April 13, 2012*Bang!*
I hit the floor. How, you ask?
I fell out of bed.
Why, you ask?
My phone rang. At 5.43. It was, who else, the owner.
I said very tiredly "Moshi mo-"
"Jack, did I wake ya?" The Owner yelled (although he was talking in a completely normal speaking voice noise level)
"Wh-Wha. N-No Sir. I was wide awa- at 5.43."
"Oh, great, I just caught wind of an email Preston sent me yesterday."
"Oh yeah, what's it say?"
"He says that he's found an abundance of talent, both in the MLB, in high school,and in college."
"Really now? Send me the list of players, I'm sure... After my coffee, I'll be able to look at it."
"Okay Jack, I'll send you the list now."
"Thanks, sir."
"No problem. Bye."
"Bye."
I hung up. And went back to sleep, at least for a couple more hours.
When I woke up, it was 8.30, and I decided to make my morning coffee, and look at my e-mail. Good God, Preston writes detailed e-mails...
It said:
"Dear Owner and Jack,
I have been scouting some potential players the past couple of weeks, and I think that I’ve come to a conclusion about who is and who isn’t ready for the Big Leagues. As you may know I went over to America to visit my parents, and actually got to see an MLB game. It was very exciting, as it was the first time in years that I’ve went. And I actually got to see two of the best Japanese pitchers (playing over in America) in action, Takeo Doi, and Kyuuya Kuwahara. I’m sure you know who they are, but I’ll just write about them a little:
Takeo Doi:
AGE, YEARS PRO, B/T, TOP SPD, CON, STAM, PITCHES
31, 10, R/R, 144 km/h (89 mph), B, E, V-Slider – 5, Curve – 2
Bio: Ever since childhood, Doi dreamed of playing professional baseball. His dream came true in 1997, when he was drafted in the 2nd round by the Yomiuri Giants, Doi showed excellence in his breaking balls, and his control, but his fastball… Well, it’s only decent. In 2007, Doi’s contract was bought by an MLB team, and he has played there since, though he wishes to come back and play in Japan.
Kyuuya Kuwahara:
AGE, YEARS PRO, B/T, TOP SPD, CON, STAM, PITCHES
29, 10, R/R, 150 km/h (93 mph), C, E, Changeup – 1, Drop Curve – 3
Bio: Kuwahara was drafted right out of high school in 1999, and he showed that he was ready. Pitching excellently, and showing off his great fastball with the Chunichi Dragons. He was regarded as the best looking young player in the Koshien. His fastball is good, but his breaking balls are… Meh. They’re decent at best, though he can really fool people when he drops in a change. He has been playing in America for 3 years.
At the college level, I saw some serious talent as well, here are the players:
Pitchers:
Satoyuki Yamasaki:
AGE, YEARS PRO, B/T, TOP SPD, CON, STAM, PITCHES
20, 0, R/R, 140 km/h (86 mph), B, E, Hard Slider – 1, Right – 4
POSITION, 2ND POSITION, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
1B, N/A, 2, F, F, E, C, F, F
Bio: Yamasaki showed leadership on the mound, and when he wasn’t pitching, he was playing first base. That’s right, he can play first. He isn’t great there, but he’s got a good arm. As a pitcher, he closed out 4 games 1-2-3 in the Koshien.
Shinji Matsuka:
AGE, YEARS PRO, B/T, TOP SPD, CON, STAM, PITCHES
20, 0, L/L, 147 km/h (91 mph), D, D, Curve – 2, SFF – 4
Bio: He’s an excellent closer, he’s got the stuff, and he’s got the mentality. In high school he set a school record for saves, with 26.
Fielders:
Toshiya Sato:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
20, 0, C, N/A, R/R, 3, B, B, E, C, A, A
Bio: Originally all Sato did was sit at home and study, but then he met Goro Shigeno, who would later become his best friend, and rival. Sato shows us that he is basically good at everything, he calls a good game, throws people out, provides clutch hits, and he’s just a really smart ballplayer.
Kiyoshi Tsuruoka:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
21, 0, C, 1B, S/R, 4, E, B, D, D, C, D
Bio: Kiyoshi was regarded as the best hitter when he played high school ball, he exclusively played catcher for the first 2 years of his high school career, but an injury derailed him, so now he primarily plays first. His twin is a pitcher, who specializes in knuckleballs.
Takamichi Kisanuki:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
20, 0, C, 1B, S/R, 3, D, A, D, A, D, C
Bio: Kisanuki threw out 72% of the people who tried to steal off of him, he also hit 28 homeruns, ‘nuff said.
Joe Chavez:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
22, 0, 1B, N/A, L/L, 4, D, A, E, D, E, C
Bio: Joe moved to Japan when he was 7, and he has played baseball ever since he saw Tony Blanco of the Chunichi Dragons play. Joe hits homeruns, and plenty of them. And when he does, they’re monstrous.
Tai Abe:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
21, 0, 1B, N/A, L/L, 2, C, C, B, B, A, A
Bio: Abe is the son of famous power hitting first baseman Kazunori Abe, only this Abe is a 5-tool player, with 20 steals, a .301 average, 7 homeruns, and 44 RBI, this kid would be of great help.
Gil Nakashima:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
20, 0, 3B, N/A, R/R, 4, D, A, D, C, D, B
Bio: He’s a very good power hitting 3rd baseman, who also has a good arm, and doesn’t make many errors.
Natsuki Gotoh:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
21, 0, SS, N/A, R/R, 4, D, A, C, D, D, B
Bio: He and his childhood best friend, Junichi Mori, both got into baseball at a young age, and they have both become very feared power hitters. Also, Gotoh is a pretty decent runner.
Junichi Mori:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
22, 0, SS, 2B, L/R, 4, D, A, D, C, D, B
Bio: Mori, and Gotoh have both been into baseball (and have been friends) for a long time. Mori is an excellent hitter, with a pretty good arm.
Futoshi Hoashi:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
20, 0, OF, N/A, R/R, 2, D, E, A, A (15!), D, A (15!)
Bio: Hoashi, since he was a little kid, has always preferred fielding and running over power, since when he was growing up, he was incredibly thin, and not-so-strong. Hoashi looks like he could be a hit in the struggling outfield, with his rocket arm, bullet-like speed, and strong awareness.
Also, I went to Korea to see a game (which was very exciting as well, because I got to see this kid).
Hyeon Gi:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
25, 0, OF, N/A, L/R, 2, C, C, A, D, A, B
Bio: Apparently, not much is known about him, where he grew up, his parents, when he started playing. All that is known is that he is great, and that he currently plays for the Lotte Giants.
And one last player that I saw playing, whose power was excellent:
Atsuto Mahara:
AGE, YEARS PRO, POSITION, 2ND POSITION, B/T, TRJ, CON, POW, RUN, ARM, FLD, E RES
28, 0, 1B, OF, L/L, 4, E, B, E, C, C, C
Bio: Mahara went to play in Korea after he got out of college, but now he misses his home of Japan, and it seems that this guy’s power, and his decent fielding abilities would help a lot.
Well, hopefully you look through all of these, because we can actually only pick up one for the time being, um… Yeah.
So, Jack, call me when you’ve decided on someone.
Sincerely,
Preston Greene”
“My God! That was long” I thought to myself.
But with all of that detail, I still couldn’t narrow it down to one, they’re all good.
I called Preston.
“Hello?” He said
“Hey Preston, I just read you’re e-mail.”
“Oh, really sir? Was it detailed enough?”
“Enough?! Yes it was! Absolutely! Very good job Preston.”
“Thank you sir.”
“Now, onto the pressing question, who do we pick?”
"Hyeon Gi and Shinji Matsuka would be my 2 picks. Gi because I find him better abilities-wise than Adamsky, and he could easily lead off for the Tigers. Matsuka because I think he has the most potential of any pitcher, and the Tigers could use a guy to shut down the dreadful 8th inning and pave the way for Fujikawa. I see Matsuka doing so for plenty of seasons to come."
“Alright, alright, thanks Preston, I’ll put them into consideration.”
“Alright sir.”
“Well, goodbye.”
“Bye.”
Since this was a pretty major decision, I also forwarded it to my hitting coach, pitching coach, and Todd, my senior advisor.
I called Todd first.
“Hello?” He said.
“Hey Todd, its Jack.”
“Oh, hey Jack, I just got that e-mail, Preston did a nice job with it.”
“I agree, but I need your opinion, who should we get?”
“Ooh, it’s a though one, but I’ll have to go with Futoshi Hoashi, with his speed, arm, and smarts could be the replacement of Matt Murton, who has been struggling.”
"Okay, thanks Todd."
"Yep. No problem"
I hung up.
When I called my pitching coach I didn’t know his name…
It was awkward.
“Hello?” He said.
“Uh… Hi, I’m Jack Allen, the GM.”
“Oh, hey, the name’s Ryan Techer.”
“Alright, welcome to the team Ryan.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Did you get the email I forwarded?”
“Uh……Yeah, I just got it.”
“With your experience, what pitcher do you think we should pick, if we even pick one”
“I’ll say Yamasaki ‘cause ________”
(Also, could you provide a reason behind it?)
“Okay, thanks Ryan”
“Any time”
He hung up.
And I was off to call my new hitting coach, whose name also had slipped my mind…
I called anyways.
“Hello?” He said.
“Hello, this is Jack Allen, the GM here.”
“Oh, hi, Mr. Allen, I wasn’t expecting a call, but I saw your e-mail.”
“Excellent, uh…um…. I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
“My name’s Bryan Murphy.”
“Alright, alright. Um… So… Who do you – who do you think we should chose, using your experience in the hitting and fielding fields, what fielder should we chose, if we chose on at all?”
“Oh, um… I would say… Uh… Oh! Tai Abe because he is extremely well-rounded and he can provide in most situations batting and fielding-wise.”
“Okay, excellent, I think I’ve come to a decision, thank you Bryan.”
“No problem sir.”
I hung up, and went into my office to think.
I had come to my decision, thanks to everyone else.
I’m going with ______________!
Wow... That was long...
Hope you like it!
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– Tomoaki Kanemoto
