2032-02: Talons to play waiting game with Deortez?

[jiminyhopkins]

Phoenix, AZ--

The hype has been building ever since last June, when the Talons selected LF Mario Deortez (8/9/10/6/7 Talents) with the fourth overall selection. He was rated as an "extremely hard" sign, but the Talons threw over $5 million at him and he committed within days. The projections were off the charts, with some analysts calling him the best pure hitting prospect in recent memory. They said he would be able to dominate the BBA for "the next ten years", according to one report. But the club preached patience, stating that they planned to call up Deortez in 2033, so they could get maximum production out of those 6 crucial years of team control.

And then, as the club reported for spring training a couple of weeks ago, things may have changed. The talented 20 year old showed up and wowed the socks off of the scouts, who now rate him at 7/9/7/5/7. Initially, the Talons didn't even invite him to major league camp, stating their desire to follow the original plan. But as Spring training enters its 3rd week, word out of camp is that Deortez has moved his equipment to the major league clubhouse. It looks like the team is at least considering the possibility of calling up "Toxin" sometime this season, perhaps as soon as Opening Day.

This raises a few questions. What if he hits .400 in Spring Training? Will Phoenix really send him back down to AAA Ashland? What would that accomplish? Contrarians point out that making Deortez a major leaguer less than a year from his draft date is premature. His defense, for one, hasn't improved from the initial college assesments of a below-average left fielder. And the possibility of Mario becoming a Super 2 arbitration case could cost the team millions. What's more, some scouts feel that the possibility of a coveted "10" power rating is not set in stone. On the other hand, with the likes of LF Ned Breur (6/6/4/5/8 Talents) taking up a roster spot, the Talons could use all the help they can get if they plan on finishing above .500 this season.

All eyes will be on the Talons spring training complex in Daytona Beach these last weeks of Spring Training. Will Deortez become a Toxin to BBA pitchers this season? Stay Tuned!

[RonCo]

Interesting decision.

[Ted]

Have you thought of moving him to first? As a full time outfielder he'll cost you 20 runs per year at least.

[jiminyhopkins]

Have you thought of moving him to first? As a full time outfielder he'll cost you 20 runs per year at least.

I feel pretty good about a platoon of Al Gordon (7/8/8/6/6 Talents) and Frank Bud (8/7/7/6/7 Talents) at first base for now. When Deortez plays full time, it will be at DH, as Cesar Valencia (6/8/9/6/4 Talents) only has one year left.

Being a full time DH will probably cost him any chance at the MVP throughout his career, however.

[felipe]

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