Bill Veeck would have loved him: The lone pitcher of his - or any - generation to throw from both the left and right sides. You better believe, Veeck would never let two crappy seasons end without bringing this guy up, at least in September, to sell a few tickets.
Well, for better or worse, Brian Cashman is not Bill Veeck. (Though Veeck would have appreciated the Yankees' "farewell tours," which sold out the stadium despite mediocre teams.) He became a six-year free agent today. (So did Zolio Almonte and Nik Turley, a distant relative to Bob.)
The frustration of being a Yankee diehard is having guys like Venditte bouncing along for eternity in the minors, and fantasizing how good they'll be. You wait for them to get a shot, but it never comes.
I can't claim to know more than the Yankee coaches and scouts, who apparently decided Venditte's pitches won't fool major league hitters.
Still, it's frustrating to watch guys slog onward, forever stunted in Scranton. Venditte threw six years for us with a career ERA of 2.46. In 2012 he seemed slow close... but tweaked a blingy and spent 2013 in ice buckets, returning to form.
The Yankees spend more on minor league free agents than anybody, so if Cashman wants him, it's possible we'll re-sign him. But I'm hoping Venditte hooks up with a new Bill Veeck. He needs a team that's willing to take a chance.
Frankly, we all do.
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1 comment:
This is just tragic. We were never competing for a playoff spot, so why not give him ( and us ) a memory?
Because Cashman is too " hard-ass," right? Too baseball focused. NO "toying" with the boring traditions of losing, year on year. Nothing interesting or different.
It fit's Cashman's style to sign this guy to the minors, and then destroy that signing.
Cashman has taken a few things out of baseball;
A. Winning
B. Any chance of winning
C. Any reason to enjoy watching the Yankees.
I mean, who isn't drooling to watch C31 year-old, Met failure Cris Young, or what ever his .190 name is.
That's Cashman's idea of fun.
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