More than that, though, I think what soured the Royals on Sisquatch was the same thing that soured the Cubs on protecting him two years ago, allowing the Royals to grab him in the first place. Sisco has a reputation for being, shall we say, less than totally dedicated to his craft. This can best be summed up by the email I received from Paul Swydan on November 29th, when he forwarded me an email from a gentleman named Bruce Baskin, who maintains a newsletter devoted to Mexican baseball. Here’s the relevant excerpt:
“Check this out: Andy Sisco, the 6′9″ kid from Eastern Washington who pitches for the Royals, was just cut by Mazatlan. He was pitching well enough, however the team director saw Sisco munching on a couple of tacos in the stadium concourse…during the first inning of the game. Apparently, he showed up in the dugout sometime in the second, but his fate was sealed.
“What a bonehead! Hadn’t he been down there long enough to figure they take the game a whole lot more seriously in Mazatlan than they do in Omaha? Hope he got his tacos to go.”
I can’t confirm that this actually took place, but it’s telling that the people I’ve talked to find this anecdote to be completely in character. It’s also telling that Sisco hasn’t pitched in Mexico since November 19th, even though his last outing was 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 K gem.