An Article That's Not About Bobby Crosby

Drafted in the first round and billed as a rising star, Bobby Crosby had a rookie season that was better than the debuts of any of his peers. First scouts, then teams, and then fans gushed about the combination of power and speed, the pure athleticism and accomplished infield defense, that Bobby Crosby brought to the table.

Trouble was, Bobby Crosby could never build on, or reproduce, the promise of his first season. Subsequent seasons that were not bad, but also were not good, were initially excused because of an array of pesky injuries. "If he can just stay on the field..." All Bobby Crosby needed to turn the corner and fulfill his star promise was good health, or so it seemed. Until he did stay on the field, but frustrated observers with the inability to combine his solid defense with any sort of consistent hitting. Bobby Crosby had all the physical tools to be a good hitter but somehow he was still too easy to get out.

But no doubt the physical tools were there, the pedigree was there, and even after multiple failed attempts at a "breakout year" you would hear "I think this is the year Bobby Crosby will put it all together." Hey, he was a first round pick with a true athlete's body and he was still young. But he could never put it together because while he played solid defense, watching Bobby Crosby bat was like watching Lucy pull the football from Charlie Brown: Everyone in the stadium could scream "Don't chase!" in unison, and a moment later Bobby Crosby would wave at a slider like a man allergic to walks, or he would jam himself because his batting approach didn't work and yet he seemed unwilling, or perhaps just unable, to adjust.

Ultimately, in a game of adjustments Bobby Crosby fell victim to the inability to change what didn't work. To an outside observer he appeared to be stubborn, uncoachable, the only person on the planet unable to see what was wrong with his swing or his approach. Perhaps he was simply not able to adapt. Either way, Bobby Crosby was doomed to become just another good fielder who was nothing special as a hitter, and teams were doomed to be seduced by the "breakout year Bobby Crosby surely was about to have," but never actually had. All the way through his 20s Bobby Crosby's raw talent and pedigree was going to earn him a job with some team willing to overlook his results and take a chance on his potential.

Now go back and re-read this article, only every time you see "Bobby Crosby" change it to "Brett Lawrie".