Kid who wrote letter to Astros GM never dreamed he'd respond

HOUSTON (AP) When 7-year-old Will Erickson penned a letter to Jeff Luhnow imploring the Houston Astros general manager not to trade George Springer, he never dreamed he'd get a response.

The reason was simple.

''Because he's busy,'' Will told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Will decided to write the letter when he heard the Astros could be looking for pitching this offseason and might need to trade somebody like Springer to get it. His letter was straightforward. It said: ''Please don't trade George Springer these are the reasons. 1. He is my favorite player. 2. I get my hair cut like his. 3. He is a team player.

It turns out that Luhnow wasn't too busy to take some time out to get back to the second-grader. He tweeted a picture of the letter with the words: ''Sound logic don't you think?''

Will said it took him about 15 minutes to write the letter and decided it would be cool to write one instead of simply sending an email after a letter-writing project his class did recently. He wasn't nervous about reaching out to a baseball executive despite being in elementary school.

''No, because it was just a letter not like talking,'' he said.

He's been to quite a few Astros games and loves the work of Springer, who is an outfielder.

''I like how he robs homers and hits home runs,'' Will said.

During the week Will's bedtime is 8 p.m. so he isn't able to watch much of Astros games live since they begin at 7:10 p.m. But he DVR's every game and gets to watch his beloved Springer's work from the night before after school each day.

As for the haircut, Will decided to change his hairstyle after seeing Springer's cool do, which has shaved sides and is longer on top. It was only supposed to be for a little while according to his parents, but now they can't get him to change it and say it's part of his personality.

''There's no curls (on mine) but it's the same,'' Will said.

After Luhnow tweeted Will's letter it got a lot of attention on the internet, with scores of people retweeting it and dozens of news stories being written about it. There was even a segment on the local news in Houston where his father discussed the letter that Will's teacher played on Wednesday for his class.

''They called me famous,'' Will said about his classmates.

Will hasn't met Springer, but is a little worried about how he'll respond if he ever gets the chance.

''If I saw him I would faint,'' Will said.

When he isn't talking trades with baseball executives Will is a typical elementary school boy. He plays little league baseball and fit his first interview in between school and a trip to see Santa Claus at a nearby Christmas village.

It's not much of a surprise what he planned to ask Jolly Old Saint Nick for on Wednesday night. He wants ''real snow'' or a baseball lesson from Springer at Minute Maid Park.

Both are a tall order, but since Will lives in a place where temperatures in December can soar into the 70s, his parents aren't sure which wish is more unlikely.