The Austin City Limits have confirmed that The Bigs' single-season stolen bases record holder William Satou has demanded to be traded.
Satou, hitting under .200, was replaced as the Limits' starting SS by the red-hot Mariano Terrero before the 5/28 Pm game against Fargo. Terrero celebrated by cracking a pair of homers off Javier Henriquez in an 11-7 win; Satou celebrated by trashing the clubhouse and calling Terrero a "Cuban shitbird."
That incident was enough to confirm Satou's ticket out of town.
Satou originally signed as an IFA with New York in Season 2, and came over to Austin as part of the big 12-player trade in Season 3. He reached the majors in Season 5, immediately became the starter as SS, and made the All-Star team in Seasons 6,7, and 8. He really came to prominence in Season 8 with his assault on the stolen-base record, plus his leadership of the young Austin squad to its first-ever division title and playoff appearance.
But things turned south for Satou last season in what, for the other 24 members of the big-league roster, was a magical season. With the emergence of the rotation as as one of the tops in the Bigs, and the shift to a more power-oriented offense, Satou was dropped to 8th in the lineup. He seemed to sulk all season, his batting average fell to .250, and his stolen bases plummeted from 142 to 45. Meanwhile, Terrero blossomed in a utility role, postig a career-high .280 average and playing solid defense at 6 positions.
Limits management would not speculate on what it would take to acquire Satou, saying only, "We're not giving him away...we're fortunate to have 3 good SS's on the roster who can all contribute."
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