Future is now in New York
Twin Tower fans, despite watching their team struggle through another rough season, have had glimpses of the future this year with the emergence of rookie star SS Chris MacIntosh showing he can and will be the team's lead off hitter for years to come. They also continue to see the progress of budding star catcher Duane Kirby, who has become a central part of the organizations plans for the future. Bernardo Duarte has also shown his power can make him a staple in the Twin Tower line up for years to come.
Now the future continues to come into better focus with the late season call ups that the team believes will help usher in a new era of baseball in the Big Apple. Al Jones, who can play either corner spot in the infield, has torn up AAA pitching this year. He has hit .277, with a .370 OBP, while hitting 31 homeruns, driving in 139 runs and scoring 109 more runs. He likely merited a call up sooner in the season, but he is excited and ready to get his chance to be at the big league level and show what he can do.
Where Jones' road to the highest level has been a patient journey where his talent took time to be matched by performance, lefty slugger Pat Gordon's rise has been much more rapid. Drafted number 2 overall in this year's draft, he went immediately to A Ball where he immediately began hitting for a high average and good power. His next jump skipped AA and went right to AAA where he hit .339 and hit 13 HRs and drove in 37 in just 192 at bats. Now in less than one season since being drafted, he has received his call up to the Twin Towers, a place both he and the team hope to see him stay for good.
Fellow rookie Ken Thomas did not have quite the prodigious first minor league season struggling to just a .258 average in A ball last season. Early this season his average had jumped to .287 and his OBP rose to .384. His next stop was a move to AAA with Pat Gordon. After solid but not star like play at the A level, there was some concern about the jump to AAA. However the move proved itself wise as in 212 at bats, Thomas has hit at a clip .349 and his OBP has risen to .419. His improved ability to get on has also fueled his campaign of stealing bases which between A and AAA has totaled 52 stolen bases. Combined with MacIntosh, he will help give the Twin Towers a lot of speed at the top of the line up, creating opportunities for run production.
With the influx of young hitting talent, the Twin Towers hope and believe the effort of rebuilding will be a fruitful one and perhaps its rewards not as distant as perhaps they seemed only a year ago at this time. Another future centerpiece of the team, Sam Campbell, may also not be too far off from the big league team, as he has hit well while moving from rookie ball to AA this season.