Austin Kearns, Cincinnati Reds
2 for 4, 2 HR, 3 runs, 6 rbis
This one isn’t easy for me. You see I come back from vacation to find out that two outfielders on my APBA team knock heads and one, Cameron, is assuredly out for the season. Then Kearns, the player I traded to get Cameron, starts hitting the cover off the ball.
I drafted Kearns in the first round when he was a rookie. I heard all the right stuff about him back then. He was going to be a five-tool player, “you like Dunn? Wait till you see Kearns!”, everything. Well, that may have been true but Kearns could never stay off the DL to prove it. Frustrated, I traded him for Cameron who may never be what they said Kearns was going to be but he came ready to play. So much for that.
This may be the “now or never” point for Kearns. He almost has as many homers this month than he had for the rest of the season (of course he spent time in the minors). His batting average remains low (.237) but that could change.
I got Austin Kearns from the Zealot in exchange for Mike Cameron, but somehow this deal will never make up for when I traded a young pitcher named Tom Glavine for an aging Kirk Gibson. In case you’re wondering these trades were made in the Illowa APBA League, the Zealot manages the Twin City Thunderchickens, while Teddy Ballgame manages the Chicago Champions in this 30 year old league.