The infamous "Fábrica de béisbol de diablos," the legendary baseball factory in the jungles of Puerto Rico, has been closed down by Puerto Rican authorities after human rights violations became evident. The factory, known for it's militaristic approach to baseball training, was responsible for some of the best prospects in recent Cobb World history, including studs such as Paul Jung, Quilvio Suarez, Jimmie Julio, Geronimo Liriano, Sammy Bennett, Omar Rosado, Pedro Franco, Joseph Funaki, and scores of others. In fact, last season's crop of international signings was perhaps the greatest talent haul in the history of baseball.
There was a noticeable drop in talent quality this season though, which led to suspicion that the fabrica was running into some troubles. The best prospects signed this year were all flawed in some way or another, with the top three money getters illustrating the point. Ugueth Perez is a closer with average splits and a weak third pitch, Rico Fernandez is a
starting pitcher with major control issues, and Jesus Campos is a slugger who can't even think about hitting right handed pitching. With the issues in basic baseball fundamentals rearing their heads in the skills of it's prospects, it was evident that the discipline for which the fabrica was famous was failing.GM's across the league were unhappy with the quality of the prospects, and voiced their opinions on the subject. FW_Kekionga of the Sioux Falls Corn Cleats said, "It may have been the humane thing to do in shutting down the fabrica, but what is the suffering of one kid in a baseball factory compared to the suffering of thousands of fans in Sioux Falls for inferior talent on the field?"
The Puerto Rican authorities were forced to make a move on the fabrica after an expose in the Cobb Times Herald in which the reporter risked his life to chronicle the forbidden workings of the baseball compound. The caning of recruits and the constant presence of machine guns was too much for many citizens to bear, thus the law was forced to act. 27 people were arrested on arms and kidnapping charges, 302 guns were seized, as were 3267 baseballs, 400 Louisville Slugger bats, 340
gloves, 30 catchers mitts, 2 boxes of cleats, 3 cases of HGH, 2 boxes of Cuban cigars, 3 Pit Bulls, 4 Tom Emansky fielding videos, and 14 boxes of Big League Chew.The operation was a success by some accounts, but the mysterious head of the fabrica remains at large, with rumors flying that he was tipped off to the seizure operation. His whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities are requesting that you call their tip line if you have any information, as he is considered to be armed and dangerous.
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