Travis Parker RTTS (mlb the show 08)

[DEE4THREE]

I will be starting a RTTS with my created player - Travis Parker. He is a 23 year old RHP.
I won't bore you with a bunch of details regarding his attributes. Here's a short rundown:

Average to below-average velocity.
Mixes speeds well.
Big league curve ball.
Decent change.
Below-average hitter.
Average bunter.
Below-average speed.

I will be doing this in a blog type form.

[DEE4THREE]

Re: Travis Parker RTTS (mlb the show 08)

Journal #1
February 22nd, 2008 7:25 pm

The past 5 years have been absolute blur for me. They say "time flies when you're having fun"... that couldn't be more true in my case.

For those of you unfamiliar with my past, here's a slight rundown. My junior year I was All-Conference in the state of Illinois at my high school. We lost in the Sectional Championship game to our cross-town rival and that left us with a bitter taste in our mouths. We were poised to win State my senior year. Things were great... we returned all our starters and I was getting offers from some of the best baseball schools in the country - Arizona State, Texas, Florida State, Oregon State, Notre Dame, and Cal to name a few.

I threw a 2 hit shutout in our first game of the season. A week later we were 4-0 and ranked #1 in the state. That's when my luck took a turn for the worse. I tore my ACL in my throwing arm and was forced to watch the rest of the season from the bench. With that, the offers disappeared. I eventually signed to play at Northern Illinois University.

At NIU, I was All-Conf my sophomore year and All-America my junior year. Some of the top schools were begging me to transfer but I knew I had to stay loyal to the school that took a chance on me. My senior year we won the MAC Conference advanced to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tourney.

My dream came true a few months later when I was drafted in the 12th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. I have been a diehard Cards fan since birth.

Things just keep getting better... I just found out a couple hours ago that I have been invited to Spring Training. I don't know many details but I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for reading!

[DEE4THREE]

Re: Travis Parker RTTS (mlb the show 08)

Journal #2
February 25th, 2008 1:05pm

Hey guys! I just unpacked my bags in beautiful Jupiter, Florida - the spring training site of the St. Louis Cardinals.

I talked to Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan on the flight over and they informed me that I have virtually no chance of making the team, and they only invited me so they could get a good look at me. They did mention that I was a top prospect and they expected some big things from me. I guess in a way that kind of relieved some pressure... I don't have to worry about getting cut because I know it's inevitable. It's going to be a great challenge and I can't wait to get going.

I'm scheduled to throw 3 innings against the Washington Nationals next week. I can't wait to get out there and put on the Cardinals uniform.