Spinning Out of Control

With only two weeks or so left of minor league baseball left this year, I decided to go see a game yesterday. It was between the Staten Island Yankees and the Lowell Spinners (Boston Red Sox affiliate).

Gasp! My first autograph wasn't from a Yankee but from a Red Sock. Cole Brannen was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft. His best skill is his speed, which experts grade at anywhere between 60-70. That's insane speed. Due to his youth he's still developing and growing into his frame so it's expected that he'll add some much needed pop to his game when he grows some power and strength.

Next up is Xavier LeGrant who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft. Even though he's been on various amateur circuits for a while (the Team USA card clearly shows that), I can't really find a whole lot about LeGrant. Or why he was drafted so low. But clearly there's some potential there that the Red Sox took a flier on. Good luck Xavier.

My last autograph of the day was from the Yankees' trainer Jon Becker. I can't find much info about Mr. Becker (the back of the card is blank), but a quick Google search reveals that he used to be a trainer for Nashville Community High School. Apparently he's also qualified to be a teacher and fill various other roles in a school setting. Very cool. Follow your dreams Mr. Becker.

And those were my autographs for yesterday. Kind of a light haul, but I got in for free (long story) so nothing seriously lost there.

Speaking of serious losses though, yesterday was a brutal beatdown for the Yankees. Starter Shawn Semple allowed three runs in the top of the first and the Yankees were never able to get their offense going. The relievers didn't do much better and all told the Yankees lost 0-8 to the Spinners. Yeesh. Was it because I got more BoSox autos than Yankees autos?

Strangely enough in spite of that lopsided score, the game itself was very tidy as it ended in 2:33 hours. Weird. I was super tempted to do some post-game autographs but the early morning caffeine in my system was starting to wear off and boy could I feel my body shutting down. So I left.

Still, despite the loss I had a great time. It was a fast game, it provided some nice highlights (Kyle Gray and some of the Spinners' infielders made some fantastic plays). I also felt pretty peaceful at some points in the game where I was just chilling in the stands looking at baseball happening and letting my mind wander. Almost as peaceful as the ferry ride back to Manhattan. Sometimes, a little live baseball action at night is all you need to remind yourself that the world isn't always on fire.

Also check this out. This mini-gavel was yesterday's giveaway. It's super cool. It's also a bit unfortunate the Staten Island Yankees couldn't market this to it's fullest potential since Aaron Judge never stopped by Staten Island. He was slated to join the team in 2013 but an injury kept him down in Tampa. *fart noise*.

So yeah, barely any Yankees autographs and a loss, but overall a fun night. I'm glad I went.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).

2018 IP Auto Count: 60