It’s interesting. The best players in the league tend to stay good. They tend to earn honors numerous times, make top plays numerous times, and have their names mentioned on a constant basis. Such is the case with our stud of the week. This isn’t his first appearance, and if I were a betting man, I would say this isn’t going to be his last. The worst performers in the league generally do not make multiple appearances on the negative lists. That’s part of being a Major League Baseball player. Adapting to circumstances, putting bad performances behind you.
The past week saw a performance ranking among the best in baseball history. We also a strange set of circumstances that had home-town fans booing one their most prominent pitchers. It’s all in a week here are Studs and Duds.
Stud of the Week
On May 9th, last Wednesday, Josh Hamilton joined a club more elite than those who have thrown a no-hitter, more elite than those who have hurled a perfect game. On May 9th, Josh Hamilton hit four home runs in a single game.
The naysayers will point to other players who have done this and say, ‘those other players aren’t so great, so this moment doesn’t mean much.’ What they fail to realize is the same can be said about the perfect game. Philip Humber tossed on this year. Is he of the same caliber as a Nolan Ryan, a Cy Young, a Walter Johnson? No, but we celebrate it the same because the moment is magical. It doesn’t matter who the player is. In this case, the player simply adds to the mystique.
Not only are we all well aware of Josh Hamilton’s struggles, his return to baseball, and his subsequent relapses including the one this offseason, but Josh Hamilton is in the middle of a contract year. He is heading toward free agency without a new contract from the Rangers looming. To some players that could be a distraction. Couple that with the fact that he recently fell off the wagon and is doing everything he can to hold on tight this time, and most would crumple. Not Josh Hamilton. He, instead, went out and made history.
Not only did Hamilton hit four home runs in a single game, they were all two-run home runs. They were all with Elvis Andrus on base.
Josh Hamilton joins the ranks among baseball’s greatest performances. It was a night so special, he earned himself on that performance alone. But if that’s not enough for you, he has hit nine home runs from May 9th on.
Dud of the Week
The dud of the week is equally enamoring. But for the wrong reasons. Josh Beckett was scratched from the start before last due to soreness. It was later revealed that he went golfing the very next day. If that wasn’t bad enough, Beckett was hammered in his first start since the scratch.
On Thursday, Josh Beckett started against the Cleveland Indians in Boston. He has never been known as the type you would describe as overly dedicated, but he did help the Red Sox to a World Championship. In the hearts of Boston fans, that’s usually enough. Not on this night.
In just 2 1/3 innings pitched, Beckett allowed seven hits, walked two, gave up seven runs, and struck out just two. It was a performance that would have garnered the frustration of even the most dedicated Beckett fan. Couple it with Beckett’s golf outing after soreness, and the chorus of boos that rained down on him as he exited the game should have come as no surprise.
Beckett’s performance itself was not due to the golf outing. As pointed out by Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron, Beckett’s velocity on all his pitches is down. This is usually an indicator of injury. Perhaps the sore lat Beckett experienced last week was just a symptom of the true injury. No matter the case, fans who pay exorbitant amounts of money to attend professional baseball games expect a level of dedication Beckett has not shown. Fair or not, Beckett’s poor choice is why he’s the dud of the week, not his poor performance.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen, follow me on Twitter @the5_5hole, or like us here on Facebook.