Last week, I wrote an article comparing MLB players to Pokémon.
After the article was published, I started thinking: if similarities can be found between athletes and fictional quasi-animals with superpowers, surely connections could also be drawn between the people who control them.
Each Pokémon trainer is in it for a different reason. Some want fame, some want power, and some have other ridiculous reasons for turning innocent creatures into effective gladiators (a majority of characters are one-dimensional hacks who exist for the sole purpose of getting beaten by Ash).
Different GMs have different goals as well. Executives of spendthrift clubs are expected to win, year in and year out, while those in charge of small-market teams are under constant pressure from frustrated fans to field contenders in spite of their disadvantages. Each has a different philosophy, and each goes about his job in a different way.
In this slideshow are the MLB front office counterparts of eight of Kanto’s most prominent trainers. If you’re like me, by the time you finish this article you’ll have a strong desire to go back and replay Yellow.