Back on August 22nd 2023, The RailCats traded away a beloved player in Michael Woodworth to the Kane County Cougars. I would say about 95% of the fan base was shell shocked at this trade. Now I can go into depth of why Lamar decided to trade away a very solid 2nd baseman. But the real question in that trade was if this was a trade move for a player that was unhappy and never to see this trade be fully completed.

On March 20th, 2024, the Kane County Cougars signed and then sent Olivier Basabe to the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Basabe is an infielder from Venezuela. He is 5’10” and 195 lbs. He throws and bats right-handed. He is 26 years old. He played for one year at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 8th round of the 2017 Draft.

He played in 5 seasons in the Minors, reaching Double A in 2022. In his 5 seasons among Rookie ball, Low A, Single A, High A, and Double A, he played in 368 games, had 1,264 at-bats, scored 158 runs, got 309 hits, hit 57 doubles, 8 triples, 22 home runs, 152 RBIs, stole 25 bases, got caught stealing 11 times, walked 121 times, and struck out 257 times. He slashed .245/.320/.354, and his OPS was .675.

Last year he played in his 1st season in the American Association. He played for 2 teams, He played for the Kansas City Monarchs for the first 20 games, He was traded to the Kane County Cougars on July 2nd for a player to be named later. He played 50 games with the Cougars plus 3 playoff games.

His 2023 regular season stats were 70 games, 263 At-Bats, 31 runs scored, 77 Hits, 16 Doubles, 1 Triple, 7 Home runs, 34 RBIs, 2 Stolen Bases, 1 time caught stealing, walked 15 times, and struck out 45. He slashed .293/.335/.441 and had an OPS of .776. In 3 playoff games, he had 12 At-Bats, scored 2 runs, 5 hits, 1 double, 3 RBIs, and a Batting Average of .385.

I will not be surprised if Basabe is an opening day starter. The question is, where is he going to play? He has the offensive ability. He may not have great power, but he can bring that “move the line” mentality, which is something the RailCats have missed. I don’t believe this was a depth piece move. This was a solid move, and in the end, I believe the RailCats will win this trade at the end of the 2024 season. WELCOME TO THE SOUTHSHORE!!