Monday, March 03, 2008

Please, don't listen to the manager


All right, Delmon, Carlos, I know you'll read this, so I want to get this point across quick. Don't listen to Ron Gardenhire. If what Joe Christensen said is true, then Mr. Gardenhire has lost his mind.
First, Carlos, (can I call you Carlos? I'm 2 years older than you, so I'm going to call you Carlos. Or Chuck. I'm calling you Chuck)... First, Chuck, Gardy seems to like how hard you swing the bat and how aggressive you were. Well, Chuck, let's make one thing clear. You have one offensive skill right now. You are very fast. You are Jimmy John's delivery fast. So far, you aren't much for hitting. That means, you need to take pitches. You need to walk every once in a while. For a guy who stole 60 bases in a short, minor league season, just getting a walk would be almost as good as a double, what with your motor. What we don't need is some kid leading off and pulling his hamstring because he swung too hard when he shouldn't be swinging that hard in the first place because his only skill at this stage in his career is his speed. So. Don't be so aggressive.
As for you, Delmon, I think everyone can agree that you aggressively swinging a bat is a scary proposition. Other than that, it pains me to say that the Devil Rays organization may have had the right idea, telling you to be patient at the plate. Seriously, it's a good idea. Look at what happened to Torii Hunter when he figured that out. 90 million dollars is what friggin' happened. So, Delmon, swing away at good pitches. Under no circumstances, however, should you swing at balls out of the zone, pitches on a 3-0 count, pick off throws to first or umpires.
Now, Gardy, if you are reading this, shaking your head in disbelief, I want to remind you of something. You were a career .232 hitter with 4 home runs. You may not be the best example for young, good hitters. Actually, there is someone on the team that seems to fit your mold a little better. Why don't you go ruin him?

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