29 Apr 2056
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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by Fish McWilliams
Closer Bullies His Way to Majors
CL Baz Badr
(AAA) 10 G, 3-1, 6 SV, IP 13.2, 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, +0.9 WAR
Brisas GM Ben Teague had a plan for closer Baz Badr. After acquiring him in a trade with the Cairo Pharaohs in early August of last season, Badr has bullied his way thru the Minor League ranks. Beginning at A-level in 2055, Badr posted a 3.97 ERA in 9 games which was enough to earn a look at AA. He threw a combined 24 innings at AA in the Pharaohs and Brisas organization with an ERA just over 4.00.
"I knew he was better than that," says Teague. "Sometimes you get the feeling that a player is just going to be special. Baz is going to be special."
So, with that in mind, Teague gave him a stint in AAA as the 2055 season waned. In 5 games with Ndali (AAA) he went 1-0 with an ERA of 1.50, 4 saves, 0.33 WHIP, a 9.0 K/9. That earned him an invite to Spring Training then back to Ndali. This year with the Barons he has produced a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3 wins, 6 saves, and a WAR of +0.9.
Teague says, "I've been paying close attention to Badr and when a guy gives you sub-1.50 ERA and almost 1 WAR in one month of the (2056) season at AAA there's nowhere left to go but up."
He will probably have a short leash, but impossible to argue that Baz hasn't earned his way to the bigs. What he does with the opportunity from here on is up to him.