Let's Have A Frank Talk About Fans' Criticism of Players and Management

 I read something on Guardians' Prospective Twitter tonight.  I had seen these types of comments before and I feel I had to address them.  Twitter (X) is so limiting, however, I have to respond here.  

Todd posted this comment from the family of a player.

"The great thing about baseball is if you're a true fan of the game, or if you ever played the game, u understand how hard it is and understand the highs and lows.  U know exactly how these guys feel.  The rollercoaster of emotions. No 1 wants to win for the city more then they do."

I love the game.  I am a true fan of the game.  But I am calling bullshit on this statement and here's why:

• If a player really cares about the team's success, as a .200 hitter, you don't swing at 3-0 pitches.  That .200 hitter doesn't swing at the first pitch (which he usually pops up or swings at a ball or hits into a double play) after his teammate has just walked on 4 pitches, or swings and misses at a 3-1 backfoot slider in the middle of a rally when they should be hunting a fastball or even taking a second strike if they don't get a driveable pitch.
• My standard for caring and trying hard is Austin Hedges.  He is the consummate teammate.  He knows he doesn't hit well, so he knows how to bunt, he plays good defense,  he'll take a walk, he does the little things.  He literally controls everything he can control to help the team and modifies what he would likely love to do, swing for the fences, to do what helps the team.  I doubt he has ever swung at a 3-0 pitch because he knows the likelihood of him getting a hit is less than him getting a walk and he knows the walk helps the team even if it doesn't help his pathetic, pitcher-like batting average. 
• Another, yet newer, example of a player like Hedges is Jhonkensy Noel.  I have watched him for years and you could see his development.  This year in Columbus and then in the majors you could see his improvement on defense and offense, and especially in the last month you could see his plate discipline start to improve.  Other young players who have played much longer this year or even the last two years, do not appear to be making those changes.  

So, here's the thing.  Everybody can SAY they want to win but if they aren't doing anything to help the team win, it really doesn't matter much how hard you are trying, right?  It comes down to one of two things if you are underperforming:

• You are not right now physically capable of changing your game to help the team win.
• You are not willing to change your game to help the team win

So, despite your good intentions of wanting to win for the team, your teammates and the city, you are just not helping the team win.  At that point, it is up to management to replace you with someone else and give them a chance while you are sent back to AAA to improve your game.   A real team player would accept that demotion and work hard to get better so that they can come back up at some later date and help the team win.  

I'll end by saying that while MAYBE no one wants to win more than the underperforming players do, there are other players who might really help the team win right now and they are in AAA and likely want to help our team win just as much your player does.

So the family member who wrote the above, if your player ends up getting demoted and replaced by someone else, don't be mad or pout or badmouth the team for not giving your player a fair chance.  If the player who replaces them helps the team win, then everybody gets what they supposedly want, for the Cleveland Guardians to win.