One would think that infielder
Edwin Maysonet might be a little pissed about the Astros sending him back
down to the minor leagues on Saturday night. He would
be justified, seeing as how all he did was play excellent defense at
second and third base, while showing off some good range and the ability
to get on base while hitting a decent average. It’s what one
expects from a baseball player, after all, and it’s generally something
that’s rewarded.
But this is the Houston Astros
we’re talking about.
When Kaz Matsui returned from
the disabled list, Maysonet was assigned a spot on the Astros bench. It’s not that he was being punished, it’s just that Astros management
are idiots. Then Geoff Blum recovered from his latest injury.
“He’s done exactly what we’ve
needed him to do,” manager Cecil Cooper said about Maysonet to the
media on Friday night. “He hasn’t not played well.
It’s just that the role has been diminished, because guys have become
healthy, the guys that were supposed to be out there playing are playing.”
Yep, that’s right. Maysonet didn’t play bad. He just needed to sit down because
Matsui and Blum were healthy, and they were the guys who were supposed
to be playing. Never mind that Maysonet’s numbers are far superior
to both of those guys. Never mind that Maysonet’s younger. Never mind that, unlike these two guys, Maysonet doesn’t have to go
on the disabled list every week because he dares to sneeze. Never
mind that his defense is better, or that he has better range.
None of that matters.
What matters is that a couple of old guys who really suck are the guys
who are supposed to be playing because they’ve got the big contracts,
so they’re going to play.
There is some good news for
Maysonet. He gets to go back down to Round Rock where he’ll
actually get to play some baseball instead of being stuck on the bench
behind some fossils. Second, seeing as how it’s Matsui and Blum
that are playing, it’s probable that Maysonet will be back in the
Astros starting lineup by the end of the week — there are 100-year-olds
in nursing homes who aren’t as fragile as these two guys — as they’re
likely to soon be back on the disabled list. Finally, seeing the
present group running the Astros, it’s likely that Maysonet will soon
find himself traded to a team that really wants him in exchange for another washed-up
middle infielder.
So in the end, things will
work out for Maysonet, so he really shouldn’t be pissed. It’s
the Astros fans who should be pissed because it’s the Astros fans
who are stuck with watching old, fragile fossils like Geoff Blum and
Kaz Matsui try and play baseball while a young guy with talent is stuck
in the minors.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2009.
