Let this kid come to West Michigan this year.
This is Rick Porcello's first spring training here, but most certainly not his last. The Tigers selected him in the first round of last year's amateur draft and paid him handsomely because they see his golden right arm as a prized piece in their future.
Teammates have acknowledged his considerable talent. Observers have projected when his arm might be ready for the majors. Fans have dreamt about the day he takes his place beside Justin Verlander in a rotation for the ages.
The possibilities are whizzing by, at a rate that would make many grownups flinch.
While college freshmen his age ponder the big questions in life -- Cancun or Key West? -- Porcello, 19, received a major-league contract worth at least $7 million last August, but it wasn't until his first big-league camp began that he could prove he truly belonged.
We have a second-year pitching coach, so Kid Wonder might end up in Lakeland where their pitching coach is as old as dirt (seriously, been in ball 43 seasons according to their website).
Sure hope he ends up here though. Those Florida summers are brutal on the youngsters. Right?