Adrián FoxAdrián Fox, RP
Hometown: Nashville, TN
BBA debut: Apr 1, 2054
How does a kid from Nashville get picked in the first round in three separate amateur drafts, nearly fail to sign, then suddenly reach the majors and become an All-Star in his first big league season?
That’s the story of Adrián Fox. But let’s back up a bit.
Fox grew up in the bad part of Nashville. (though if you ask a few Heartland GMs, they'll tell you that the entire city of Nashville is “the bad part,” but we’re not writing a commentary here.) His family didn’t have much money, so he grew up with the mentality to work hard for what you want, and to hold out for what you deserve. He brought this attitude with him to the 2048 draft, where as a high schooler he was picked by Charlotte with the 26th overall selection. Charlotte offered him about $500k to sign — a decent sum, but Fox also knew that he possessed an arm capable of throwing 101-mile per hour fastballs, which he felt was worth more. He kindly told Charlotte to fuck off.
Fox enjoyed a stellar college career, and I mean stellar. His freshman year, in which he posted a 1.50 ERA, was actually his worst year as a starting pitcher. He went on to lead the U.S. Marine Corps to a championship the following year, lowering his ERA to 1.09, and setting the Mellon League single-season record for strikeouts per nine innings. He proceeded lower his ERA even further, to 0.87, his junior year, when he was up for the draft again. This time, he figured to go Top Ten.
He got his wishes, getting picked 8th overall, but there was a slight wrinkle: he was drafted by Boise, a small-market team who are notoriously stingy when it comes to signing bonuses. When Fox stated his bonus demands, Boise didn’t even make an offer, rolling the pick to the following year, and sending Fox back to college.
But here’s the twist in the story: Boise secretly wanted Fox the whole time. By parlaying their pick, they could potentially cash it in for a better one in the much stronger 2052 draft, all while keeping an eye on Fox as he continued to develop, and making sure no one else got him.
In the 2052 draft, Boise turned their rolled-over pick into their center fielder of the future, Lou Bayou, and still got Fox with their other first-round pick, 14th overall. This time, they agreed to a signing bonus (but not without some haggling, because Boise gonna Boise), and it was time for Fox to start his professional career.
He cruised through the minor leagues, and probably could have been brought up to the BBA sooner if there was any reason for Boise to start his clock, but there wasn’t. By 2054, it would have been nonsensical not to promote him, so Boise put him on the Opening Day roster, and immediately assigned him the bullpen role of “Stopper,” trusting that as a former starter, Fox could handle the higher innings load.
Fox has been a workhorse in his Rookie year, racking up more innings than any rookie reliever outside of Vancouver’s Ángelo Rodríguez. He was also named to the JL All-Star team, probably on the strength of his low FIP (3.00) and high strikeout rate (8.3 K/9), both near-top marks among BBA rookies.
He has also stabilized a Spuds’ bullpen that has become one of the best in the Association, locking down the mid-to-late innings, and allowing pitchers with more specialized roles like Ommar bin Ayyub and Cheuk-yan Liu excel in what they do. And there’s no stress on closer Harold Nothard to appear before the ninth inning, since Boise knows the eighth is in capable hands with Fox.
The future is obviously very exciting for Boise, knowing they have an All-Star bullpen arm who is affordable and under team control for at least five more years. And as for Fox, the poor kid from Nashville, he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves, and the pay will come soon. (Though maybe he should hold out for an All-Star bonus clause in his next extension.)
