The Career of Aaron Moore (MLB '11)

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June 7th, 2010

With the first pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals select starting pitcher from Orangetree High School, Aaron Moore!

...with that, Aaron Moore woke up. He was suprised that he actually got some sleep that night. You see, today is the big MLB First-Year Player Draft. He had been having these types of dreams for the past two weeks.

"Another Dream...sh*t..." thought Aaron, still half asleep.

He hopped out of bed and threw on some old clothes. His room was a mess, as usual, but he didn't care. He was organized, in a way. Aaron knew where everything was. Under his bed, the corner of the wall, on the TV, just about anywhere. He stumbled downstairs to say hello to his parents.

"Morning future draftee!" said his dad with a smile.

Aaron hated it when people said stuff like that. Even though he was going to be the only thing people would know about the small town of Orangetree, Florida. Almost NOTHING goes on there. Theres about 950 people who live there, but he likes it that way.

"Cut it out, Neal!" said his mother, "You know he doesn't like that"

Aaron's mom was the type of mom everyone wants. One that isn't very strict, will do a lot for you, and she was always cheerful, but not to cheerful. She shows up to every single Orangetree High School baseball game that Aaron plays in, and she understood it very much, because Aaron loves baseball.

The draft started at 3:00, and it was 10:30. What could he do to kill time? The more time he just waits there, the more he is driven insane. It seemed that there was nothing to do until the draft started. If there was one thing Aaron Moore hated most, it would be waiting for something. Waiting in line, waiting for something to happen, waiting for anything would drive him nuts.

"Hey Aaron, can you run and get some things at the store for me?" asked his mom, knowing it was killing him.

That was another thing Aaron liked about his mom. She always knew how he was feeling, and what she can do to fix it. He hopped in his old pickup truck and set off for the nearest Wal-Mart. Even the drive seemed like forever due to his draft waiting problem. His mind lightened when his phone buzzed indicating hhe recieved a text.

hey baby, good luck in the draft today! - Hailey

Hailey has been Aaron's girlfriend since the 10th grade. She had blonde hair with bluish eyes and was tan. Thats what most guys get if you are from a place like Florida, but it was rare to find one in Orangetree. Aaron loves Hailey more than anything, except baseball, of course. She was also at all of Aaron's games, and it always made Aaron feel amazing.

Once arriving at Wal-Mart, he checked his watch.

2:30

"Sh*t, I gotta hurry up and get back to the house!" thought Aaron

Once he got the last thing on the short list, Aaron paid for it, threw it in the trunk, and headed back home. It was 3 o'clock by the time he got back there, and the draft had started.

"With the first pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals select Bryce Harper from Southern Nevada College!"

"Well, thats alright. I'm not projected until the 2nd or 3rd rounds."

So the beginning of the first round was slipping away, but Aaron still had hopes....until the 2nd round slipped away. Then the third. It seemed to be all coming apart for Aaron Moore, as the beginning of the fourth round was slipping away too! What was going on?

...Then his phone Buzzed. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" asked Aaron

"Hello, is this Aaron Moore?" aaked the person

"Y-Y-Yessir."

"Good, this is Mike Dunn, scout for the Chicago Cubs. We've taken you 130th Overall. We have no idea how you were still on the board! We will be calling you at a later date with more information. Congrats, kid!"

"THANK YOU MR. DUNN!" yelled Aaron.

He ran around screaming that he got drafted, and they invited everyone over for a draft party, where everyone was congratulating him on being a Cub.

...Aaron Moore's life is about to change. Good...and bad.

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June 10th, 2010

Aaron's flight to Chicago was a long one. He was sent to Chicago for a Cubs Draft Camp. He didn't get first class on the way there, and there were obnoxious people on the plane, so he was tired by the time he got there.

He hopped in to a rental car and drove to the stadium. The only luggage he had was a small duffle bag and a baseball bag. When he got to Wrigley, he stood there in awe. He had never been a Cub fan, but it was amazing to him. He walked onto the field, and joined the other left-handed pitchers in a small group.

"Throw 20 pitches, and bring your best stuff." said the coach.

Aaron went to the back of the line and waited. When it was finally his turn, he got into his position.

POP. POP. POP. POP.

That was all anyone heard. He was throwing darts, and his curveball was nastier than anything. The coach was obviously impressed. After his 20 pitches, he went and did some other pitching drills before finally getting worn out. The coaches told him something he was not very happy to hear.

"So, Aaron. You were probably the best pitcher out there, period. You're also one of the youngest. I'm sorry though, but you won't be attending rookie camp games for the AZL Cubs. I want your arm fully developed and stronger for next season, that way you don't get your arm messed up. Hopefully you aren't too mad about our decision.."

"..this is going to be one long f*cking summer."

[yougo1000]

Now the Cubbies have a good prospect. (finally)

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July 1st, 2010

...a long summer indeed.

A few days after Aaron Moore returned from Chicago, he met his new babysitter for the rest of the summer. Dan Shultz was a trainer for the Chicago Cubs and he was a tough cookie. He worked Aaron to the bone, every single day. Aaron had to do running before and after every training to work on his stamina, before he even got to pitch, which wore him out. Aaron had never really been in the best shape either. He weighed 230, with about 75% muscle. After a lonng while of training, he was down to a chisled 215.

...but the job wasn't done there.

It was now July 1st, still a long time from baseball season.

Ring! Ring!

Aaron rolled on the floor to grab his phone. He saw it was Shultz and instantly hit the button to answer it,

"MOORE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE SHOULD'VE STARTED 30 MINUTES AGO. GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE. yelled the coach, then hung up.

"Oh Sh*t. Shultz is pissed." thought Aaron.

Shultz had one of those personalities that half the time you liked it, half the time you hated it. He was a tough guy, so he would not take his trainee being half an hour late to training lightly. 20 minutes later, Aaron finally pulled up to the old baseball field that they trained at, and Shultz made him run 10 laps for being late. The training went on throughout the day, until Aaron ran two laps to finish off the day. His fastball was topping out and 95, and he was proud of it. His sweeping curve was also looking nasty.

The one thing Aaron knew, was that he was excited for baseball.

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December 10th, 2010

Aaron Moore was finally getting a break with training. Shultz gave him a few weeks off, that way Aaron could cool down, and Shultz could meet with the Braves to talk about Aaron's preformance, which he had nothing bad to say about it.

Aaron rolled out of bed and went downstairs for breakfast. Waffles. His favorite. He had been in a great mood recently, with baseball season creeping closer, and he has been waiting somewhat patiently for any news about him. Sadly to him, he hadn't gotten any information, until now.

"Hey son! I got this letter in the mail this morning, read it." said his dad.

He carefully opened the letter, and saw it was from the Chicago Cubs. A sudden jolt of excitement hit him.

Dear Mr. Aaron Moore,
Sorry for not getting much information about you being drafted, it has been a very busy summer for us. Merry Early Christmas, by the way. Our staff has decided that you will be sent to Knoxville, Tennessee, to play for the Tennessee Smokies. We had recieved a very good report from Dan Shultz, and we believe you will make an impact in Tennessee. Most of our young players live in Berkshire Apartments, which is partly owned by the team. We offer free rent there if you are intrested. You are expected to report to team camp on Feburary 22nd.

- The Chicago Cubs Organization

Aaron looked at the letter over and over, taking it all in. He couldn't desribe his excitement. He was going to Knoxville!

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Feburary 1st, 2011

Aaron was ready to drive his pickup with his few belongings to Knoxville. He brought Hailey and his best friend and high school catcher who is in his junior year, Dustin Thompson. They stopped in Atlanta for the night, after getting stuck in traffic for a while. They enjoyed Atlanta, but they knew they needed to get to Knoxville.

Once they arrived in Knoxville, Aaron Moore felt at home. It seemed like it had everything he wanted there. They continued driving until they arrived at Berkshire Apartments. They got out of the pickup and walked into the office. The manager welcomed Aaron, and gave him the key to his apartment. Once he got inside, he unloaded all that he had, and prepared a long list of things he'll need to get it going. They went to about 10 stores before coming home. Most of the stuff was being delivered to their house today.

Aaron put all of his groceries and nother essentials away to where he wanted them, and then the three decided to go grab something to eat. They found a really good place called K Cafe, which they really liked. It was going to be a good place for food in the future. By the time they returned to the apartment, it was time for the things that he bought to arrive. He had gotten a TV, some furniture, a table for the kitchen, and a bunch of little things.

Hailey and Dustin stayed the night, before flying home in the morning. He was due to report in 11 days. Can he wait that long?

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Feburary 22nd, 2011

Aaron Moore had preformed his heart out at Smokies' Camp, and it made him feel happy. The coaches were drooling over his 95MPH fastball, and his curveball that just drops off the table. He was popping the mitt all day. He was only being paid 30k- but he could probably almost outpitch C.C. Sabathia, who was being paid 16.1 million. They told Aaron that he was going to start out in the bullpen, just to see how his arm works in a game. Opening Day for the Smokies was on April 7th, 2011, and he was told to be ready for relief.

He was mad about starting, but hey, he was going to play pro baseball!


April 7th, 2011

Aaron Moore walked about his hotel room in Chattanooga, TN. He was expecting to come in relief a few times in the four-game series. The game was at seven, and it was 3, so he had 1 hour before he had to get on the bus to head to AT&T Park, home of the Lookouts. His roommate was Robert Yamamoto, who was starting tonight. They decided to turn on the TV to ESPN. The Cubs were doing good, at 4-2. They had swept the Pirates to start the season.

One hour eventually passed. Yamamoto and Aaron went down to the bus which players were starting to board. They sat to each other, talking about their lives. Robert was cool, and they got along very well. When the bus pulled up to AT&T Field, we got off and headed for the locker room. Aaron walked to his assigned locker and looked at his uniform. #33 with "MOORE" on the back. He had worn #33 for as long as he remembered. He got dressed, and headed on the field to warm up with the other bullpen pitchers..

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Smokies Fall to Lookouts in Pitching Duel

Aaron Moore looks shaky in debut

by Daniel Thompson

The Tennessee Smokies lost their first game of the season, in a 2-1 loss against the Chattanooga Lookouts. The game was a real pitching duel, as no one scored until the eighth inning, when Chattanooga's Oeltjen hit a 1 RBI double.

Aaron Moore made his professional debut in relief, looking rather weak. Although he didn't take the loss, he let the big RBI go by in the eighth, and did nothing all that special. He continually popped the mitt at 95 MPH, but it didn't fool many. He needs to prove he can do better if he doesn't like his one inning appearences,

The Smokies play again in Chattanooga tomorrow at 7:00EST, with Willard O'Donnell on the mound for the Smokies, and Todd Laird throwing for the Lookouts.

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Stats (Game)

1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB, 0 SO, No Decision

Stats (Season)

1 GP, 0 GS, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0-0