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Lookout Landing

Mariners Sign Preston Vancil

I know, I can't believe it either. Look out, Neftali Feliz.

Vancil, pictured here, appears to be a right-handed thrower of baseballs, which helps to explain why he's been signed by a baseball organization. A 23 year old starter who went undrafted out of Division 2 Abilene Christian University (alma mater of the unforgettable Bill Gilbreth), Vancil led the Lone Star Conference in strikeouts and finished #4 in ERA as a senior before advancing to the independent Frontier League for the summer, where he was bad. He did throw the Florence Freedom's first ever no-hitter, and he only needed 149 pitches to do it, so that says something about both Vancil and Vancil's manager. Just can't pull a guy when he's chasing that kind of history.

What we know:

  • Vancil ran a 2.3 K/BB as an ACU junior
  • Vancil ran a 3.4 K/BB as an ACU senior
  • Vancil ran a 1.4 K/BB with Florence, but did manage to avoid many hits
  • Vancil did enough to catch someone's eye and earn a team workout last week
  • Following his workout, Vancil received both a contract and an invite to minor league ST

What we assume:

  • Vancil throws a fastball in the 75-100mph range
  • Vancil is at the very least aware of how the terms "breaking ball" and "off speed" are defined
  • Vancil is not Yuniesky Betancourt

In all seriousness, while it's easy to snark about some complete unknown, the fact of the matter is that someone in the organization thinks he's interesting, and because of that Vancil's probably having the best week of his life. So there are your warm fuzzies for the night as we all take a little break from laughing at the Mets. Ha ha. Stupid Mets.

0 recs  |  72 comments

Comments

Vancil sounds like a type of medicine
No it sounds like vagisil
Which is not a type of medicine?
Yeah figures you would know
Chris Jakubostrich 2.0

Minus the bendy stuff :(

What?

Other than once playing for the same team, how are they alike?

That's all I got

Should I have said minus the talent too?

You should probably refrain from saying that unless you actually have a scouting report

or some kind of evidence to point to.

I think he wanted to give himself a reason to call someone Jakubostrich 2.0
He's no Kevin Quintanilla
Florence Freedom

Also the one-time home of Jakubauskas. Huge fans of the freedom, we must be.

Jak was bad in the Frontier League too

Hope!

Jak had never really pitched before.
So this falls somewhere between Kill Yourself Level and Automatic BJ Level
Time for some autoerotic asphyxiation!
Can this be acheived with paws?
There goes this week's podcast topic.
Jeff did the same research,

also known as the only possible research, on this guy!

Someone should friend him on Facebook and ask him what he throws.
Done
I had no expectation of someone taking me seriously.

Kudos to you, sir.

Not sure what he throws...

But he likes the Fresh Prince, Dane Cook, and staying up late. And he hates waking up for school!!

I've still got another 25 minutes of material on this guy
Does any of it have to do with his angry throwing face and it being caused by his inability to strike batters out?
Stay tuned tomorrow where we discuss how much Preston Vancil looks like he smells!
Preston is going to regret ever signing that contract
More assumptions? Dispelling of myths?
I'm pretty sure he played baseball before he was a college junior
I for sure thought we were going to go for Sheets
I hear

he’s the Ben Sheets of medium/small Texas colleges.

Who?

Minor League contract?

Yes.

He’s never played in affiliated ball, so he doesn’t even have a baseball-reference page.

WE GOT HIM

We got Vancil. Oman. I’m gonna go lie down.

He looks excited

Neat.

Only good if your logged in to Facebook, sorry.
It looks like flames should be shooting out of his eyes.
Preston Vancil is a fan of, among others,

-God
-Dane Cook
-Megan Fox
-Megan Foxx (?!)
-Republican National Committee
-I HATE WAKING UP FOR SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Linkin Park

Huh.

No politics and no religion and how abnormal.
We've not had this much fun...

since the MySpace pages of Chris Tillman and Tony Butler.

Vancil doesn't look like as big a douchebag as Tillman.
He's not wearing an Angels hat, so that helps.
Hot girlfriend. Also, this:

“Baseball has never been given to me. Everytime I get pushed down by it, my drive gets stronger. I am going to make it, I refuse anything else.”

He's got a friend with a cucumber in her eye

bit off topic but interesting nontheless

His friend Heather is very supportive.
Hey I went to school with him

You stole him right out from under the Rangers…This could be a watershed moment

Actually, we stole him from under the Mets it seems.
But he went undrafted out of ACU

Abilene is Rangers’ country. It stings.

It shouldn't still hurt me that Yuni sucks.

But it does.

I'm sorry for posting this Preston
No, you're not.
What did we say about lying?
He's probably never had this many fans before!
Today we learn a lesson about uploading Facebook photos as a professional
Or at least setting your Facebook photos to private.
At least Chris Cooley had the good sense to leave his penis in the frame.
So he really is Yuniesky Betancourt after all? Maaaaaaan....
You're right.

I’m sorry for my role.

I'd say spring training needs to get here sooner...

but you hate spring training so…

One of Preston Vancil's teammates in college was named Matthew Sullivan.
It looks like he's riding an invisible horse

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