...But Can He Drive The Bus?
Danny Nava, already the easy pick for team MVP going into this road trip, could get lost in one of the casinos on the Reno strip this weekend, miss both games against the Silver Sox and still be MVP for the six-game stint. He wrapped up the Yuma series last night with 10 hits in 15 at-bats and six RBIs, six runs, two doubles and three home runs.
Perhaps his most compelling contribution, however, has been allowing the Outlaws and their drag-along pitching woes to be lifted by the emergence of Campbell. The poised 22-year-old rookie lefty, now 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts and a relief appearance, was first tipped off about a chance to land a spot on the Chico roster by Nava, a friend and summer ball teammate. Nava urged him to contact pitching coach Alex Carbajal, was invited up for a tryout and now looks like he may be a significant player in the team's hopes to barrel into that GBL championship series with some momentum.
"I knew he could help us quite a bit," Nava told me last week after Campbell's win last Saturday in his Outlaw debut. "He's going to be a nice addition. When I found out he was interested in playing somewhere, it just clicked right away (that he could join the team.)"