Badgers Farm In Unexpected Detour

[Lions]

Full article with pictures/links

For the past two seasons, the Kalamazoo Badgers have had the PEBA‘s highest ranked farm system. The Badgers, as isn’t news to anyone, have been a terrible team the last few years, but during that time, the team has focused on adding prospects through the draft and through trades. The team’s poor showing on the field has led to them drafting in the top 3 in both 2028 and 2029. They’ll have that privilege again in 2030 should they hold on to the pick.

With those high draft picks, the team has taken a pitching first focus. In fact, that approach was even evident in 2027, before the current regime took over. That year, the team held 3 picks in the 1st and supplemental round combined, and all three were used on moundsmen. In 2028 and 2029, the team drafted pitchers with both of their first two picks.

While all of those picks have been highly touted arms, none of them came with the same level of intrigue that 2028 #2 overall pick Robby Wiggins did. Wiggins dominated the collegiate game during his four seasons in Minnesota, never posting an ERA above 1.70. He was an All-Star three times, and won the 2027 Collegiate Outstanding Pitcher Award. There was no question he was the top player in the draft that year. However, late in the season, he suffered a torn labrum. Just a month before the draft, the pitcher with the golden arm had an issue that gave teams pause.

Yuma held the first pick of the draft, and speculation swirled as to whether or not they would draft Wiggins or someone else. Would they go with the injured but talented arm? Would they go with one of the other arms in what was arguably one of the best pitching classes the PEBA has seen? While there were 15 pitchers taken among the 21 1st round selections, Yuma chose the superbly athletic second baseman Vaughn Davidson, and the Badgers pounced. The team’s new front office saw the drafting of Wiggins as the type of splashy gamble that they needed to make.

Now, nearly two years later, it seems that gamble was a huge mistake. After rehabbing with the Badgers for the remainder of 2028 and then progressing well in 2029, Wiggins has decided to leave professional baseball. While he’s only 6’0″ tall, he’s decided to make an effort at a successful basketball career. Despite his small stature for a basketball player, he was a productive guard for the Lucky Rodents.

The Badgers, meanwhile, are left holding the bag. Their top pitching prospect, who was on track for a PEBA debut as early as next year, has now left the fold with the team having nothing to show for it. The front office has said they’ll do what they can to recover as much as they can of the $5 million signing bonus that Wiggins was given. “It certainly stings,” GM Frank Esselink told reporters, “We’ve been knocked down a bit, but we’ll get back up and complete the work of becoming PEBA champions.”

[Akira]

This was a stunner. I've always been open to drafting solid prospects that were injured but wary of selecting them high in the draft. This will no doubt scare a lot of teams off from taking that risk.

[Lions]

This is unrelated to his injury. It's from the OOTP storylines feature.