Luckily, since he shared real estate with former Cub/current Marlin Eric Jokisch in last year's edition of Heritage, I had a card ready to go in the event that he got the call to Wrigley. After the year he's had so far - he didn't give up a single run in Spring Training or in 10 innings in the PCL - it seems almost inevitable that he'd get a chance in Chicago.
Patton, as you can see above, used to be a Texas Ranger; the Cubs acquired him in a minor trade over the winter, sending Texas low-A infielder Frandy De La Rosa.
Also of interest to me is his alma mater - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. You see, the reliever is only a year and some change older than my fiancee and attended SIUE at the same time that she did. Did they have a class together? Probably not, but still a kind of cool connection.
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| Spencer back in his days as a Cougar |
The fastball specialist's velocity sits in the low-90's and he gets great movement on his slider. this combination has lead to big strikeout numbers in the minors. Here's hoping that this combination is just as potent on the big stage.
Meanwhile, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the corresponding roster move was placing fellow reliever Neil Ramirez on the 7-day bereavement list due to the death of his grandmother. The Cubs organization will undoubtedly be keeping Neil and his family in their thoughts.
When Patton makes his first appearance, the Cubs all-time roster will contain 2,037 names, of which I have a card representing 1,436 of them. That latter number saw received a pretty significant boost by the exceedingly generous Matthew of Bob Walk the Plank fame; I'll be showing off those goodies tomorrow, so stay tuned!
It's a shame that it comes under such circumstances, but here's hoping Spencer seizes his new-found opportunity with (and I just love being able to type this) the best team in baseball! Go get 'em Spence.
I vaguely remember that happening a couple of years ago with Heritage, like 2012 or 2013. Someone from a different team shared a card with a Cub and then became a Cub. Jaye Chapman/Thomas Neal jumps out at me?
ReplyDeleteYou are correct - for a while, that was the only card I had for either.
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