My love for baseball goes back as far as I can remember. My team, the Texas Rangers, moved to Arlington the year I was born and they’ve been a mainstay in my life ever since. I started my first fantasy baseball league in 1992, and it’s still going strong to this day!
I’m also a baseball prospect nerd. I love reading up on International signings. I love scouring the internet for changes to everyone’s top 50 lists. Deadline trades involving prospects are my jam! So, the annual MLB Winter Meetings were always the stuff of legend to my younger self.
I could only imagine the things that went on in the bowels of whatever hotel or convention center they were in that year. The backroom trade deals. The massive contract negotiations. All of it seemed like nirvana to me. So, as a 52 year old “kid,” what is it like to finally attend the Winter Meetings in person?
First off, let’s get this part straight. As a television producer, I’ve been on the periphery of the media world for a long time. As one of the original founders of RotoJunkie.com, I’ve had a few run-ins with what I consider fantasy baseball royalty. I’m looking at you Ron Shandler! But the baseball Winter Meetings are an entirely different story. Oh look, over here is Jon Morosi with the latest on Kyle Tucker. Oh hey, over there is Rangers GM Chris Young talking about the Draft Lottery. You want to chat with the agent for Roki Sasaki? Never fear, he’ll be here soon! Yes, it’s overwhelming.
Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, discussing the posting process @Prospects1500 pic.twitter.com/5gjivwHTe2
— Byron Cox (@byrontx) December 10, 2024
I struggle to fight off the feeling that I’m a fish out of water. I don’t belong here, do I? But when you boil it all down, it’s a room full of people who are passionate about a game played with a stick and a ball. In that respect, I’m right where I belong.
You’ll be able to tune into other people who can provide you with the latest rumors, the contract details of so and so or the other guy. But here, I just want to share with you the feeling of being in a room full of people who all care about the game as much if not more than you do.
In short, it’s magic.
Byron Cox covers the AA Texas League for Prospects1500. From his home in Mckinney, Texas, he is only minutes away from the home park of the Frisco Roughriders, giving him many opportunities to watch the top prospects from his favorite team, the Rangers, along with many other top AA players. Byron was an original founder of RotoJunkie.com and is an avid fantasy baseball player to this day. He can be found on Twitter at
@byrontx.
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