Yesterday, Rashad Eldridge texted me to let me know he had been sent down from Durham to Montgomery. Starting today, he will be a Biscuit again. I know the Montgomery Biscuits fans will be glad to see him again (He was a 2008 Southern League All-Star), but the ultimate goal of a ballplayer is to play in the Big Leagues.
At the time of the demotion, Rashad was hitting .301 with 25 hits in only 21 games. Unfortunately though, the Tampa Rays are Outfield Heavy, (which means they have a ton of outfielders in their system). He also had an OBP of .731 and was playing a solid outfield for them. However, the minor league system is such that with limited time and limited resources, certain players are going to be pushed (or lifted) to the Big Leagues. Rashad does not appear to fall in that category.
His demotion pulls at my heartstrings in two ways. 1) He is also a user of the Pitcher's Nightmare Swing Trainer and I'd love to see him play in the Bigs, but more importantly, he is a very, very good friend. And I understand his frustration with the game we all love so dear. It is part of being a professional. Trust me, I know. I was demoted, shifted, benched, and ultimately released several times. Unfortunately for Rashad, as the Manager from Bull Durham says before releasing Crash in the 1988 movie Bull Durham (required movie watching for ballplayers...of a certain age..., "this is the toughest job a Manager has". It's also the toughest part on the players.
No comments:
Post a Comment