(2051.09) Rookie Profiles: Hsuang-tsung Xú and Baden Dutton

[woods]

We are making an exception and including two rookies in this article, because they deserve to be talked about together.

Hsuang-tsung Xú, SP
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
BBA debut: April 5, 2051

Baden Dutton, C
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
BBA debut: April 7, 2051

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Hsuang-tsung Xú and Baden Dutton are unique to most of the rookies in Boise’s first-year class, because they both already have storied careers. And those careers have followed each other so closely, you’d have to go back nearly a decade to find a time where the two weren’t playing together.

Let’s just run down the list of achievements.

Xú:
2049 Pitcher of the Year award
Great Glove award at pitcher
4x All-Star
UMEBA/GBC 11th all-time in games started............
UMEBA/GBC 5th all-time in strikeouts

Dutton:
2043 Unsung Hero Award
4x Platinum Stick Award at catcher
5x All-Star
UMEBA/GBC all-time career leader in doubles
UMEBA/GBC 2nd all-time in career games



But the peak of their careers was last October, when their Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers won the United Cup. The team had reached the playoffs several times in the preceding years, but fallen short every time. Dutton and Xú were set to become free agents at the end of the 2050 season, so between that and rumors of an impending UMEBA dissolution, they knew it was pretty much their last chance.

When Jan Chmelyk struck out Tripoli’s António Román to clinch the series, Dutton caught the ball. He put it in his pocket to keep it safe during the mound scrum that followed as the Hebrew Hammers celebrated their first championship in ten years. He may not have known it at the time, but that ball was ticketed for the Hall of Fame, being the final official pitch thrown in the history of the United Middle East Baseball Association.

Dutton and Xú had become close friends in their six years of playing together, and kept in touch as they entered the uncertain world of free agency. Both were still easily in their prime, but never mind how many millions they would earn, they couldn’t even be sure that they would emerge from the other side employed. They were competing for roster spots with the rest of the casualties of the contracted UMEBA, now called the Global Baseball Consortium. That meant hundreds of qualified free agents were now looking for jobs, and there were fewer teams to provide them.

It was a hectic winter for both Xú and Dutton. With the GBC now sporting teams in Australia, Europe, Asia and South America, players would be flown around the world for tryouts. It was exhausting, and dispiriting to fight over jobs with what seemed like half the league. Xú remembers pitching a showcase in Tokyo in February, then being flown to Buenos Aries the next day to pitch there. He pitched well, but ultimately lost out to other UMEBA castoffs.

Meanwhile, Dutton was working to help his former teammates. He hosted a summer camp in his native Sydney, Australia (where the hot weather in December and January provide ideal playing conditions), with an open invitation to all ex-UMEBA free agents. The camp helped some of his peers, like outfielder Ramiro Cisneros and veteran starter Wayne Mawle, get signed by the new local GBC team, the Sydney Sharks. But for his efforts, Dutton remained unemployed.

Boise came calling towards the end of Spring Training. They needed another starter, since they were uncertain whether the young Gavrilovich Mastinsky, also from the UMEBA, was ready to be in a BBA rotation. Similarly, their second-year backup catcher, Hazđm Danishmend, was still very raw and could benefit from some extra work in the minors. Boise liked Xú and Dutton because of their track records of success and experience winning on the big stage.

Neither Xú or Dutton got a real Spring Training. Xú signed at the end of March, and Dutton followed about a week later, in early April. Both reported directly to Boise to play real BBA games. Luckily, their familiarity with each other helped ease the transition. Knowing he could trust his longtime catcher with calling the games, Xú could just focus on executing his pitches. And in Dutton’s case, he quickly silenced any doubt about whether he could hit BBA pitching when he homered off Atlantic City’s Carlos Flores in his first game.

Xú got his first BBA win on April 16th in El Paso, throwing to Dutton. He pitched seven strong innings, giving up just two runs, striking out six and walking none.

“It felt just like playing in Jerusalem,” he said after the game. “Baden putting down signs, and a great defense making plays behind me. It helped me find the groove I needed.”

Spuds Manager Kang Der has not been trying to get the new signees to change their old ways. On the contrary, he says, the rest of the team should be learning from them.

“Hsuang-tsung and Baden are proven winners, so we’re not going to bring them in and say, this is how the Spuds do things,” Der said. “I want to listen to them, have them show us what we could be doing better.”

In the weeks since, the Spuds have adopted some of Dutton’s game-calling strategies, which include mixing in more off-speed pitches earlier in counts. The new game plan has received rave reviews from Spuds’ captain Robin Cooper, who attributes his resurgent season entirely to Dutton’s advice.

It’s not every day that two "rookies" can come in and completely change an organization, but we may be seeing exactly that with Xú and Dutton in Boise. If the Spuds achieve any level of success in the coming years, many will look back on their signings as one of the turning points.

[chicoruiz]

Two of my favorites from my days running the Hebrew Hammers. I considered both of them in free agency this year, but for some reason never pulled the trigger; I’ll probably regret that.

Very nice write up!