The career of Ken Willis

[TheKenoshaKid]

In this dynasty, I'll be following a player from the beginning of his career to the end. I won't be playing as any team and won't interfere at all...I'm simply watching.

I'll be using the World of Baseball 11 mod. This mod is a lot bigger than the standard quickstart, and includes:

-All MLB teams + full minors
-Nippon Professional Baseball League (+1 minor league)
-Korean Baseball Organization (+1 minor league)
-Mexican League
-Atlantic League (independent)
-American Association (independent)
-Northern League (independent)
-Frontier League (independent)
-Can-Am League (independent)

(To save space, I removed the Chinese Baseball League, a Japanese independent league, and the independent Continental League. I don't think it'll make too much of a difference, gameplay-wise, and reduce a lot of clutter)


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To keep things interesting, I've chosen an undrafted free agent, who will probably start in one of the independent leagues. So I'll be following his career as he works his way up from the bottom. I can't guarantee he'll make it to the majors, but I'll follow him wherever his career takes him.

KEN WILLS, Pitcher

Born: June 9, 1992 in Mesa, Arizona
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 165 lbs
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
High School: Tempe Prep (Tempe, AZ)

RATINGS: (20-80 scale)
Stuff: 40 ("Nice stuff for a young kid. Should toss some strong innings. Still a little inconsistent, and doesn't have a true killer instinct yet")
Movement: 50 ("Has gotten by this far by changing speeds, but once he starts to see some better hitters, his lack of movement will be exposed")
Control: 25 ("This kid has the sort of control that could give him a long career. Rarely walks people, and finds the plate consistently. You can trust him not to give away too much")

Stamina: 70
Velocity: 90-92mph
Groundball%: 58%

Fastball: 45
Slider: 45
Changeup: 30

PERSONALITY: "Willis is a guy other players look up to. A good influence to have on the team"
Leader Ability: Very High
Desire for Winner: Normal
Loyalty: Normal
Greed: Low
Work Ethic: Low
Intelligence: Normal


Ken has a good attitude, and some raw talent, but he's not there yet. He needs to improve his control and become more well-rounded. Also, he only has three pitches. While that could very well be no problem, it could count against him in the future if he wants to compete for a starting job.

[TheKenoshaKid]

JUNE 18, 2010


Ken Willis graduated from Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona in 2010. He was small and light for a pitcher, but he didn't let his size get in the way. In 15 starts his senior year, he went 11-0 with a 0.72 ERA, and struck out 174 batters in just 117.1 innings.

Draft day came, and sadly Ken was left without a team. Maybe it was his small stature that made scouts nervous. Maybe he just didn't do very well in front of the scouts. Either way, Ken needed to make a decision. He could either try his luck in college and see how his development went, or he could try out for one of the many independent league teams looking for fresh talent. Ken chose the latter.

He decided on a $4,500 contract with the Calgary Vipers of the independent Golden Baseball League. Because of the low salaries, many players stayed with host families, Ken included. It wasn't the most ideal situation in the world, but he didn't care; if this is what it would take to work his way up, then that's just what he would have to do.


SOME INFO ON HIS TEAM:

GBL STANDINGS (as of 6/18/10)

NORTH DIVISION
Victoria Seals         15-14  .517 
Chico Outlaws          15-14  .517  
Calgary Vipers         15-14  .517  
Edmonton Capitals      11-18  .379  -4.0
St. George Roadrunners  9-20  .310  -6.0

SOUTH DIVISION
Na Koa Ikaika Maui     23-6   .793
Tucson Toros           18-11  .621  -5.0
Tijuana Cimarromes     15-14  .517  -8.0
Orange County Flyers   15-14  .517  -8.0
Yuma Scorpions          9-20  .310  -14.0

We're about a month into the season, with 2 months to go. The Vipers are in a 3-way tie for 1st place. While most of the roster is comprised of young players and minor-league journeymen, there are a couple of former major-leaguers playing for Calgary. They are:

RP Billy Traber. Traber has 5 years of MLB experience with the Indians, Nationals, Yankees, and Red Sox. In 214.1 innings, he has 267 hits, 75 walks, and 152 strikeouts. He's currently the closer for Calgary.

C Steve Holm. Holm saw MLB action with the Giants in 2008 and 2009. In 53 career MLB games, he has 24 hits, 1 home run, and has a batting line of .264/.364/.396


Ken will start out in the bullpen in middle relief.

[TheKenoshaKid]

JUNE 19, 2010

@ Orange County Flyers
Bottom 8th
2 outs, runners on 1st and 3rd
Calgary leading 2-0

"Well, that was quick", Ken thought. In just his second day as a Calgary Viper, Ken Wills was about to throw his first professional pitch. So far, the Vipers had allowed zero runs on just 5 hits through 7.2 innings. It was now up to Ken to get them through the 8th unscathed.

All this was taking place at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, CA. The capacity was 3500, and the attendance was 2018. It would have been less than 2000, but Ken's family had traveled from Arizona to cheer him on. They were chatting and mingling with his host family when a voice came from the announcer's booth:

"NOW PITCHING FOR YOUR CALGARY VIPERS...LEFT-HANDER...NUMBER NINE...KEN..WILLIS!"

The section containing his family and friends erupted with applause. Ken smiled but tried to ignore all the noise. The game was on the line. His first opponent would be Orange County 2B Matt Kata. Kata had been in the major leagues from 2003 to 2009, and was trying to earn himself another shot.

Catcher Steve Holm motioned for a fastball. Ken grinned, nodded, and let if fly. Kata took the 91mph pitch for a strike. It was outside, perhaps a bit too far outside, but Ken wasn't complaining. Kata shook his head and dug in again. Holm motioned for another fastball, and Ken complied. This one was around the same location, but Matt Kata was ready for it. The ball jumped off his bat to deeeeeep right field. RF Mike Nelson sprinted to the wall to make the catch, then slammed up against the wall. He was able to hang on! The crowd cheered as Ken jumped for joy. In just 2 pitches, Ken had ended the threat.

Closer Billy Traber had been overworked lately, so manager Alberto Cook decided to send Ken out to finish off the 9th inning.

First up was another former major-leaguer: CF Darin Erstad. Erstad singled to left on a 1-0 pitch.

Next up: 1B Clarence Dunn. On an 0-1 pitch, Ken awkwardly motioned towards first, and the ump immediately called a balk. Dunn lined a 1-2 pitch up the middle for a single, sending Erstad to third. Ken was starting to get nervous.

3B Jack Symons: Ken struck out Symons swinging on a 2-2 fastball low. One out.

DH Will Campbell: Campbell hit a sacrifice grounder to short, scoring Erstad. Dunn went to 2nd. Two outs.

PH Gustavo Perez: The count was 2-2, and Ken's family, friends, and teammates were on their feet cheering. Holm signaled for a changeup low. Ken took a deep breath...and threw. Perez barely got a piece of it and the ball dribbled right back to Ken. He quickly scooped it up and threw to first for the out! His teammates mobbed him like he had just won a championship or something. Ken was on top of the world.


LINE: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K, save(1)

[TheKenoshaKid]

AUGUST 25, 2010

The GBL regular season is over. Ken's Calgary Vipers finished with a 37-51 record (4th place). They were 11 games back of the division-winning Victoria Seals.

Here's Ken's 2010 stats:


Honestly, Ken didn't have a very good year. He spent most of the season bouncing back and forth between the active and reserve rosters. He had to leave his first start of the year with hamstring soreness, and it all went downhill from there.

21 innings isn't a huge sample size though, so this isn't the end by any means. He still has a lot of room to improve, though. He's still under contract for 2011. After the 2011 season, he'll most likely have enough experience time to qualify for free agency.

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2010 OFFSEASON

The New York Mets beat the Detroit Tigers in 6 games in the world series.


AWARDS:
AL ROY: CF Ezequiel Carrera (SEA), .332/.406/.451, 42.3 VORP
NL ROY: 2B Brock Bond (SF), .393/.451/.489, 50.1 VORP

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (DET), 19-8, 2.78 ERA, 71.6 VORP
NL Cy Coung: Yovani Gallardo (MIL), 13-5, 2.84 ERA, 66.8 VORP

AL MVP: Billy Butler (KC), .324/.385/.515, 24 HR, 99 RBI, 51.6 VORP
NL MVP: Ryan Braun (MIL), .325/.382/.590, 39 HR, 110 RBI, 70.9 VORP

[beachbomer]

I really like what your doing here, hope you can continue!

[TheKenoshaKid]

MAY 21, 2011

GBL opening day was a few days away, but Ken was feeling worried. The day before, he met with his manager, and got some bad news. There wasn't room for him on the active roster currently, so it was looking like he'd be stuck on the reserve roster for the time being. He had a few options: he could wait it out on the reserve roster and hope for a call-up, he could try for a trade with another team in the league, or he could ask for his release and try his luck elsewhere. He said he'd sleep on it, and have a decision by today.

"I think I've made my decision", Ken said. "I appreciate the opportunity you guys have given me, but I don't wanna wait around...I wanna play. I'd like to be released from my contract if I could."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Ken, you know we love having you here. You're great in the clubhouse. But I understand."

"Thanks, skip. I've had a lot of fun here, but if there's no spot for me I'd prefer to find a team that needs me now."

"OK then. I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can do. Best of luck to you. You've got a lot of heart kid, and you don't give up easy. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

So Ken's time with Calgary has come to an end. Hopefully he gets picked up by somebody soon.



MAY 23, 2011

Ken couldn't believe it...already he had gotten an offer. And not just any offer, it was from the Texas Rangers! Apparently some scouts had been watching him for quite some time, and jumped at the chance to sign him now that he was a free agent. His old GM and manager both raved about him, so Texas decided to offer him a minor league contract. It was a great way to end a tough week.



JUNE 24, 2011

More good news for Ken. He has been assigned to the short-season-A Spokane Indians and named opening day starter! Here's a picture of him in his new uniform:

He gained 5 pounds over the offseason, and here's his new ratings:

STU: 45
MOV: 50
CON: 30

STA: 70
VEL: 90-92
GB%: 58%

FB: 45
SL: 50
CH: 40

So he's improved his stuff and control. His slider and changeup have also showed signs of improvement. Still a long way to go, but he appears to be getting there. Slowly but surely.