Name: Scout Turnbill
Team: Ordos Jackalopes
Position: Right Fielder (Designated Hitter)
Age: 42

Last spring, Scout became the oldest active player in league history. It’s a fact he basks in, though if you mentioned it to him, he’d rib you not to tell whoever’s in charge.

The albatross hasn’t stood in the outfield in a year. It’s been four seasons since he’s tried stealing a base–his slowness, a consequence of a broken foot that many thought would end his career. Against all odds, he’s stuck around past his 3000th total game. Even more miraculously, he’s played them all on the side of one team. This fact grows increasingly odd as players are provided with more options to play wherever they’d like. Someone with Scout’s tenure and loyalty may never emerge again.

At 42 years old, Scout's been a Jackalope longer than some of his teammates have been alive. The team once recruited the Malsberg native on account of his raw power and ambidexterity. While many of Scout’s physical abilities have waned with age, his bat’s remained strong enough to keep him in the lineup. Anything less than a minor role would likely see turmoil wreak over Ordos; Scout’s been committed long enough to the team that he’s assumed a figurative role as a mascot. Without a face like his, this oft-forgotten team would sink into obscurity under its local rivals in Cerideux and Piolita.

As a teenager, the talent used to go to his head. Years of taking his life for granted nearly drove him away from his passion, as the Jackalopes, declining off the tail of a last-place finish and league relegation, were the only team to voice their consideration. Ordos had yet to win their championships, and then-new management levelled that if he couldn’t make it with them, his chances were low for any other team. Over the following years, a young Scout played a crucial role on the team while working through his issues off the field. The team’s willingness to help him find himself fostered an attachment to a ship he might never leave.

Scout still doesn’t like to think of his retirement, but, much like his namesake, he tends to look ahead. After baseball, he sees himself as a coach or counselor, passing on some of the wisdom he’s picked up over the years. Some might argue he already serves this omnipresent role, as impressionable young teammates tend to gravitate to him. If you asked him his ambitions, he’d joke that he was born to become a talent scout. He’d say he hasn’t quite decided on where the future will take him. As his two decades in Ordos would imply, that’s a lie. Scout Turnbill is synonymous with his home. He’s found himself perfectly, and it’s somewhere that gives back as much as he takes.

---

Logo, uniform, and card assets by me. Card font free for personal and commercial use.