Justice Vann

​Justice Vann (born January 31, 1980), is an American former professional baseball right fielder and left fielder. He played 16 seasons in the American Baseball Association for the Chicago Cyclones and the Miami Sunbirds. He amassed a .282 batting average, 172 home runs, 555 runs batted in, 573 runs scored, and over 980 hits. He is a 3-time ABA Champion, 1-time ABA MVP, 3-time ABA Silver Slugger and a former ABA Rookie of the Year. He retired from the game following the 2018 season.

## Professional Career

### Boston Bandits (2000-2001)

In the 2000 Inaugural Draft, Vann was drafted in the 22nd round by the Boston Bandits. He was regarded as an elite prospect, but as teams had to field a competitive roster, his weak defense and raw talent saw him drop down in the draft. He didn't make the Bandits's roster in the first season and was regarded as the #1 prospect in the ABA following the 2000 season.

Vann once again failed to make the Bandits' roster in 2001 and was sent to the reserve roster. With Boston winning back-to-back championships, they decided they wanted to extend their window and acquire established talents. On September 30, 2001, Vann was traded alongside Jeff Williams with Jim Rickards going to Boston.

### Chicago Cyclones (2002-2015)

#### Humble beginnings (2002-2005)

Vann once again failed to make the pro roster before the 2002 season and was sent to the reserve roster. However, he didn't miss another opportunity in 2003, being named the starting right fielder for the Cyclones. His good play in his first season earned him the 2003 ABA Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger at RF, although competition wasn't very stiff. Playing for a struggling Cyclones team, Vann led the team in several categories, but struck out too much to be considered a top hitter. His defensive game wasn't the best and was called out numerous times to improve his defensive play. He had a more cautious approach at the plate in 2004, which saw his batting average plummet, but his OBP soar. He started to find his footing at the same time as his Cyclones teammates in 2005

#### The Great Years (2006-2014)

Vann improved his play drastically starting in 2006, where he led the league in runs scored with 42 in 55 starts. He followed it up by winning the 2007 batting title with a .367 batting average over the season, 10 points over the runner-up, the 4th best average over a season in ABA history at the time. The Cyclones made the post-season after achieving the best record in the regular season, losing in the semi-final against a New York team that barely played over .500. He also won a Silver Slugger at RF in 2007.

Prior to the 2008 season, Vann was up for arbitration and received his first substantial salary in his career. Vann maintained his batting average over .300 for the second-time in his career and helped the Cyclones to back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009m although his offensive numbers took a dive in 2009 following a hard training camp. Despite his lowering numbers, Vann's salary kept improving via arbitration and following an incredible season where he led the league in hits and doubles in 2010, he was eligible to hit free agency before the 2011 season.

Concerns grew regarding Vann's defensive game before he was due for a big payday, but Chicago put those concerns behind and signed Vann to a lucrative 6-year deal worth 1,516 million dollars, the last year being a team option. Vann's production dropped significantly in 2012 due to an ankle injury that he finally opted to get surgery on halfway through the season, limiting him to 31 games, the first games he missed due to injuries in his career. Vann struggled out of the gate in 2013 and had Cyclones fans worried that he would never come back to his previous self. He proved his doubters wrong by bouncing back in a big way in 2014, leading the ABA in runs, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, OPS and WAR, en route to win the ABA MVP.

#### The Decline (2015)

Following his MVP season, Vann consulted for back pain and was diagnosed with chronic back pain. Treatments failed to improve his condition and his once stellar offensive production started to fade to levels not seen since his rookie season. Despite winning a Championship with the Cyclones, they decided not to pick up the team option, letting Vann to hit free agency for the first time in his career.

### Miami Sunbirds (2016-2018)

Despite the injury concern and the chronic back pain, Miami decided to give Vann a chance. After all, he won MVP just two years prior. He signed a three-year deal worth 792k$. As many expected, Vann was a shade of his former self, failing to hit over .250 in his three years with Miami, posting a -0.9 WAR. Stuck with an untradeable contract, Vann stuck with the Sunbirds and gave it his best, but he finally decided to call it quits following the 2018 season.

## Retirement

After years of struggling with his back, Vann announced his retirement from the game immediately following the 2018 ABA Season. The Chicago Cyclones immediately annouced they'd be retiring Vann's #6 he wore with the team for 13 years. He then announced he'll try to get in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Cyclones.

## Awards

1X ABA MVP Award (2014)

3X ABA Silver Slugger Award (2003, 2007, 2014)

1X ABA Rookie of the Year (2003)

3X ABA Champion (2008, 2009, 2015)