Jacob Caine: His long Road to the Show

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 1: A bitter introduction
The expectation for every prospect is that he will one day make it to The Show. Some won’t, they don’t work hard enough, or just don’t have the skill. Some will, and those happen to be the ones that were willing to work for it, or are fortunate enough to have been blessed with superior genetics.

The expectation of my family was that at least two of us would make it to The Show. My brothers that is, certainly not me. Who drafts a 5’ 9’' infielder who cant hit? Better yet, as my mother would always remind me, who drafts a midget with a bad attitude.

Yeah, mom was a great supporter of mine…No, she loved my brothers, so did the scouts. Coming out of high school they were highly scouted. A LHP with a fastball that burnt the scouts eyes as they watched, seriously one guy fainted. He couldn’t believe the radar gun. 100 mph, come on, right? Radar gun must have been broken. Turns out it actually was. 88 mph, lets not exaggerate.

While they drooled over Robert, Derek, the second oldest brother (by 30 seconds) , was wowing them with his godly power. When he made contact with the ball you could count on it breaking someone’s car window. For some reason they, and I mean scouts and mom, would often forget about his high strikeout rate. If he didn’t hit a homerun, he most certainly did not hit it. Well if those initial reports put them on the map, college made them to be Zeus and Poseidon.

Who was I to the scouts? “Eh the kids alright,” a scout told my mom, who probably wasn’t listening, “he needs some work but he might have some potential.” That’s great. I always wanted to be told that I “might” have potential. I guess I’m Hades, a couple miles below my brothers.

Either way, ignore my bitterness. This isn’t a blog for me to grip about what my brothers can do, it is to motivate me, to keep a record. This is my statement for everyone to one day read. You didn’t believe in me? Well I, Jacob Caine, will make it to The Show.

Game: MLB 11 The Show
Mode: RTTS
Difficulty: Vet
Sliders: Default
Name: Jacob Caine
Position: SS, 2B, 3B
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 172


My plan is to create a back story until MLB 11 then play the hell out of it and continue with the game. I did something similar to this in MLB 10 for my own personal enjoyment, but figured that maybe I could share this and see how it goes. If this starts well then you can expect me to evolve with this and experiment with video recording. Who know? Let us just see how it goes.

[TJ717]

I like the premise alot!

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 1.1:
Meet Zeus. My brother, Robert Caine’s scouting report.

　

Previous Year stat line: 8-3 with a 2.33 ERA, stuck out 109 over 76 1/3 innings. Allowed 42 hits and 37 walks. Attended TCU.
Height: 6’ 4’’
Weight: 215
Throws: L
Birthdate: 9/09/89

Fastball: Caine throws his fastball up to 95 mph and stays consistently at 92-93 mph. He shows acceptable arm side movement and his control is superior to that of his other pitches.

Changeup: Seems to lack control in the zone but has developed it well enough to be a legit threat. A very deceptive pitch that catches batters off balance. 79-80 mph.

Slider: An above average pitch that shows glimmers of potential. Needs work with locating it. Very short break at 84-85 mph.

Curve: Solid 12-6 movement that can drop right off the table. As with other pitches needs to learn to locate better as it can hang sometimes. 79 mph consistently.

Physical Description: A tall, sturdy, young man who is physically gifted. Multi sport athlete who could have gone on to play QB at the college level.

Poise: Shows a lot of heart out on the mound, takes over games and is willing to lead. Comes off as hard headed and sometimes over confident. Needs to mange the run game better.

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I just couldn’t help but to scroll through the scouting reports to see what was being said. My brother, Robert, is a great player, no doubt, but lets add in what the scouting reports forgot to mention. First his curve is obvious and can be seen from a mile away. Second, he was a horrible QB, State Championship game shows that, three interceptions come on! Third, he never put the dishes away so who ever ends up living with this guy, be warned. Oh, extra information. I heard a rumor that he has a Gyroball, but we've never actually seen it.
All in all, Robert is a sold player (but a huge douche) he is expected to be drafted in the first four rounds. He also happens to be mom’s favorite so he is driving a new car right now. Me, I’m stuck with my 01 Honda. It gets sold gas mileage but has a tendency to repel women. Damn.
I will post Derek’s scouting report as soon as I find one that has at least one negative comment, same for mine as well, but I need to find one that has something good to say!

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 1.2: Meet Poseidon. My brother, Derek Caine’s scouting report

Previous year stat line: .314 Average with 91 hits, 19 homeruns and 77 RBI. Attended TCU.
Height : 6’ 3’’
Weight: 231
Throws: L
Bats: L
Birthdate: 9/09/89
Position: 1B, RF

Caine is very, very, strong with raw plus power. When he squares up to the ball, say goodbye. Not the most patient hitter nor the strongest mechanical approach. His swing is slightly inconsistent, but his numbers are a testament to his strength and raw power. His fielding ability is average at best and his range is limited by poor footwork but he gives full effort on every play. Best position is 1B but with work and if he potentially slims down and works on his reaction speed RF is his second best position; he can really toss the ball. His work on the base paths is surprisingly good because of his good decision making but is limited because of below average speed. Good intangibles, thought to be a good teammate but doesn’t seem as dedicated to the weight room as other prospects. Great potential, questionable determination.

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I knew if I looked hard enough that eventually I would find a scout that agreed with me. Look my brother is great, but he is, as I would say, a mamas boy who has been spoon fed his entire life. (Gee I wonder if my brothers know about my blog?) His approach to the game is to swing hard and swing often, his BA is inflated because of the talent he faced….His power potential is high but he has no plate discipline. His work ethic is last, not second to anything; dead last. He is lazy and blessed to be as gifted as the elite but he does not use his full potential. Not to mention, Derek is a pig, he eats whatever he wants, he sleeps wherever he wants and he sure as hell can not keep a clean room.
Power, yeah he has it, but he lacks heart and fire. He had it once but he let all the cameras and girls get to his head. Wake up bro, you aren’t in college anymore; this is the big leagues and they will eat you up, like you and Twinkies! BTW I hate Twinkies with a passion but those Zebra Cakes are *(%$@*^# good.

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 1.3: Meeting Hades. Jacob Caine’s scouting report

Previous year stat line: 71 runs scored, 88 hits, 30 RBI, 48 BB, .301 AVG. Played for Ole Miss.
Height: 5’ 9’’
Weight: 172
Throws: R
Bats: R
Birthdate: 9/10/89
Position: SS, 2B, 3B

With Caine undersized fame it would be easy for people to draw comparisons to Dustin Pedroia, who has developed into a star player around the league. They do share similarities but not many. Caine had rough career at Ole Miss as he often butted heads with coaches early. However it appears that as he matured and learned to control his emotions. Still known as a scrappy guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder. His batting has improved but still needs work, seems to have neglected offensive skills but shows promise. Has wonderful plate vision and does not strikeout often, draw plenty of walks. Power needs to be developed, but can still fill into his frame. Great defensive player at SS with great range and technically sound. Bit of a wild arm. Scouts unsure if SS or 2B is a better fit. Loyal teammate but some scouts still question his attitude.
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My brothers both received scholarships from TCU, I did not. Most local colleges showed little interest in me due to my size. I took my talents to Ole Miss instead (Get it? Lebron joke.). I had looked to leave our home, located in outside of Houston, since 7^th grade. It was hard but necessary. The scouting report is accurate; my defensive skills are good. Truthfully I believe that I have room for improvement especially with the bat. What I bring to any team is heart, and grit. Truthfully I admire Pedroia, we do have similarities but I’m a better athlete who can bring more to the table. My brothers are both highly thought of, you may hear me refer to them as Zeus and Poseidon as I am very big into mythology. Therefore I have to refer to myself as Hades, since I don’t get as much glory as they do. But if you read mythology you will see that sometimes Hades get the better of his brothers.

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 2: Prepare
A Bleacherreport Special

Brothers Prepare for draft
by Adam Helmsing (staff writer)

The Three Musketeers. The Three Stooges. Threes Company, Third Rock from the Sun. The Big Three. Obviously good things come in threes. But are the thee brothers Robert, Derek and Jacob Caine ready to take their place amongst the greatest sibling combination ever, the DiMaggios. They seem to be off to a great start.

Located eight miles North of Houston, TX, nestled away in dusty plains a simple, mostly faded baseball diamond shows where it all started.

“They played all day,” recalls mother of the three, Nichole Caine. “Nothing stopped them, rain, heat or night. Nothing could bring them in.”

Through the years of summer leagues and high school ball to the years spent playing college ball not much has changed. All three can still be found playing ball at their “Fenway Park.” as they eagerly wait for next weeks First Year Player Draft.

“Good ole Fenway,” said oldest of the three, Robert, with a laugh. “That was our place where we went to practice and have fun. No reason to stop now. With the draft coming up I‘m just trying to enjoy what little free time I have left.”

Free time is running out fast.

Robert and Derek are expected to go within the first three rounds on June 10, and afterwards they can expect life to become quite hectic as the hard throwing left hander and big hitter have been rated highly by scouts around the league. One NL manger has already called them future All Stars.

“Its great to hear stuff like that,” said Derek, giving his brother a pat on the back. “ Can’t say I’m surprised to hear it, we’re going to be great players.”

Not to say that little brother, Jacob, has not gained any attention would be a lie, but his draft day stock is not nearly as high. “You know what? I’m not the best player,” said Jacob. “I may not be a greatest with the bat, but I love defense. I’m the guy that would, when my brothers took batting practice, would play the field.”

“I love diving around making plays, getting dirty and making those big plays is something I take pride in.” A member of the Red Sox organization has called Jacob the “one of better defensive player” in the draft. But other then this lone praise, most scouts say that he could have stayed in college for his senior year, but might have some potential.

“I’m so proud of Derek and Robert,” said their mother. They have given up so much to get to where they are. They bled every day to get where they deserve to be. I’m proud of Jacob as well, he worked hard, but could use more time to develop.”

When asked about why he is leaving early, Jacob responded “My brothers won‘t be around anymore to play against. Things might get boring around here. I‘m not following them into the league. I‘m doing this for myself.”

[Schweiger70]

Chapter 2.1: What is “IT?”

I woke up early this morning. No alarm clock, no noise. Just silence. I couldn’t sleep. In the pitch black I laid wondering, hoping and dreading the draft. This isn’t natural is it? I should be excited; the draft will determine my future. This is the turning point of my life, right?

But the longer I laid there thinking, the sicker to my stomach I became. I couldn’t stand it much longer so I got changed into my shorts and sweater, grabbed my Ipod and took off down the road.

I’m sure it may sound strange to some of you but jogging in the sun’s first light, just as those rays are trying to peak up over the distant hill, makes you feel…calm. It clears your mind. That’s what I needed. I needed to get away from all of this. My brothers and there assured fame. My mother and her constant idolization of them, the reporters, the cameras. All the bulls**t. I don’t know how many more questions I can stand. Why am I leaving school early? Is to keep pace with my brothers? Is because I’m in thier shadows?

Look I know that staying has it benefits, I could continue to develop in a safe environment. I could have my coaches working personally with me. I could have a majority of the attention on me. But I can’t do it, I can’t stay behind while they continue to move forward. My own persistent doubts can not even hold me back.

And its true, I doubt myself.

For the longest time I ran. Full speed, nothing to stop me. Sweat was rolling from my forehead, my side was aching, my lungs on fire and still I ran. I had to leave it behind, I had to leave the doubt behind.

“What have my brother ever done for this. I’ve put in the harder work, I’ve spent more time in the gym, more time on the field, more time in the batting cages. Yet in a few days their names were going to be called long before mine.” That was all I could think about and that’s what kept me going.

I knew the mileage, I had spent many a summer jogging these lonely roads and it wasn’t until the sun had risen level with the outlaying hills that I stopped and looked around. A small sign read “Gas 1 mile.” I had gone 6 miles and when I turned around to start back home it was mild outside, perfect temperature. But it would soon be hot. I didn’t care.

And I know what you are thinking (all two of you that follow this blog) why report this. Why would I come online just to moan and groan?

I’ll tell you. When I got back home it was roughly 8:00 AM and my brothers were still in bed. They don’t have “IT.” They may have all the skills that scouts look for but they would never put forth the work that I do, they were not willing to sweat and endure the aches and pains of working out all day. They are not willing to be in bed early the day before so they can be up by 5 AM. They never cried after losing a game, because they don’t feel “IT” like I do.

Somewhere between Linkin Park “Faint” and Eminem “Lose Yourself” I accepted that yeah, I have my doubts but I know I have “IT” and it is the willingness to push yourself further then anyone believes you can go. Including yourself.

I will update my followers (all two of you) after the draft.

P.S. I do not suggest that anyone jogs at night, it is considerably dangerous therefore children should not follow my lead.

[Phillies2010]

aha i am loving this so much, ive been following since the first post