His Yankee future might hinge on how well his words were chosen, and how warmly they were received. Did he speak from the heart? Did he touch a cord of remorse that teammates can understand? Did phone it in, just reciting the tired words of lawyers or a passing sycophant?
Either way, he is one of the most interesting stories on the Yankees. ("Interesting" being a word you generally don't want applied to your fate.)
German is accused of abusing his girlfriend in the tumultuous summer of 2019, after his fortunes abruptly soared and crashed in ways that Reddit stock traders surely appreciate.
In late May of that season, German was 9-1 with an ERA of 2.60 ERA, christened the "ace" of the staff by YES. He seemed destined for the All Star Game, maybe as the starter. Then came a series of bad starts - HRs took him down - said to be the result of a hip flexor injury. He went on the Injured List, missed All-Star consideration, and returned in July to pitch six shutout innings against Toronto, lifting his record to 11-2. Again, he looked like the Yankee stopper.
But he was inconsistent. By August, the Yankees were blaming his workload, which had expanded beyond anything in the past. They planned to move him to the bullpen, to limit his innings, then bring him back for the postseason, maybe as a starter.
In September, everything collapsed. MLB suddenly placed him on "administrative leave" following charges of domestic violence, which never reached the police but were known to the Yankees. He is alleged to have hit his girlfriend, who was known to his teammates, raising a quandary that remains within the organization.
German finished 2019 with an incredible 18-4 record, though his ERA had ballooned to 4.03. (Of the starters, only James Paxton's was lower, at 3.82.) With about 10 days left in the season, MLB booted him from the playoffs.
In January, it lowered the boom: Suspended for 81 games, causing him to miss half of 2020. Turned out, the penalty killed his entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season. And he began bouncing off the walls.
Last July, as camps were reopening, he tweeted, "I'm done with baseball. Thanks, everyone." A few hours later, he recanted, saying, "Baseball is my life and I promise I am not walking away."
Yeesh. What a clusterfuck. I wonder - did it matter yesterday that his addresses came just after one of the anticipated lug nuts in the Yankee rotation - Clarke Schmidt - went down with a bad elbow? It certainly shouldn't. But I wonder...
And I wonder how German's speeches went down with Aroldis Chapman? He's a Yankee because the Reds exiled him after being charged with beating his wife and shooting up the family garage. Surely, El Chapo was listening carefully - either sympathetically, or with a discerning eye for bullshit. A lot of levels to that equation.
The Yankees need German, no doubt. Management seems to have forgiven; at least, it hasn't traded him - yet. Now, it's up to the jury.
I continue to think that German needs help. There's something wrong under the hood that only a very good and experienced shrink can help him face and overcome.
ReplyDeleteMy late best friend, a Covid victim, spent years on the couch. Eventually, I did, too. My friend said, "When you're crazy, seeing a shrink won't stop you from being crazy. You just learn to control it and stop the behavior before it happens." You can apply that to many forms of behavior, self-damaging or damaging to others.
German, to me, shows what happens when head problems combine with youthful testosterone. It can be a really bad mix. Does management recognize or even care about a possible mental health issue? I don't know. If they do, that's not getting any publicity. But with the talent this kid has shown, we can only hope so.
JM....I could have saved you tens of thousands of dollars and years of therapy with this diagnosis: "It's your mother's fault". Please pay me $1000. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding, of course, but a good psychologist/psychiatrist makes his client aware of the problem and what triggers the the reaction to that problem. The patient has to be willing to accept. The shrink can't "cure" otherwise.
Getting back to German. I wish they'd just STFU about his psychological problems already. Not to condone what ostensibly happened but there are much worse players than him. People are not monolithic souls, rather they are a complex mixture of attributes and deficiencies. I think he is on the plus side in spite of his anger problem which he is well on his way to addressing. I hope.
Look, if the "Bronx Zoo" era in the early 70's were able to yield championships with all the contrasting personalities and players with deep emotional problems then they can also thrive with German as a pitcher.
Interesting all around.
ReplyDeleteJM,
To your point "German, to me, shows what happens when head problems combine with youthful testosterone" I would add being the best baseball player in your town/country and being identified as such at an early age. Particularly in a country where baseball players are more venerated than most.
Add a signing bonus that probably dwarfs the salary of anyone in his family and it can be a heady mix.
That said, there are a lot of kids who excel and get signed and don't start beating up their wives and girlfriends
(That we know of - If I was a sociologist it would be an interesting study - especially of the ones that don't make it and have to return home. It would probably be a good book as well. "No Mas Beisball" Dreams ended. Money and privilege still there. Like the hometown football hero on steroids (perhaps literally). Remember, you can't spell "privilege" without vile.)
I guess in some ways it's comparable to what happens to child stars in this country but with a more third world twist.
But back to German.
Yes, I hope he gets the help he needs. I don't know if his teammates will be able to forgive (if not forget) because, based on the story (such as it's been revealed) Yankee wives and/or girlfriends were called in to help and that's a justifiably powerful vote NO.
I don't see it working out for him as a Yankee even if he apologizes from the heart and gets the mental help he needs. They do team functions with the whole family and those become uncomfortable and counter productive because of the above. And, rightly so.
Get him the help he needs and trade him.
Doug K.
Remember when Bobby Cox used his wife's face for a punching bag and he was suspended for life? Me neither. Beating a smaller person of ANY gender is despicable, the Ownership Club, like Louie Renault, can really blow with the wind... I really miss the days when I wasn't forced to "know" the various sleaze-bags around sports.
ReplyDeleteWhere's Tanaka?
ReplyDeleteWhere's Tanaka?
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that, JM, but glad to hear the therapy is helping. I do think that we should think of it more as maintenance, than leading to a "cure."
ReplyDeleteIt's never a good idea, of course, to think that we "know" any celebrities. But this is just one more nail in trying to love the current Yankees edition.
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