A Gamble Failed?

Sitting in front of his locker after game 14, Sure Shot Dunlap wouldn't be discouraged. The first round draft pick for the struggling White Meadow Lake Black Stones had been awful at the plate all season long, and at the end of play on April 29th his slash stats stood at an unremarkable .225 / .307 / .236.

"Dunlap has and immense amount of pressure on his shoulders," said manager Mike S, "our entire hopes for ATB success rest on them." Mike later stopped short of admitting it was a gamble drafting the strong armed second basemen, but it was undoubtedly gamble nevertheless. Dunlap came from the 1800s player set, a myriad of unproven players that sometimes excel (see Tip O'Neill) but more often fail to live up to expectations. With the proven slugger and superstar Ted Williams still on the draft board, the Black Stones went with the second basemen instead.

This from player and batting coach Sam Crawford, "Dunlap has kept his cool throughout. He's a business man first, and ballplayer second. He understands 19 games a season doesn't make". Truer words have rarely been spoken. In his real baseball life, Dunlap was often the highest paid player in the game, showing a keen business acumen for pitting teams against each other, forcing up his asking price. In speaking about his own contract demands, Dunlap once said, "he had adopted baseball as a profession and was in the business to make money."

Most importantly, a spark has ignited in Dunlap's bat over the last 6 games. Since the last day of April, Dunlap has batted .440 / .533 /.680. Only time and patience will ultimately reveal if Dunlap pans out and is ultimately worth a 1st or even 2nd round pick, but you can't help root for the historically obscure middle infielder.