Clint Wattenberg's Turnaround

No, not this turnaround

Flash back to 1997, where as a league we moved from the friendly confines of Water Baseball to the oftentimes frightening confines of this big slab on concrete we’d later dub “The Sac.” Our league was going to have to change in more ways than it ever had, and players were a key component. Gone was much of the 1996 crew, including Joey Holt, Luke Carriere, and Matt Holmberg. Sure, they’d resurface later, but they decided to skip 1997.

Clint Wattenberg was one of a few “replacements” we had for these guys, and at the time, it was like replacing the second season of Seinfeld with the first season of Dog Eat Dog. Clint was pretty damn bad coming into his first season. A wrestler by trade, he was now “swinging a bat” for the first time in his life. And it showed. His swing had more holes than swiss and his pitching arm threw parties everytime he hit the strike zone.

Lucky for him, the 1997 season only lasted five games, so he had little time to play horribly and more time to work in the offseason, ensuring a better 1998 season. The following season was not better at all however. Clint looked equally inept and now with all the talent returning to the league from 1996 (and more talented rookies), Clint took the hardest hit. His pitching was tagged, his hitting was mocked, and his athleticism was questioned. Still, he continued to play, driven by a love for the game and an absolute need to impress. He couldn't leave the league with those numbers, could he? Enter the 1999 season.

Clint still couldn't pitch, but he could now hit. He increased his batting average nearly 100 points, reduced his strikeouts significantly, and (gasp!) hit for power. Half of his game was now respected. He would get the second half respected in 2000, when he displayed a new and improved pitching game. All of the sudden, Clint was throwing hard, and throwing strikes. He was (gasp!) spotting pitches and practicing the fine art of setting hitters up. He then did the same in 2001, proving it wasn't a fluke, and left after the season considered one of the best pitchers in the league.

A turnaround of mammoth proportions.