The New Guy Spark

We got a new player yesterday. A high draft guy from this year's draft. He runs well, covers a lot of ground in the outfield, and can get on base. It's amazing what a little pressure can do to a lineup. All of a sudden we have more outfielders than can play at once, and people realize that in order to get the playing time they want they gotta hit. We won 10-1 in a blow out. We had 19 hits, the most for us in what seems like years.

The introduction of a new guy is like true capitalism in baseball. It throws a new competitor into a small group creating a deficit of playing time. While before you could do just about anything without fear of losing your job, now you have to excel at something. You have to make yourself stand out in a crowd to gain market share (innings and AB's). Maybe that's all we needed to push more runners across the plate.

We also lost a starting and relief pitcher in the last week, meaning us starters are back to the nickname of "ole 5 day"...the way it should be. 6 more outings before the playoffs (barring any more promotions/injuries/natural disasters). Sprint to the finish.