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More on Valdespin this weekend from Tracky. Yeah, I'd say they got Ankeil for a reason.
Jordany Valdespin tried to wiggle out of pinch-hitting duty on Saturday when he expected the Pittsburgh Pirates to plunk him, according to a person who witnessed the event in the dugout. Then he wore body armor to the plate, and confounded teammates by refusing to address the media after that game. All of these things? More negative developments in the growing drama surrounding him.
We have dealt with Valdespin’s quirky personality before, and the view here is that he is an exciting player, not a bad guy, immature but far from mean-spirited. But his trouble getting along with teammates is worth raising again today because of the new information regarding an episode that his club hoped would be a learning experience. Now, his many detractors are left to wonder if he will ever evolve.
Valdespin also has his supporters in the Mets organization, people who have known him for years and believe that many of the players criticizing him are overreacting to a unique personality. Sandy Alderson has shown even-handed leadership on the issue, repeatedly saying that Valdespin should not change who he is, and the Mets are responsible for helping him mature. But when a bench player causes so many distractions among a group that is struggling anyway, days like last Friday and Saturday are highly problematic for the team.
To review: On Friday night, Valdespin hit a garbage-time homer with his team down 7-1 to Pittsburgh, then flipped his bat and threw himself a private party while rounding the bases. That started the whole thing.
Hey, look. The Jordany Valdespin Show is fun to watch, especially because he plays for a bland and boring team. And the American style of baseball is too conservative compared to, say, the version staged in the Dominican Republic; white guys should lighten up and dance sometimes, and learn a little something about on-field fun from the man who calls himself JV1.
But in the major leagues, you have to know that you if pimp a homer in a blowout, you’re going to wear a baseball, and be asked about it postgame. That’s just what happens, whether or not it is a stupid tradition.
Anyhoo, the following day, Terry Collins needed Valdespin to pinch-hit in the seventh inning. The manager was not looking to punish the player, or torture him in the public square. He believed that Valdespin was the right guy on his bench for the situation at hand, and asked him to do his job.
According to a source who saw the scene unfold, Valdespin initially sent word to Collins through trainer Ray Ramirez that he was unavailable. Obviously, this did not impress teammates, who assumed that Valdespin was trying to avoid a plunking.
After some discussion, it was determined that Valdespin was healthy and able to hit, so he went up to the plate -- wearing an elbow pad, which he does not usually do. Pirates reliever Bryan Morris nailed him in the right forearm with a 94-mile-per-hour fastball, inspiring Valdespin to stare back at the mound, flip his bat, then flip his lid a few minutes later when he returned to the Mets’ dugout. While other Mets watched and judged, Valdespin tossed his helmet and yelled.
“I don’t know why he was acting surprised,” a teammate said. “He went up there with a huge elbow pad.’
What was Valdespin’s perspective on this scene? We would love to be fair and provide it, but as Collins and David Wright spoke of the weekend as a possible learning experience for Valdespin, providing a tutorial on MLB etiquette, Valdespin violated another rule very important to teammates by declining to speak to the media about a negative incident.
Instead of sharing his side and allowing the public to consider his thoughts, Valdespin sent a team spokesman out to say, “he considers it over and done with and he’s not going to address it.”
Other Mets openly laughed at this perceived lack of accountability, according to witnesses, in disbelief that the youngster would duck questions. It is considered a matter of honor within baseball clubhouses to report to one’s locker after a tough game; when players who have endured that unpleasant experience see others avoid it, they tend to see the avoidance as inexcusable cowardice.
Oh, and there was one more thing. Before Valdespin left the ballpark on Saturday, teammate Juan Lagares asked him for a ride home, according to a clubhouse source. Ever since Lagares arrived from the minor leagues on April 23, Valdespin has tried to force the outfielder to fetch him coffee and run other minor errands that rookies are often asked to perform for veterans, according to that same source (last year, Valdespin made enemies by demanding, unsuccessfully, that veterans buy him clothing).
Because Valdespin has himself only been in the major leagues since 2012, Lagares has at times refused to comply with his demands. So on Saturday, Valdespin said no, he would not give Lagares a ride home. Fortunately, Ruben Tejada volunteered.
As one team official put it, “This is a lot of trouble for a guy who is really just a pinch-hitter.” |
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