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jamus23 · 05-21-2008, 09:13 PM

James Paras:

Few today would argue with the claim that James Paras was the greatest catcher of all time. But prior to the 2037 season, you would have been hard pressed to find someone who believed such a thing was possible. Before that year, Paras had seen major league action in the previous five seasons and been a regular for the previous three. In those years, he had absolutely stunk. His best OPS in any season was .667. Excluding his first cup of coffee in 2032, in which he hit .245 in 53 at bats, his .228 batting average in 2036 was the best of his career prior to 2037. He had been benched and relegated to the backup role. But in '37, that light clicked on for Paras, and he proceeded to terrorize the league for the next fifteen years.

After some initial success, the Portland Trailblazers spent most of early part of their history wallowing near the bottom of the league. From 2006 to 2018, Portland's highest win total was 77. Twice the Trailblazers lost 100 games. In the early '20s, however, Portland emerged from the darkness. From 2020 to 2025, Portland won at least 91 games every year. The Trailblazers reached the World Series in 2020, but lost, and then reached it again in 2024, emerging victorious on that occasion. But that run of success came to an end, and Portland collapsed. The Trailblazers lost 215 games combined between 2030 and 2031. In 2031, both Portland and Kansas City lost 106 games. Kansas City won the coin toss to determine the number one pick in the 2032 amateur draft. The Royals drafted third-baseman Walter Mara, and would be rewarded with an all time great. The Trailblazers selected a 19 year old catcher named James Paras. Would they be similarly rewarded?

Paras began his professional career at AA. After tearing up the league for a few weeks to the tune of a 1.044 OPS, he was promoted to AAA, where he continued to thrive. For over three months, Paras tormented AAA pitchers, hitting .327 with 28 extra base hits and a 62/56 BB/K ratio. In early August, he was finally rewarded with a big league call-up. Initially, he seemed overmatched, collecting just 4 hits in his first 22 at bats. In September, however, he seemed to adjust, hitting .290 with a .744 OPS in 31 at bats. He hadn't found his power stroke yet, slugging just .302 in 53 total at bats with no homeruns, but his batting eye already seemed major league ready. He posted a .365 OBP and walked as often as he struck out. Portland rebounded from those truly awful seasons to post 75 wins. Surprisingly, that was nearly enough to win the West division, as Sacramento, the team that did win the division, mustered only 79 wins.

Paras began the 2033 season as the backup to veteran Merlin Wehmeyer, one of the better catchers in the league at the time. It would be a miserable season for the young Paras. After getting off to a slow start, he was injured in late May and missed a few weeks. Immediately upon returning, he got injured again and missed a few more weeks. Despite hitting his first career homerun in July of that year, it was awful month for Paras, as he managed just 3 hits total in 36 at bats. Not until August did he begin to resemble a major league hitter, when he put up a .932 OPS in 41 at bats. Down the stretch he managed serviceable numbers, as well, with a .744 OPS in 33 September at bats. All in all, though, it was a very disappointing season for Paras, as he hit just .202 in 183 at bats, with just a .590 OPS. Portland managed an 80-82 record and finished in second place in the West, 11 games behind San Diego.

Despite the struggles of the previous season, Paras became Portland's starting catcher in 2034, as Wehmeyer had left as a free agent. It was a disaster for all involved. As Portland spiraled into last place, losing a league-worst 106 games, Paras spent most of the season struggling. He got off to a poor start in April, putting up just a .644 OPS. It would get worse. In May, his OPS was .620. In June, his OPS was .520. In July, he managed an OPS of just .519. In August, he rebounded slightly, mustering an OPS of .623. In September, he finally managed to look like he belong in the major leagues, putting up an OPS of .798. For the year, however, his OPS was a pathetic .617, and he hit just 7 homeruns.

In 2035, Paras' struggles finally began to catch up to him. Back in 2032, the Trailblazers had acquired another catching prospect, Kisaburou Bakin, in a trade. Bakin had worked his way up the minors, gradually developing into one of the best prospects in the game. In 2034, he had been Paras' backup. In 2035, things would change. The 22 year old Paras began the year as the starter, but like the year before, he got off to a terrible start, mustering just a .622 OPS in April. The 25 year old Bakin was only a little better, at .632 in 34 at bats. Both of them hit better in May; Paras had an OPS of .720 and Bakin an OPS of .784 in 33 at bats. In June, Paras was benched. Now the starter, Bakin put up a respectable .717 OPS, while Paras managed just a .579 OPS in 30 at bats. July would see a change in fortune. Bakin remained the starter, but put up a pathetic .649 OPS, while Paras put up a ridiculous 1.339 OPS in 23 at bats. He hit .391 with 4 extra base hits, and walked 11 times, giving him an absurd .600 on base percentage. Paras regained the starting job in August, but immediately began struggling again. In 79 at bats, he had an OPS of just .693. Meanwhile, Bakin rebounded to post a solid .761 OPS in 42 at bats. In September, both hitters completely collapsed. Paras managed an abysmal .476 OPS, while Bakin's .533 OPS wasn't a lot better. By the end of the year, Paras had just a .667 OPS, while Bakin had a .685 OPS. Reflecting the struggles of the two young catchers, Portland finished in last place again with a 64-98 record.

The battle for the starting catching job continued into the 2036 season, but it was a battle that James Paras appeared to have lost. He began the year as the backup to Bakin, and after one month, neither had done anything to change that setup. Bakin had torn through the month of April with a .932 OPS, while Paras had slogged his way to a .657 OPS in 45 at bats. Bakin cooled off in May, but Paras completely imploded. He managed an embarrassing .443 OPS in 38 at bats. In June, Bakin got red hot again, and Paras stumbled his way to a .589 OPS. Paras briefly showed signs of life in July, hitting .353 with a .905 OPS in 34 at bats. Despite the fact that Bakin had outplayed Paras to that point in the season, the playing time shifted back in Paras' favor in August. Once again, with more playing time, Paras struggled. While he had a 20 at bat advantage over Bakin in August, his OPS was over 200 points lower. He retained the starting role in September, but continued to struggle, managing only a .671 OPS. Although Bakin also struggled in the final month, his end-of-year OPS of .859 was significantly better than Paras' .653. Portland finished in last place once again, with a mediocre record of 76-86.

Entering the 2037 season, Bakin appeared to have a firm grip on the starting catching job. Paras had been given ample opportunity to secure the job for himself, and had failed every time. But in the blink of an eye, everything would change. Bakin got off to a disastrous start, and by the time the month of April was complete, the balance had shifted. Bakin went just 5 for 35 in April, while Paras put up an .847 OPS in 90 at bats. Paras cooled off in May, but Bakin continued to struggle. That allowed Paras to keep the starting job. Both of them hit well in June, but in July, another slump by Bakin, combined with a red hot Paras, seemed to end the debate. Paras blasted 18 homeruns in the final two months of the season to secure his hold on the job. At the end of the year, Paras had smashed 33 homeruns, driven in 90 runs, scored 103, and drawn 103 walks. He finished with a .935 OPS, and won the National League Gold Glove award for catchers. Bakin, meanwhile, finished with a serviceable .717 OPS. More importantly, the emergence of Paras and his late season surge had lifted Portland from the bottom of the league and into the playoffs. The Trailblazers won 91 games to win the West division by a single game over San Diego. For the first time since 2025, Portland would not be sitting at home in October.

Of course, now the real test would begin. Portland would have the honor of facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS. The same Pirates who had won the previous four World Series. The same Pirates that, backed by the best pitching in baseball, had rolled over the rest of the National League to the tune of 118 wins in 2037. The same Pirates whose roster held five future Hall of Famers(Gerald Lipscomb, John Rockwood, Eduardo Rodas, Manuel Reno, and Luis Velasco). But the Trailblazers didn't back down. Despite being seemingly overmatched, Portland led the series 3 games to 2 entering Game Six. Taking the mound for Portland in the sixth game was Roscoe Harmon, a 28 year old right-hander who had posted an unimpressive 5.47 ERA in the regular season. For Pittsburgh, it was veteran right-hander Jorge Caballero. The 36 year old had gone 21-5 with a 2.75 ERA in the regular season.

Paras helped Portland draw first blood, by doubling and then scoring in the top of the second inning. The lead did not last for long, as Pittsburgh tied it up in the bottom of the second. In the third inning, the Pirates took a 4-1 lead on second-baseman Porfirio Cano's three run homerun. Portland chipped away at the lead with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but Pittsburgh got it back on a solo homerun by center-fielder Eduardo Rodas. The Trailblazers again cut into the lead, scoring a run in the top of the seventh. In the eighth inning, left-fielder Marc Coleman belted a game-tying two run homerun. The game remained tied through nine innings. In the tenth inning, the most unlikely of heroes emerged. On the mound was Pittsburgh closer Luis Velasco, who had posted a sparkling 0.97 ERA in 51 regular season games during the regular season. Leading off the inning was reserve outfielder Andrew Jones, who had entered the game to replace right-fielder Hernando Romero, who had been pinch-ran for. Jones had hit just .258 with a .742 OPS in the regular season, but here, with the season on the line, he ripped a double. Third-baseman Marvin Manske followed with a walk. Second-baseman Samuel Reeser struck out. Up to the plate stepped pinch-hitter Anthony White. The 30 year old White was a career minor leaguer, who had spent virtually the entire season at AAA. But in Game Six of the NLCS, with a chance to send his team to the World Series, against the greatest relief pitcher of his day, White lashed a two run double to put Portland ahead, 7-5. Now it was up to relief pitcher Robert Heinsohn and Portland's fielders. Heinsohn made quick work of the Pirates in the bottom of the tenth, striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 inning. For the first time since 2024, the Portland Trailblazers were headed to the World Series.

After overcoming the team with the best pitching in the league, Portland now got a chance to face the highest powered offense in the league- Grand Rapids. The Tigers had tied with the Atlanta Braves for the most runs scored, but Grand Rapids also led all of baseball in batting average, on base percentage, and walks. The Tigers were second in doubles and OPS. Game One ended in disaster for Portland. Leading 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning, closer Carlos Urquiola coughed up a three run homerun to Grand Rapids' Billy Stoltzfus. Portland was unable to rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Trailblazers narrowly avoided another crushing defeat in Game Two. Portland led 7-3 through six innings, but saw that lead evaporate in a hurry. Through eight innings, the game was tied at 8. In the top of the ninth inning, Grand Rapids took a 9-8 lead. This time, however, the Trailblazers rallied. Portland scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 10-9 victory.

In Game Three, Portland blew an early 2-0 lead, and trailed Grand Rapids 4-2 heading into the fifth inning. James Paras led off the fifth inning with a solo homerun, however, and that triggered a 4 run outburst to give Portland the lead again. A five run explosion in the seventh inning put the game out of reach, and though Grand Rapids mustered a slight rally, the Trailblazers hung on for an 11-7 victory. Portland took control of the series in Game Four, blowing out Grand Rapids 10-4. Paras contributed with 2 hits and an RBI.

Though Paras had 2 hits and 2 RBI in Game Five, the Tigers returned the favor by blasting Portland 10-4 to force a sixth game. Grand Rapids got on the board first in Game Six, scoring a run in the third inning. It remained a 1-0 game until the seventh inning, when Tigers' left-fielder Michael Woosley hit a solo homerun to make it 2-0. In the bottom of the seventh, Portland finally got on the board, when Marc Coleman hit a solo homerun. In the bottom of eighth inning, the seemingly forgotten Kisaburou Bakin delivered a pinch-hit, run-scoring triple to tie the game up at two apiece. The score remained 2-2 through nine innings. And then, like so often in the playoffs it seems, another unheralded player stepped up to be the hero. First, however, two familiar faces from the NLCS had to play their parts. Andrew Jones led off the inning with a single. He was then followed by pinch-hitter Anthony White, who also singled. With two aboard and nobody out in the bottom of the tenth inning in Game Six of the World Series with a chance to win it all, reserve infielder John Jorgensen stepped to the plate. The 25 year old second-baseman had mustered a pitiful .492 OPS in 90 regular season at bats. In four previous postseason plate appearances, Jorgensen was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Jorgensen came through, delivering a run-scoring single to win the game and the World Series for Portland. Paras had a fine postseason run, hitting .300 with a .944 OPS, 4 homeruns, 12 runs batten in, and 8 runs scored.

After his breakout year, Paras was determined not to lose his hold on Portland's starting catcher job. He burst out of the gate in April of 2038 by putting up an OPS of 1.259, and crushed 12 homeruns. His position was secure. Paras went on to hit .327 with 50 homeruns, 130 runs batted in, and a 1.105 OPS in 2038. He was named to his first All-Star team, and at the end of the year, he won his second straight Gold Glove award. Though Portland would win 97 games in '38, the Trailblazers would not get to defend their championship. The Trailblazers finished in second place in the West, seven games behind San Diego.

In 2039, Paras hit 50 homeruns for a second straight season, and posted 1.073 OPS. Portland won 89 games but finished in third place, ten games behind San Diego. 2040 was another strong season for Paras and another frustrating season for Portland. Paras belted 40 homeruns, posted a .911 OPS, and made his third straight All-Star team, but Portland stumbled to a 78-84 record, finishing in fourth place, 30 games behind Sacramento.

Portland returned to the postseason in 2041, outlasting the defending champion Sacramento Kings by two games, with a 95-67 record. Paras made his fourth straight All-Star team, as he posted a .936 OPS and slugged 41 homeruns. He also won his third Gold Glove award. In the postseason, Portland would face a Pittsburgh team that had just witnessed possibly the greatest batting season in history: John Rockwood's 1.296 OPS, 69 homerun, 176 RBI campaign. With their powerful offense and dominating pitching, Pittsburgh seemed to be a far superior team than Portland, which had pretty good pitching but a relatively mediocre offense. Despite the supposed mismatch, when Portland ace Herman Sydow tossed a 6-hit shutout in a 1-0 Game Four victory, the Trailblazers held a commanding 3 games to 1 lead. Could they pull off the upset?

In Game Five, Portland was held to just 3 hits and the Trailblazers were blanked 4-0. In Game Six, Portland trailed 6-0 through five innings, rallied to within a run in the sixth and seventh innings, but fell 7-5. In the deciding Game Seven, the Trailblazers fell behind 5-0 in the first inning, trailed 7-0 through four innings, and eventually lost by a score of 8-3. After his fantastic postseason in 2037, James Paras' efforts in 2041 were quite disappointing. Paras posted an embarassing .368 OPS and failed to drive in any runs.

Following the 2041 season, Paras elected to head east. He entered the free agent market and signed with the still fledgling Buffalo Bills. After three disastrous seasons, Buffalo had made a not insignificant jump to 76 wins in 2041. An addition like Paras might be just the thing to push the Bills into respectability and beyond. For his part, Paras was about to join a rather select company. Scott Border had produced five 60 homerun campaigns from 2004 to 2010. In that same time period, Anselmo Maldonado had also produced a 60 homerun season. After a lengthy drought, a flurry in the late '20s and early '30s had seen Antwan Leanos, Greg Dos Santos, and Emanuel Maxon achieve the feat, with Maxon setting the single season mark of 70. In 2034, both Tod Tsukasa and Donald Murillo reached 60, with Tsukasa threatening Maxon's record, falling a little short with 69. In 2041, John Rockwood made his own bid for Maxon's mark, but like Tsukasa, he finished with 69. Now James Paras, who had already established himself as an elite power hitter, would join this group of sluggers.

In April, Paras delivered 9 homeruns. A sizable number, certainly, but not so great an amount that would draw significant attention. In May, however, Paras blasted 15 round-trippers. That was followed by 9 more in June, giving him 33 at the midway point of the season. In July, Paras produced 11 homeruns to give him 44 as the season reached the dog days of summer. Did Paras wear down in the August heat? Not a chance. Paras belted 10 more four-baggers, giving him 54 heading into the home stretch. In the final month of the year, Paras came through with 7 homeruns, giving him a final total of 61. Along with the impressive homerun total, Paras delivered a 1.172 OPS, 140 runs batted in, 134 runs scored, and 105 walks. Not surprisingly, he won his first career Silver Slugger Award. His tremendous effort lifted Buffalo above .500 and the Bills finished in second place in the Northeast with an 83-79 record.

In 2043, Paras made his sixth consecutive All-Star team, as he produced a 1.039 OPS and 48 homeruns. Buffalo again finished in second place, but mustered only 75 wins. Paras' old team, Portland, reached and won the World Series. In '44, Paras' string of All-Stars came to an end, though he still had a fine season. He posted a .940 OPS and smacked 38 homeruns. Buffalo rebounded to 86 wins and again finished in second place. In 2045, Paras had a 1.066 OPS and hit 45 homeruns. He made his seventh All-Star team. Buffalo, meanwhile, won 90 games, but, yet again, finished in second place.

In 2046, Paras entered the free agent market again. This time, he headed to Tucson to play for the Diamondbacks, who had just won the Central Division. Paras had a slight down year, managing an OPS of "only" .911 while hitting "only" 36 homeruns. Tucson, meanwhile, collapsed to third place in the division, and won only 78 games. Not quite what he was expecting, I imagine.

In '47, Paras bounced back, crushing 44 homeruns with a 1.005 OPS. Tucson did not bounce back. The Diamondbacks won 79 games and again finished in third place. In 2048, Paras made his ninth All-Star team, and produced the seventh season of his career with an OPS greater than 1.000, managing 1.016 mark. He also poked out 38 homeruns. Tucson, however, continued to struggle. The Diamondbacks slipped to 72 wins and a fourth place finish. Although Tucson improved to 82 wins in 2049 and finished in second place, albeit a distant second(12 games behind Kansas City), Paras suffered through his worst season in more than a decade. Not since 2036, when he had still battling for the starting job in Portland, had he posted an OPS under .900. Not since that same year had he failed to hit at least 33 homeruns in a season. But in '49, he mustered a somewhat disappointing .866 OPS and only 25 homeruns.

Paras bounced back a bit in 2050, delivering 34 homeruns and a .913 OPS, while Tucson returned to the playoffs, capturing the Central Division title with 91-71 record. Paras also belted the 600th homerun of his career in mid-August. He was the fifth player to reach such a milestone. In the ALCS, the Diamondbacks would face the powerful Miami Dolphins, a team that was graced with the presences of no less than six future Hall of Famers. In the past eight seasons, Miami had reached four World Series, winning three of them.

After three games, Tucson trailed 2 games to 1. Game Four began as a low-scoring nail-biter. Tucson scored first, with a run in the second inning. Miami tied it in the third, but the Diamondbacks went ahead again, scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. And then it all unraveled for Tucson. The Dolphins plated 8 runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead. The Diamondbacks didn't wave the white flag; they struck for four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Another run in the sixth cut Miami's lead to 9-7. But runs in the seventh and ninth innings secured an 11-7 Dolphins' victory, putting Tucson on the verge of elimination. The Diamondbacks were no match for that great southpaw, Robert Padgett. The Miami ace twirled a 5-hit shutout, and the Dolphins nipped Tucson, 2-0, to reach the World Series. Paras had little impact in this series, collecting only 3 hits in 18 at bats, while failing to drive in or score any runs.

Tucson made it two straight division titles in 2051, winning a weak Central with an 85-77 record. Paras, then 38 years old, saw his numbers drop off again, as he hit only .238 with an .830 OPS. Once again, Tucson was pitted against the Miami juggernaut, and once again, they offered little resistance. The Dolphins swept the Diamondbacks in four games, and Paras was not a factor, going 1 for 11 with no RBI and no runs scored.

In 2052, Tucson would win the division for a third year in a row and prevail against Miami in seven games in the ALCS, only to fall to Sacramento in five games in the World Series. James Paras, however, would not be around anymore. The 39 year old catcher labored through the first half of the season, posting just a .705 OPS, and the writing on the wall quickly became apparent when Tucson acquired catcher Bill Pereda in a trade at the end of May. At the trade deadline, Tucson traded for another catcher, David Larimore, and then released Paras to make room for him. Paras retired at the end of the year.

At the time of Paras' retirement, he ranked second all time in homeruns, behind only Donald Murillo. He ranked 15th in RBI, 20th in runs scored, and 5th in walks. Currently, Paras ranks fourth in homeruns and sixth in walks.

And here is some food for thought. Paras left Portland following the 2041 season. The Trailblazers would reach the World Series in each of the next three seasons, but came away victorious only once. Would the presence of Paras have made a difference?

Paras' stats:

Code:

Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R   BB    K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2032    36   53   13   3  0   0    5    4   10   10  0  0 .245 .365 .302  .667 POR 
2033   110  183   37   2  0   4   18   17   29   53  0  0 .202 .311 .279  .590 POR 
2034   144  479  107  15  0   7   54   53   67  132  0  0 .223 .319 .299  .617 POR 
2035   132  368   80  13  1  10   54   54   60  111  0  0 .217 .327 .340  .667 POR 
2036   143  325   74   9  1   8   39   38   43   82  1  0 .228 .318 .335  .653 POR 
2037   150  513  151  16  1  33   90  103  103  126  1  0 .294 .412 .522  .935 POR 
2038   149  502  164  22  0  50  130  121   97   72  0  1 .327 .436 .669 1.105 POR,NL 
2039   147  496  156  15  1  50  135  114   92   40  3  0 .315 .422 .651 1.073 POR,NL 
2040   147  514  136  21  0  40  106  102   88   31  2  0 .265 .372 .539  .911 POR,NL 
2041   153  526  146  18  1  41  123  112   93   23  1  0 .278 .386 .549  .936 POR,NL 
2042   150  503  164  18  1  61  140  134  105   37  1  0 .326 .442 .730 1.172 BUF,NL 
2043   150  516  157  19  1  48  122  110   98   40  1  1 .304 .415 .624 1.039 BUF,NL 
2044   149  522  147  17  0  38   97  117  111   30  2  0 .282 .408 .533  .940 BUF 
2045   145  477  143  17  1  45  110  106  123   31  1  0 .300 .443 .623 1.066 BUF,NL 
2046   145  499  125  21  1  36  123  101  122   41  3  0 .251 .398 .513  .911 TUC 
2047   142  489  142  23  2  44  126   93   79   61  1  1 .290 .389 .616 1.005 TUC,AL 
2048   145  486  142  32  1  38  120  105  106   79  2  0 .292 .419 .597 1.016 TUC,AL 
2049   145  484  123  28  4  25   98   92  101   86  0  1 .254 .383 .483  .866 TUC 
2050   145  473  122  21  3  34  106  103   95   78  1  1 .258 .382 .531  .913 TUC 
2051   135  437  104  13  0  29   85   79   86  110  0  0 .238 .363 .467  .830 TUC 
2052    57  188   46  11  1   4   29   32   23   46  0  0 .245 .327 .378  .705 TUC 
Total 2819 9033 2479 354 20 645 1910 1790 1731 1319 20  5 .274 .391 .532  .923   
 
Career Minor League Batting Stats
 
 
Year       G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS 
2032,  AA 18  68  23  4  0  4  12 18 17 18  0  0 .338 .471 .574 1.044 
2032, AAA 91 339 111 16  0 12  53 67 62 56  1  1 .327 .423 .481  .904 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats
 
 
Year   G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2037  12  50 15  2  0  4  12  8  5 13  0  0 .300 .364 .580 .944 
2041   7  26  4  0  0  0   0  2  2  5  0  0 .154 .214 .154 .368 
2050   5  18  3  0  0  0   0  0  4  5  0  0 .167 .318 .167 .485 
2051   4  11  1  0  0  0   0  0  1  6  0  0 .091 .167 .091 .258 
Total 28 105 23  2  0  4  12 10 12 29  0  0 .219 .299 .352 .652 
 
 
Player History
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 2nd overall pick, by Portland in 2032...
Had first career hit on 8/12/2032, off James Daub (ROC)...
Injured on 5/21/2033 with a Bruised Cheekbone, out for 2-3 weeks...
Injured on 6/12/2033 with a Bruised Ribs, out for 2 weeks...
Hit first career homerun on 7/10/2033, off Eric Laplant (HBG)...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against San Diego on 4/4/2035...
Hit 3 homeruns against Los Angeles, driving in 6 runs on 8/18/2037...
Won World Series with Portland in 2037...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2037...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2038, hitting .364 with 5 HR, 12 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Hartford on 5/7/2038...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against San Jose on 5/25/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2038, hitting .478 with 3 HR, 5 RBI...
Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2038, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 8 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2038, hitting .400 with 4 HR, 10 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2038, hitting .438 with 10 HR, 28 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2038...
Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2039, hitting .450 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2039, hitting .400 with 6 HR, 6 RBI...
Was selected to the 2040 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2041...
Signed as a free agent by Buffalo on 2/25/2042 to a 4-year deal worth $16,622,900 per year...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2042, hitting .588 with 3 HR, 12 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 6 RBI against Hartford on 7/31/2042...
Won Batter of the Month award on 8/1/2042, hitting .376 with 11 HR, 34 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2042, hitting .609 with 4 HR, 12 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/11/2042, hitting .458 with 7 HR, 17 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2042, hitting .326 with 61 HR, 140 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2043, hitting .480 with 5 HR, 7 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2043, hitting .476 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Drove in 7 runs against Los Angeles on 6/30/2043...
Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Sacramento on 8/16/2043...
Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2045, hitting .421 with 4 HR, 7 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 9/1/2045, hitting .346 with 14 HR, 29 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Tucson on 2/14/2046 to a 6-year deal worth $20,000,000 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/14/2047, hitting .667 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2047, hitting .434 with 13 HR, 35 RBI...
Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game...
Had 500th career homerun on 8/2/2047, off Jacobo Urias (GR)...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2047, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 6 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Memphis on 8/20/2047...
Had 2000th career hit on 6/16/2048, off Carlos Fernandes (NAS)...
Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 6/20/2048...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2048, hitting .444 with 3 HR, 10 RBI...
Was selected to the 2048 Allstar game...
Had 600th career homerun on 8/17/2050, off Dave Breton (MEM)...
Drove in 8 runs against Washington on 9/12/2050...
Released by Tucson on 7/30/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2053.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances 
 
AVG
2038 - .327 - 8th
 
OBP
2037 - .412 - 3rd
2038 - .436 - 4th
2039 - .422 - 5th
2042 - .442 - 3rd
2045 - .443 - 4th
2048 - .419 - 6th
 
SLG
2037 - .522 - 9th
2038 - .669 - 2nd
2039 - .651 - 1st
2040 - .539 - 9th
2041 - .549 - 6th
2042 - .730 - 1st
2043 - .624 - 5th
2044 - .533 - 10th
2045 - .623 - 3rd
2047 - .616 - 7th
2048 - .597 - 7th
 
OPS
2037 -  .935 - 4th
2038 - 1.105 - 1st
2039 - 1.073 - 2nd
2040 -  .911 - 10th
2041 -  .936 - 7th
2042 - 1.172 - 1st
2043 - 1.039 - 5th
2044 -  .940 - 10th
2045 - 1.066 - 3rd
2047 - 1.005 - 8th
2048 - 1.016 - 6th
 
Homeruns
2037 - 33 - 7th
2038 - 50 - 3rd
2039 - 50 - 1st
2040 - 40 - 4th
2041 - 41 - 3rd
2042 - 61 - 1st
2043 - 48 - 1st
2044 - 38 - 4th
2045 - 45 - 3rd
2047 - 44 - 3rd
2048 - 38 - 9th
 
RBI
2038 - 130 - 6th
2039 - 135 - 2nd
2041 - 123 - 3rd
2042 - 140 - 1st
2043 - 122 - 10th
2047 - 126 - 7th
2048 - 120 - 9th
 
Runs
2037 - 103 - 6th
2038 - 121 - 4th
2039 - 114 - 8th
2041 - 112 - 5th
2042 - 134 - 1st
2044 - 117 - 3rd
 
BB
2037 - 103 - 2nd
2038 -  97 - 7th
2042 - 105 - 5th
2044 - 111 - 3rd
2045 - 123 - 1st
2046 - 122 - 1st
2048 - 106 - 1st
2049 - 101 - 5th
2050 -  95 - 3rd
2051 -  86 - 9th

05-21-2008, 09:13 PM	#318 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 897 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4x in 4 posts	Remembering the Hall of Famers: C James Paras James Paras: Few today would argue with the claim that James Paras was the greatest catcher of all time. But prior to the 2037 season, you would have been hard pressed to find someone who believed such a thing was possible. Before that year, Paras had seen major league action in the previous five seasons and been a regular for the previous three. In those years, he had absolutely stunk. His best OPS in any season was .667. Excluding his first cup of coffee in 2032, in which he hit .245 in 53 at bats, his .228 batting average in 2036 was the best of his career prior to 2037. He had been benched and relegated to the backup role. But in '37, that light clicked on for Paras, and he proceeded to terrorize the league for the next fifteen years. After some initial success, the Portland Trailblazers spent most of early part of their history wallowing near the bottom of the league. From 2006 to 2018, Portland's highest win total was 77. Twice the Trailblazers lost 100 games. In the early '20s, however, Portland emerged from the darkness. From 2020 to 2025, Portland won at least 91 games every year. The Trailblazers reached the World Series in 2020, but lost, and then reached it again in 2024, emerging victorious on that occasion. But that run of success came to an end, and Portland collapsed. The Trailblazers lost 215 games combined between 2030 and 2031. In 2031, both Portland and Kansas City lost 106 games. Kansas City won the coin toss to determine the number one pick in the 2032 amateur draft. The Royals drafted third-baseman Walter Mara, and would be rewarded with an all time great. The Trailblazers selected a 19 year old catcher named James Paras. Would they be similarly rewarded? Paras began his professional career at AA. After tearing up the league for a few weeks to the tune of a 1.044 OPS, he was promoted to AAA, where he continued to thrive. For over three months, Paras tormented AAA pitchers, hitting .327 with 28 extra base hits and a 62/56 BB/K ratio. In early August, he was finally rewarded with a big league call-up. Initially, he seemed overmatched, collecting just 4 hits in his first 22 at bats. In September, however, he seemed to adjust, hitting .290 with a .744 OPS in 31 at bats. He hadn't found his power stroke yet, slugging just .302 in 53 total at bats with no homeruns, but his batting eye already seemed major league ready. He posted a .365 OBP and walked as often as he struck out. Portland rebounded from those truly awful seasons to post 75 wins. Surprisingly, that was nearly enough to win the West division, as Sacramento, the team that did win the division, mustered only 79 wins. Paras began the 2033 season as the backup to veteran Merlin Wehmeyer, one of the better catchers in the league at the time. It would be a miserable season for the young Paras. After getting off to a slow start, he was injured in late May and missed a few weeks. Immediately upon returning, he got injured again and missed a few more weeks. Despite hitting his first career homerun in July of that year, it was awful month for Paras, as he managed just 3 hits total in 36 at bats. Not until August did he begin to resemble a major league hitter, when he put up a .932 OPS in 41 at bats. Down the stretch he managed serviceable numbers, as well, with a .744 OPS in 33 September at bats. All in all, though, it was a very disappointing season for Paras, as he hit just .202 in 183 at bats, with just a .590 OPS. Portland managed an 80-82 record and finished in second place in the West, 11 games behind San Diego. Despite the struggles of the previous season, Paras became Portland's starting catcher in 2034, as Wehmeyer had left as a free agent. It was a disaster for all involved. As Portland spiraled into last place, losing a league-worst 106 games, Paras spent most of the season struggling. He got off to a poor start in April, putting up just a .644 OPS. It would get worse. In May, his OPS was .620. In June, his OPS was .520. In July, he managed an OPS of just .519. In August, he rebounded slightly, mustering an OPS of .623. In September, he finally managed to look like he belong in the major leagues, putting up an OPS of .798. For the year, however, his OPS was a pathetic .617, and he hit just 7 homeruns. In 2035, Paras' struggles finally began to catch up to him. Back in 2032, the Trailblazers had acquired another catching prospect, Kisaburou Bakin, in a trade. Bakin had worked his way up the minors, gradually developing into one of the best prospects in the game. In 2034, he had been Paras' backup. In 2035, things would change. The 22 year old Paras began the year as the starter, but like the year before, he got off to a terrible start, mustering just a .622 OPS in April. The 25 year old Bakin was only a little better, at .632 in 34 at bats. Both of them hit better in May; Paras had an OPS of .720 and Bakin an OPS of .784 in 33 at bats. In June, Paras was benched. Now the starter, Bakin put up a respectable .717 OPS, while Paras managed just a .579 OPS in 30 at bats. July would see a change in fortune. Bakin remained the starter, but put up a pathetic .649 OPS, while Paras put up a ridiculous 1.339 OPS in 23 at bats. He hit .391 with 4 extra base hits, and walked 11 times, giving him an absurd .600 on base percentage. Paras regained the starting job in August, but immediately began struggling again. In 79 at bats, he had an OPS of just .693. Meanwhile, Bakin rebounded to post a solid .761 OPS in 42 at bats. In September, both hitters completely collapsed. Paras managed an abysmal .476 OPS, while Bakin's .533 OPS wasn't a lot better. By the end of the year, Paras had just a .667 OPS, while Bakin had a .685 OPS. Reflecting the struggles of the two young catchers, Portland finished in last place again with a 64-98 record. The battle for the starting catching job continued into the 2036 season, but it was a battle that James Paras appeared to have lost. He began the year as the backup to Bakin, and after one month, neither had done anything to change that setup. Bakin had torn through the month of April with a .932 OPS, while Paras had slogged his way to a .657 OPS in 45 at bats. Bakin cooled off in May, but Paras completely imploded. He managed an embarrassing .443 OPS in 38 at bats. In June, Bakin got red hot again, and Paras stumbled his way to a .589 OPS. Paras briefly showed signs of life in July, hitting .353 with a .905 OPS in 34 at bats. Despite the fact that Bakin had outplayed Paras to that point in the season, the playing time shifted back in Paras' favor in August. Once again, with more playing time, Paras struggled. While he had a 20 at bat advantage over Bakin in August, his OPS was over 200 points lower. He retained the starting role in September, but continued to struggle, managing only a .671 OPS. Although Bakin also struggled in the final month, his end-of-year OPS of .859 was significantly better than Paras' .653. Portland finished in last place once again, with a mediocre record of 76-86. Entering the 2037 season, Bakin appeared to have a firm grip on the starting catching job. Paras had been given ample opportunity to secure the job for himself, and had failed every time. But in the blink of an eye, everything would change. Bakin got off to a disastrous start, and by the time the month of April was complete, the balance had shifted. Bakin went just 5 for 35 in April, while Paras put up an .847 OPS in 90 at bats. Paras cooled off in May, but Bakin continued to struggle. That allowed Paras to keep the starting job. Both of them hit well in June, but in July, another slump by Bakin, combined with a red hot Paras, seemed to end the debate. Paras blasted 18 homeruns in the final two months of the season to secure his hold on the job. At the end of the year, Paras had smashed 33 homeruns, driven in 90 runs, scored 103, and drawn 103 walks. He finished with a .935 OPS, and won the National League Gold Glove award for catchers. Bakin, meanwhile, finished with a serviceable .717 OPS. More importantly, the emergence of Paras and his late season surge had lifted Portland from the bottom of the league and into the playoffs. The Trailblazers won 91 games to win the West division by a single game over San Diego. For the first time since 2025, Portland would not be sitting at home in October. Of course, now the real test would begin. Portland would have the honor of facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS. The same Pirates who had won the previous four World Series. The same Pirates that, backed by the best pitching in baseball, had rolled over the rest of the National League to the tune of 118 wins in 2037. The same Pirates whose roster held five future Hall of Famers(Gerald Lipscomb, John Rockwood, Eduardo Rodas, Manuel Reno, and Luis Velasco). But the Trailblazers didn't back down. Despite being seemingly overmatched, Portland led the series 3 games to 2 entering Game Six. Taking the mound for Portland in the sixth game was Roscoe Harmon, a 28 year old right-hander who had posted an unimpressive 5.47 ERA in the regular season. For Pittsburgh, it was veteran right-hander Jorge Caballero. The 36 year old had gone 21-5 with a 2.75 ERA in the regular season. Paras helped Portland draw first blood, by doubling and then scoring in the top of the second inning. The lead did not last for long, as Pittsburgh tied it up in the bottom of the second. In the third inning, the Pirates took a 4-1 lead on second-baseman Porfirio Cano's three run homerun. Portland chipped away at the lead with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but Pittsburgh got it back on a solo homerun by center-fielder Eduardo Rodas. The Trailblazers again cut into the lead, scoring a run in the top of the seventh. In the eighth inning, left-fielder Marc Coleman belted a game-tying two run homerun. The game remained tied through nine innings. In the tenth inning, the most unlikely of heroes emerged. On the mound was Pittsburgh closer Luis Velasco, who had posted a sparkling 0.97 ERA in 51 regular season games during the regular season. Leading off the inning was reserve outfielder Andrew Jones, who had entered the game to replace right-fielder Hernando Romero, who had been pinch-ran for. Jones had hit just .258 with a .742 OPS in the regular season, but here, with the season on the line, he ripped a double. Third-baseman Marvin Manske followed with a walk. Second-baseman Samuel Reeser struck out. Up to the plate stepped pinch-hitter Anthony White. The 30 year old White was a career minor leaguer, who had spent virtually the entire season at AAA. But in Game Six of the NLCS, with a chance to send his team to the World Series, against the greatest relief pitcher of his day, White lashed a two run double to put Portland ahead, 7-5. Now it was up to relief pitcher Robert Heinsohn and Portland's fielders. Heinsohn made quick work of the Pirates in the bottom of the tenth, striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 inning. For the first time since 2024, the Portland Trailblazers were headed to the World Series. After overcoming the team with the best pitching in the league, Portland now got a chance to face the highest powered offense in the league- Grand Rapids. The Tigers had tied with the Atlanta Braves for the most runs scored, but Grand Rapids also led all of baseball in batting average, on base percentage, and walks. The Tigers were second in doubles and OPS. Game One ended in disaster for Portland. Leading 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning, closer Carlos Urquiola coughed up a three run homerun to Grand Rapids' Billy Stoltzfus. Portland was unable to rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Trailblazers narrowly avoided another crushing defeat in Game Two. Portland led 7-3 through six innings, but saw that lead evaporate in a hurry. Through eight innings, the game was tied at 8. In the top of the ninth inning, Grand Rapids took a 9-8 lead. This time, however, the Trailblazers rallied. Portland scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 10-9 victory. In Game Three, Portland blew an early 2-0 lead, and trailed Grand Rapids 4-2 heading into the fifth inning. James Paras led off the fifth inning with a solo homerun, however, and that triggered a 4 run outburst to give Portland the lead again. A five run explosion in the seventh inning put the game out of reach, and though Grand Rapids mustered a slight rally, the Trailblazers hung on for an 11-7 victory. Portland took control of the series in Game Four, blowing out Grand Rapids 10-4. Paras contributed with 2 hits and an RBI. Though Paras had 2 hits and 2 RBI in Game Five, the Tigers returned the favor by blasting Portland 10-4 to force a sixth game. Grand Rapids got on the board first in Game Six, scoring a run in the third inning. It remained a 1-0 game until the seventh inning, when Tigers' left-fielder Michael Woosley hit a solo homerun to make it 2-0. In the bottom of the seventh, Portland finally got on the board, when Marc Coleman hit a solo homerun. In the bottom of eighth inning, the seemingly forgotten Kisaburou Bakin delivered a pinch-hit, run-scoring triple to tie the game up at two apiece. The score remained 2-2 through nine innings. And then, like so often in the playoffs it seems, another unheralded player stepped up to be the hero. First, however, two familiar faces from the NLCS had to play their parts. Andrew Jones led off the inning with a single. He was then followed by pinch-hitter Anthony White, who also singled. With two aboard and nobody out in the bottom of the tenth inning in Game Six of the World Series with a chance to win it all, reserve infielder John Jorgensen stepped to the plate. The 25 year old second-baseman had mustered a pitiful .492 OPS in 90 regular season at bats. In four previous postseason plate appearances, Jorgensen was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Jorgensen came through, delivering a run-scoring single to win the game and the World Series for Portland. Paras had a fine postseason run, hitting .300 with a .944 OPS, 4 homeruns, 12 runs batten in, and 8 runs scored. After his breakout year, Paras was determined not to lose his hold on Portland's starting catcher job. He burst out of the gate in April of 2038 by putting up an OPS of 1.259, and crushed 12 homeruns. His position was secure. Paras went on to hit .327 with 50 homeruns, 130 runs batted in, and a 1.105 OPS in 2038. He was named to his first All-Star team, and at the end of the year, he won his second straight Gold Glove award. Though Portland would win 97 games in '38, the Trailblazers would not get to defend their championship. The Trailblazers finished in second place in the West, seven games behind San Diego. In 2039, Paras hit 50 homeruns for a second straight season, and posted 1.073 OPS. Portland won 89 games but finished in third place, ten games behind San Diego. 2040 was another strong season for Paras and another frustrating season for Portland. Paras belted 40 homeruns, posted a .911 OPS, and made his third straight All-Star team, but Portland stumbled to a 78-84 record, finishing in fourth place, 30 games behind Sacramento. Portland returned to the postseason in 2041, outlasting the defending champion Sacramento Kings by two games, with a 95-67 record. Paras made his fourth straight All-Star team, as he posted a .936 OPS and slugged 41 homeruns. He also won his third Gold Glove award. In the postseason, Portland would face a Pittsburgh team that had just witnessed possibly the greatest batting season in history: John Rockwood's 1.296 OPS, 69 homerun, 176 RBI campaign. With their powerful offense and dominating pitching, Pittsburgh seemed to be a far superior team than Portland, which had pretty good pitching but a relatively mediocre offense. Despite the supposed mismatch, when Portland ace Herman Sydow tossed a 6-hit shutout in a 1-0 Game Four victory, the Trailblazers held a commanding 3 games to 1 lead. Could they pull off the upset? In Game Five, Portland was held to just 3 hits and the Trailblazers were blanked 4-0. In Game Six, Portland trailed 6-0 through five innings, rallied to within a run in the sixth and seventh innings, but fell 7-5. In the deciding Game Seven, the Trailblazers fell behind 5-0 in the first inning, trailed 7-0 through four innings, and eventually lost by a score of 8-3. After his fantastic postseason in 2037, James Paras' efforts in 2041 were quite disappointing. Paras posted an embarassing .368 OPS and failed to drive in any runs. Following the 2041 season, Paras elected to head east. He entered the free agent market and signed with the still fledgling Buffalo Bills. After three disastrous seasons, Buffalo had made a not insignificant jump to 76 wins in 2041. An addition like Paras might be just the thing to push the Bills into respectability and beyond. For his part, Paras was about to join a rather select company. Scott Border had produced five 60 homerun campaigns from 2004 to 2010. In that same time period, Anselmo Maldonado had also produced a 60 homerun season. After a lengthy drought, a flurry in the late '20s and early '30s had seen Antwan Leanos, Greg Dos Santos, and Emanuel Maxon achieve the feat, with Maxon setting the single season mark of 70. In 2034, both Tod Tsukasa and Donald Murillo reached 60, with Tsukasa threatening Maxon's record, falling a little short with 69. In 2041, John Rockwood made his own bid for Maxon's mark, but like Tsukasa, he finished with 69. Now James Paras, who had already established himself as an elite power hitter, would join this group of sluggers. In April, Paras delivered 9 homeruns. A sizable number, certainly, but not so great an amount that would draw significant attention. In May, however, Paras blasted 15 round-trippers. That was followed by 9 more in June, giving him 33 at the midway point of the season. In July, Paras produced 11 homeruns to give him 44 as the season reached the dog days of summer. Did Paras wear down in the August heat? Not a chance. Paras belted 10 more four-baggers, giving him 54 heading into the home stretch. In the final month of the year, Paras came through with 7 homeruns, giving him a final total of 61. Along with the impressive homerun total, Paras delivered a 1.172 OPS, 140 runs batted in, 134 runs scored, and 105 walks. Not surprisingly, he won his first career Silver Slugger Award. His tremendous effort lifted Buffalo above .500 and the Bills finished in second place in the Northeast with an 83-79 record. In 2043, Paras made his sixth consecutive All-Star team, as he produced a 1.039 OPS and 48 homeruns. Buffalo again finished in second place, but mustered only 75 wins. Paras' old team, Portland, reached and won the World Series. In '44, Paras' string of All-Stars came to an end, though he still had a fine season. He posted a .940 OPS and smacked 38 homeruns. Buffalo rebounded to 86 wins and again finished in second place. In 2045, Paras had a 1.066 OPS and hit 45 homeruns. He made his seventh All-Star team. Buffalo, meanwhile, won 90 games, but, yet again, finished in second place. In 2046, Paras entered the free agent market again. This time, he headed to Tucson to play for the Diamondbacks, who had just won the Central Division. Paras had a slight down year, managing an OPS of "only" .911 while hitting "only" 36 homeruns. Tucson, meanwhile, collapsed to third place in the division, and won only 78 games. Not quite what he was expecting, I imagine. In '47, Paras bounced back, crushing 44 homeruns with a 1.005 OPS. Tucson did not bounce back. The Diamondbacks won 79 games and again finished in third place. In 2048, Paras made his ninth All-Star team, and produced the seventh season of his career with an OPS greater than 1.000, managing 1.016 mark. He also poked out 38 homeruns. Tucson, however, continued to struggle. The Diamondbacks slipped to 72 wins and a fourth place finish. Although Tucson improved to 82 wins in 2049 and finished in second place, albeit a distant second(12 games behind Kansas City), Paras suffered through his worst season in more than a decade. Not since 2036, when he had still battling for the starting job in Portland, had he posted an OPS under .900. Not since that same year had he failed to hit at least 33 homeruns in a season. But in '49, he mustered a somewhat disappointing .866 OPS and only 25 homeruns. Paras bounced back a bit in 2050, delivering 34 homeruns and a .913 OPS, while Tucson returned to the playoffs, capturing the Central Division title with 91-71 record. Paras also belted the 600th homerun of his career in mid-August. He was the fifth player to reach such a milestone. In the ALCS, the Diamondbacks would face the powerful Miami Dolphins, a team that was graced with the presences of no less than six future Hall of Famers. In the past eight seasons, Miami had reached four World Series, winning three of them. After three games, Tucson trailed 2 games to 1. Game Four began as a low-scoring nail-biter. Tucson scored first, with a run in the second inning. Miami tied it in the third, but the Diamondbacks went ahead again, scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. And then it all unraveled for Tucson. The Dolphins plated 8 runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead. The Diamondbacks didn't wave the white flag; they struck for four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Another run in the sixth cut Miami's lead to 9-7. But runs in the seventh and ninth innings secured an 11-7 Dolphins' victory, putting Tucson on the verge of elimination. The Diamondbacks were no match for that great southpaw, Robert Padgett. The Miami ace twirled a 5-hit shutout, and the Dolphins nipped Tucson, 2-0, to reach the World Series. Paras had little impact in this series, collecting only 3 hits in 18 at bats, while failing to drive in or score any runs. Tucson made it two straight division titles in 2051, winning a weak Central with an 85-77 record. Paras, then 38 years old, saw his numbers drop off again, as he hit only .238 with an .830 OPS. Once again, Tucson was pitted against the Miami juggernaut, and once again, they offered little resistance. The Dolphins swept the Diamondbacks in four games, and Paras was not a factor, going 1 for 11 with no RBI and no runs scored. In 2052, Tucson would win the division for a third year in a row and prevail against Miami in seven games in the ALCS, only to fall to Sacramento in five games in the World Series. James Paras, however, would not be around anymore. The 39 year old catcher labored through the first half of the season, posting just a .705 OPS, and the writing on the wall quickly became apparent when Tucson acquired catcher Bill Pereda in a trade at the end of May. At the trade deadline, Tucson traded for another catcher, David Larimore, and then released Paras to make room for him. Paras retired at the end of the year. At the time of Paras' retirement, he ranked second all time in homeruns, behind only Donald Murillo. He ranked 15th in RBI, 20th in runs scored, and 5th in walks. Currently, Paras ranks fourth in homeruns and sixth in walks. And here is some food for thought. Paras left Portland following the 2041 season. The Trailblazers would reach the World Series in each of the next three seasons, but came away victorious only once. Would the presence of Paras have made a difference? Paras' stats: Code: Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2032 36 53 13 3 0 0 5 4 10 10 0 0 .245 .365 .302 .667 POR 2033 110 183 37 2 0 4 18 17 29 53 0 0 .202 .311 .279 .590 POR 2034 144 479 107 15 0 7 54 53 67 132 0 0 .223 .319 .299 .617 POR 2035 132 368 80 13 1 10 54 54 60 111 0 0 .217 .327 .340 .667 POR 2036 143 325 74 9 1 8 39 38 43 82 1 0 .228 .318 .335 .653 POR 2037 150 513 151 16 1 33 90 103 103 126 1 0 .294 .412 .522 .935 POR 2038 149 502 164 22 0 50 130 121 97 72 0 1 .327 .436 .669 1.105 POR,NL 2039 147 496 156 15 1 50 135 114 92 40 3 0 .315 .422 .651 1.073 POR,NL 2040 147 514 136 21 0 40 106 102 88 31 2 0 .265 .372 .539 .911 POR,NL 2041 153 526 146 18 1 41 123 112 93 23 1 0 .278 .386 .549 .936 POR,NL 2042 150 503 164 18 1 61 140 134 105 37 1 0 .326 .442 .730 1.172 BUF,NL 2043 150 516 157 19 1 48 122 110 98 40 1 1 .304 .415 .624 1.039 BUF,NL 2044 149 522 147 17 0 38 97 117 111 30 2 0 .282 .408 .533 .940 BUF 2045 145 477 143 17 1 45 110 106 123 31 1 0 .300 .443 .623 1.066 BUF,NL 2046 145 499 125 21 1 36 123 101 122 41 3 0 .251 .398 .513 .911 TUC 2047 142 489 142 23 2 44 126 93 79 61 1 1 .290 .389 .616 1.005 TUC,AL 2048 145 486 142 32 1 38 120 105 106 79 2 0 .292 .419 .597 1.016 TUC,AL 2049 145 484 123 28 4 25 98 92 101 86 0 1 .254 .383 .483 .866 TUC 2050 145 473 122 21 3 34 106 103 95 78 1 1 .258 .382 .531 .913 TUC 2051 135 437 104 13 0 29 85 79 86 110 0 0 .238 .363 .467 .830 TUC 2052 57 188 46 11 1 4 29 32 23 46 0 0 .245 .327 .378 .705 TUC Total 2819 9033 2479 354 20 645 1910 1790 1731 1319 20 5 .274 .391 .532 .923 Career Minor League Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2032, AA 18 68 23 4 0 4 12 18 17 18 0 0 .338 .471 .574 1.044 2032, AAA 91 339 111 16 0 12 53 67 62 56 1 1 .327 .423 .481 .904 Career Postseason Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2037 12 50 15 2 0 4 12 8 5 13 0 0 .300 .364 .580 .944 2041 7 26 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 0 0 .154 .214 .154 .368 2050 5 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 0 0 .167 .318 .167 .485 2051 4 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 .091 .167 .091 .258 Total 28 105 23 2 0 4 12 10 12 29 0 0 .219 .299 .352 .652 Player History Drafted in 1st round, 2nd overall pick, by Portland in 2032... Had first career hit on 8/12/2032, off James Daub (ROC)... Injured on 5/21/2033 with a Bruised Cheekbone, out for 2-3 weeks... Injured on 6/12/2033 with a Bruised Ribs, out for 2 weeks... Hit first career homerun on 7/10/2033, off Eric Laplant (HBG)... Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against San Diego on 4/4/2035... Hit 3 homeruns against Los Angeles, driving in 6 runs on 8/18/2037... Won World Series with Portland in 2037... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2037... Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2038, hitting .364 with 5 HR, 12 RBI... Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Hartford on 5/7/2038... Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against San Jose on 5/25/2038... Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2038, hitting .478 with 3 HR, 5 RBI... Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2038, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 8 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2038, hitting .400 with 4 HR, 10 RBI... Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2038, hitting .438 with 10 HR, 28 RBI... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2038... Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2039, hitting .450 with 4 HR, 11 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2039, hitting .400 with 6 HR, 6 RBI... Was selected to the 2040 Allstar game... Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2041... Signed as a free agent by Buffalo on 2/25/2042 to a 4-year deal worth $16,622,900 per year... Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2042, hitting .588 with 3 HR, 12 RBI... Had 5 hits with 6 RBI against Hartford on 7/31/2042... Won Batter of the Month award on 8/1/2042, hitting .376 with 11 HR, 34 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2042, hitting .609 with 4 HR, 12 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 8/11/2042, hitting .458 with 7 HR, 17 RBI... Won Silver Slugger Award in 2042, hitting .326 with 61 HR, 140 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2043, hitting .480 with 5 HR, 7 RBI... Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2043, hitting .476 with 3 HR, 9 RBI... Drove in 7 runs against Los Angeles on 6/30/2043... Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game... Drove in 6 runs against Sacramento on 8/16/2043... Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2045, hitting .421 with 4 HR, 7 RBI... Won Batter of the Month award on 9/1/2045, hitting .346 with 14 HR, 29 RBI... Signed as a free agent by Tucson on 2/14/2046 to a 6-year deal worth $20,000,000 per year... Won Player of the Week award on 4/14/2047, hitting .667 with 4 HR, 11 RBI... Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2047, hitting .434 with 13 HR, 35 RBI... Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game... Had 500th career homerun on 8/2/2047, off Jacobo Urias (GR)... Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2047, hitting .563 with 2 HR, 6 RBI... Drove in 6 runs against Memphis on 8/20/2047... Had 2000th career hit on 6/16/2048, off Carlos Fernandes (NAS)... Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 6/20/2048... Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2048, hitting .444 with 3 HR, 10 RBI... Was selected to the 2048 Allstar game... Had 600th career homerun on 8/17/2050, off Dave Breton (MEM)... Drove in 8 runs against Washington on 9/12/2050... Released by Tucson on 7/30/2052, refused assignment to minors... Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2053. Batting Leader Boards Appearances AVG 2038 - .327 - 8th OBP 2037 - .412 - 3rd 2038 - .436 - 4th 2039 - .422 - 5th 2042 - .442 - 3rd 2045 - .443 - 4th 2048 - .419 - 6th SLG 2037 - .522 - 9th 2038 - .669 - 2nd 2039 - .651 - 1st 2040 - .539 - 9th 2041 - .549 - 6th 2042 - .730 - 1st 2043 - .624 - 5th 2044 - .533 - 10th 2045 - .623 - 3rd 2047 - .616 - 7th 2048 - .597 - 7th OPS 2037 - .935 - 4th 2038 - 1.105 - 1st 2039 - 1.073 - 2nd 2040 - .911 - 10th 2041 - .936 - 7th 2042 - 1.172 - 1st 2043 - 1.039 - 5th 2044 - .940 - 10th 2045 - 1.066 - 3rd 2047 - 1.005 - 8th 2048 - 1.016 - 6th Homeruns 2037 - 33 - 7th 2038 - 50 - 3rd 2039 - 50 - 1st 2040 - 40 - 4th 2041 - 41 - 3rd 2042 - 61 - 1st 2043 - 48 - 1st 2044 - 38 - 4th 2045 - 45 - 3rd 2047 - 44 - 3rd 2048 - 38 - 9th RBI 2038 - 130 - 6th 2039 - 135 - 2nd 2041 - 123 - 3rd 2042 - 140 - 1st 2043 - 122 - 10th 2047 - 126 - 7th 2048 - 120 - 9th Runs 2037 - 103 - 6th 2038 - 121 - 4th 2039 - 114 - 8th 2041 - 112 - 5th 2042 - 134 - 1st 2044 - 117 - 3rd BB 2037 - 103 - 2nd 2038 - 97 - 7th 2042 - 105 - 5th 2044 - 111 - 3rd 2045 - 123 - 1st 2046 - 122 - 1st 2048 - 106 - 1st 2049 - 101 - 5th 2050 - 95 - 3rd 2051 - 86 - 9th __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver