So, comes the announcement that Shohei Ohtani is shutting himself down for the rest of the season.
I'm truly sorry to see this. I admire Ohtani as a ballplayer, and I think this is a sad loss to the game. What I always had trouble with was not the player but the hype.
MLB was determined, as ever, to make us believe that we were seeing the best there ever was.
They're determined to do it still. It was bruited about yesterday on ESPN that Ohtani is the first non-pitcher to get to a 10.0 WAR for a season "in so few games."
No statistic better exemplifies the chicanery that MLB has given itself over to.
First, the stat isn't even real. Ohtani as a DH—the only non-pitching "position" he plays—has a 6.0 WAR. Only the pitching gets him up to 10.0.
But the real problem here is celebrating that "in so few games." There were 135 games, to be precise—and there won't be no more.
In his six years in the majors, Shohei Ohtani has missed an average of 28 games a season due to injuries, and has never played in the postseason.
The same problem afflicts many of his Angels teammates. The great Mike Trout, one of the most exciting and talented players of this generation, has played as many as 140 games once, since 2016. Their teammate, Anthony Rendon, barely budges from the DL.
So it goes for the Yankees, too, of course. And the reaction of MLB...is to start a campaign for Giancarlo Cantrun to make the Hall of Fame.
The bottom line is, you're not seein' great players if you're not seein' 'em. I hope Ohtani will be back, and better than ever. But the Yankees would be fools to give him a whopping big contract after what we know now. And we're all fools to go on supporting this exercise in athlete-wrecking that is baseball today.
Posts
8 comments:
Rodon being Rodon.
Here we go again with the no-hitting…FFS
Volpe made up for the error…
Volpe’s HR total has come of age.
(Not that I’m implying ANYTHING by saying that)
Rodon is our newest albatross.
What flavor is it?
No one got the python reference - which is OK.
HOWEVER - I just had a waking vision that BOONE IS going to be let go days after the end of the season.
If that comes to pass - you can thank me.
AA, I hope you're right, that Boone-zo is gone-zo after this season. If the heat is on Cashman's ass, you know that Boone always was a candidate for the official Sacrificial Lamb of the New York Yankees.
If they get rid of him, I hope they bring in someone who'll stand up to Cashman's bullshit. No more front office interference with day to day managing. No more memos directing lineups, pitching changes, etc.
@ Hoss, Ohtani has had a very good year. But if I were GM of any team, there's no way I'm giving him a super contract. He's got a bad elbow and a core injury. Multiple injuries compromising him as a pitcher and a hitter. It couldn't have been worse timing for Ohtani. The Yankees should absolutely NOT touch him. We already have enough DHs and injured pitchers. Somebody is going to offer him an incentive laden "prove it" contract. It better not be us. The elbow could be a career destroying injury that makes him ineffective as both a pitcher and a hitter.
Post a Comment