We all had our favorite players growing up. Maybe it was the star of your favorite team. Maybe it was the scrappy underdog you always thought deserved more credit. No matter who it was, you made sure their at-bats were appointment viewing. If they were at the plate, you made sure to tune in.
When you were young, and didn’t understand the business of the game, it was crushing to see those guys leave. How could your favorite player choose to go to a different team? Or worse, how could the general manager decide to trade your favorite player? You might be inconsolable for days.
Well, one young Houston Astros fan has taken it upon himself to ensure the latter never happens. In order to make sure the Astros hold onto George Springer, his favorite player, an Astros fan by the name of Will wrote a letter to GM Jeff Luhnow convincing him to keep the star 27-year-old outfielder.
It’s one thing to trade away a player and make a young fan sad, but it’s something completely different to make that fan adopt a new hairstyle. We know he’s gone now, but you don’t want Will to walk around with Colby Rasmus’ haircut moving forward, do you? Don’t be a monster, Mr. Luhnow.
Based on Luhnow’s response to that letter, it looks like young Will swayed him. Springer should be a member of the Astros next season. Whew!
If Luhnow’s history with fan letters is any indication, this could be a tremendous thing for the Astros. Luhnow received a similar letter in April 2015 from a fan who thought the Astros would go all the way that year. It was mostly laughed off at the time, as Houston was coming off a season in which they won just 70 games. In that end, that young fan proved to be smarter than most. The Astros shocked many in 2015, winning 86 games and making the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Not a bad result.
What does that mean for Springer this year? Well, he’ll probably mash 40 home runs while leading Houston to 96 wins and a division title. The Astros will win the World Series due to his Springer’s late-inning heroics in Game 7, and he’ll cap an exceptional 2017 by winning the MVP award unanimously.
Hey, stranger things have happened. Doubt young Astros fans at your own peril. They seem to know a lot more than any of us when it comes to their favorite club.
