While We’re Waiting… Pick-Up with LeBron, Signing Danny Green, and Romeo Redux
August 19, 2009Browns Players Should Help Lift TV Blackout
August 19, 2009
I’d say this season I’ve been pretty patient with Travis Hafner. He is coming off of his worst season as a pro, and offseason shoulder surgery. Sure, the brass can tell me that he is still not 100% healthy, and cannot play in more than two consecutive games. You know what, it doesn’t mean anything to me.
Healthy or not, the guy is finished.
Sorry, Pronk. Your physical problems may never go away, but its the mental side of the game that is killing you. Last night’s performance was the latest in a long line of signs that we will never see the Travis Hafner we saw from 2004-2006 again. These years seem to be a long time ago for the big DH.
The Tribe’s 5-4 loss to the Angels squarely falls on his broad shoulders. An Andy Marte error put the Indians behind the eight-ball in the third. Trailing 5-1, the Wahoo bats went to work. With one out in the bottom of the third, Grady Sizemore led a brigade of five consecutive singles, bringing the Tribe to within 5-3. On the last of the five hits, Jhonny Peralta’s to right field, Stop Sign Skinner held Asdrubal Cabrera at third, even though the throw home sailed wide of the plate.
No problem, there was still just one out, and Hafner was stepping to the plate against Trevor Bell, making just his second career start. After working ahead in the count 3-1, Pronk fouled off a meatball before striking out on a pitch in the dirt.
As Indians color man Rick Manning put it after the Pronk K: “Travis Hafner has been terrible with runners in scoring position this year.” The number now reads .219. Even worse are his numbers with RISP and two out – .129.
Luis Valbuena popped out to end the rally.
“I’ve been chasing a lot of pitches out of the zone. I’ve been swinging at some bad pitches. It’s tough to hit if you’re not putting yourself in good counts and getting pitches to hit,” said Hafner. I didn’t realize being ahead on the count 3-1 wasn’t “not putting yourself in good counts.”
Still, with Fausto Carmona settling down during his last two innings (despite struggling early) and the bullpen putting up nothing but zeroes the rest of the way, the Indians had plenty of chances to win. None better than the seventh.
Again, the Tribe loaded the bases with one out for Peralta. The third basemen, the best RBI man Eric Wedge has left, singled to left, scoring Sizemore. But like the third, Stop Sign Skinner held Cabrera while Juan Rivera’s throw sailed way off line. Didn’t this guy learn his lesson in the third inning (or in game seven of the 2007 ALCS with Kenny Lofton)?
Just as he did earlier, Travis Hafner gagged in the big spot. With reliever Kevin Jepsen on the ropes and the tying run on third, Pronk rolled over a double play ball to second base, and letting all the air out of the balloon.
“My teammates did a great job getting on base,” Hafner said. “I came up twice in big at-bats and didn’t get the job done.” Thank you, master of the obvious.
Its a real shame Pronk killed not one, but two rallies against the AL West’s elite team. The offense provided 12 hits, but left nine men on base – Hafner was responsible for seven of them. Asdrubal Cabrera continued his season-long coming out party, going 4-5 and raising his average to .316. Grady Sizemore reached base four times. The top five in the order went 11-21.
However, in a recurring theme, the bottom four of the order – Hafner, Luis Valbuena, Wyatt Torgeas, and Andy Marte – were just 1-15 with a walk and an RBI. The hit, walk, and RBI all came from Sweet Luis.
“We did more than enough at home plate tonight to win that game,” said manager Eric Wedge. “We just let it slip away.”
Truer words cannot be spoken.
The Indians try to even the series tonight at Progressive Field against the Angels behind the arm of Jeremy Sowers. LA counters with Jered Weaver. Plenty of good seats are still available.
photo by Thomas Ondrey/Plain Dealer
27 Comments
I can’t help but think that Hafner was on the juice, got too big, and broke down. Even if he wasn’t juicing, he’s a case study on why athletes shouldn’t turn themselves into gorillas.
Hackner. Time to man up. If he gets a first pitch meatball… he needs to attack it. He is so passive.
TD-in your professional opinion, do you think steroids is the underlying issue with Pronk? After years of being a bulked up muscle bound basher, his return this year was without the bulk and muscliature. It is eerily similar of the “new” bodies displayed by Sammy Sosa and Ivan Rodriguez right after initiation of full bore testing. Could the “shoulder” injury be part of the typical joint maladies that many such users get? Almost all of these guys upon returning with their “new” phsyique never recapture their former glory (power).
This is not a definitive arrow at Pronk on this matter…….just wanted to get your thoughts.
Why are you still watching indians games?
@Isis…. if Pronk is trying to convince people otherwise, he certainly isn’t doing a very good job of it.
The biggest mistake the Indians made in the Lee deal is not making another team take Hafner (I will no longer call him Pronk – the Pronk I knew and loved is dead) and his bloated contract as part of the deal. They could’ve kept Victor as a C/1B/DH. I’m just hoping he’s able to get a medical retirement at some point (a la Albert Belle with the Orioles) and save the Tribe some cash.
SKINNNNERRRR!!!
– Superintendent Chalmers
Pronk is dead! Long live the Pronk!
*cough*…steroids…*cough*…
Well obviously anyone who thinks that the old Pronk (along with many, many other players) was not on some kind of ‘roid needs their head examined.
Lets give Hafner one more year. What do we have to lose? I think he’s earned it. Steroids? Come on. Its easy to pick on the big guy, but they say steroids add plenty of power, bat speed, but when Pronk was most effective it was his batting eye that made him elite. Hafner will gain weight this offseason, when he adds strength instead of rehabbing. And if he gets comfortable in the box again, he’ll be our ‘rock’. And those who think he was on steroids and want to turn their backs on him now have no place to root for him in the future.
I never gave Hafner the benefit of the doubt. His contract is exactly what is wrong with this team. Even when he signed, and was a “fearsome hitter” he could not play the field, had arm problems. But hit dingers, had a funny nickname and a section of the stadium named after him, and was hugely popular in town. While everyone was trying to go to Pronkville, I was demanding they trade him while he still had value. My friends thought I was crazy. But knowing that CC would be a free agent soon, we offered a big contract to a guy that runs like he has a piano on his back, has an arthritic elbow and can’t even play 1b.
Kind of reminds me of Sweeney after signing that big contract with the Royals a few years back — and wasn’t that a big feel-good signing at the time?
Here’s a thought experiment: Let’s just say that Hafner’s production continues to decline, and that next season progresses much as this season has, with a trip or two to the DL and Hafner only playing 5 times a week due to his shoulder. Let’s say that he still has the power for a few home run spurts, but lacks the bat speed to hit good pitching.
How long do the Indians let this continue before they consider Hafner to be a sunk cost and cut ties with him? Does the team continue to play him for the next three years, hoping against hope to get something out of their sizable investment? Do they continue to kill their roster flexibility with a mediocre hitter who can’t play the field at all? If the problem looks big now, it will look even bigger in a year or two.
I don’t know if Hafner did steroids, though it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. It is worth mentioning that many good players have suffered premature declines, and I doubt that steroids have played a role in all of these instances.
Regardless, Hafner looks completely done. I hope that I’m wrong, because I always enjoyed watching him as a player, and because he seems to be a likable guy who enjoys playing in Cleveland. But something tells me that this situation will end badly.
Completely done?
Um, he has the 4th highest OPS on the team. He’ll never be what he was, but he still does more to help us win than help us lose.
On the flip-side, the Angels batting order featured 1 thru 9 hitters with over 200 ABs all batting over .300.
We had two.
I hate to agree with the idea, but I’ve started to think he was juicing as well. Seems like a good guy and all, but the injuries and numbers, as well as the evidence of how prevalent PED usage was… it just looks that way.
1. I think it has nothing to do with steroids. He was in that Texas clubhouse and Canseco would have brought it up by now.
2. The Rangers traded him mainly because of shoulder concerns. They were just off a few years.
3. What do you do now? You can’t eat the contract. He is not injured enough for a medical retirement. You just pray that he has a great first half next year and we can unload him and maybe only have to eat a percentage of the deal.
you will NEVER be able to get rid of him. Three years left at an average of $14 million the rest of the way for a guy who cant play the field and is a shell of his former self?
Do I think he was on PED’s? In a word – Yes. Just my opinion.
Where did Hafner come up through the minors? Say it with me…The Rangers. Everyone in the organization was juicing. You can’t tell me that an above average hitter with below average defensive skills didn’t entertain thoughts of juicing in an environment where it is totally common. Roids was his ticket to the show. He got his contract and he cut it out. Enjoy .270 with 15 homeruns for the next 3 years.
Roids.
Lol. Hafner’s just toooo big. I’m surprised he could even walk up the stairs without getting winded. Hell, he might die of heart failure soon.
Why is it that the people that know the least about steroids like to talk about them the most?
The whole steroids thing is in the past whether it happened or not. Being one of the worst contracts in all of the MLB is right now!
@15, I noticed the same thing. The Angels batters kept coming up and every guy is at .300+
I teared up a bit remembering the days when the Tribe’s lineup used to be like that.
Wedge needs to go-Hafner needs to go-Carroll(35) needs to go NOW!!!LET THE YOUNG KIDS PLAY!!! oh yeah Dolans sell the team to somone with lots of money,to keep these kids and not just raise and farm them out makes me kind of sick and i love the Indians
Jamey Carroll in the out field makes me queezy too.
Carroll made a couple of nice plays in LF. One of the few Indians who showed up to play this year and exceeded expectations.
@26,
You’re right. I don’t have a problem with Carroll. He runs out every hit and seems to get more clutch hits when I’m watching than the Indian formerly known as Pronk.
For a utility guy, that is just fine.