18 triples and 231 hits. However, even then he got to play second fiddle, running into Madison Mons Raider's shocking 7.0 Rookie Season, denying Man his best chance at a Gold Bat for 2B. Man went on in the Post Season to earn Geohagen MVP Award honors, helping to propel the Twin Cities to their furthest play-off run in the first year the Team made an appearance.
It seems so easy to make these decisions, given a player's past performance... especially since Man has just again earned Player of Week in early 2036. And now it's so easy to second guess....
"It's unfathomable... But it appears as if our Gorilla Man has completely forgot how to hit the ball at the Age of 28," stated GM Scott Piccoli. "Some fall off is expected and even anticipated, but we always hope for a some years of resurgence... I mean, look a Albert Ganoa this season at 30 years old. He came out of nowhere this year. But no one could have predicted this... and I wouldn't have believed it someone had tried to convince me of it in 2036.
With salary cap drama and Free Agents to sign to replace disappointing veterans, it appears that Twin Cities is pondering the unthinkable... releasing Xue-Qin in the Off Season.
The fallout will be terrible. Extremely popular in the Clubhouse and with Fans, it'll be an hugely unpopular decision all around. Also, the carnage to the Bottom Line will be no less dramatic, costing the Team almost $12 Million for two seasons and another $6 Million the two seasons after that (Team Options).
"There's no getting around it, it's a very unpopular decision for myself as well. The Team would not be where it is today without Xue-Qin Man. He played elite defense and was a terror at the plate and on the base paths for so many seasons. This is not the way we wanted to see him go out," Scott finished...
