Yankees 8 Indians 0: Don’t Wear a LeBron Heat Jersey To The Jake!
July 29, 2010Cleveland Athlete Twitter Tourney: Final 4
July 29, 2010For years, nobody was a bigger Jhonny Peralta defender than me. When so many complained about his rise to the majors kicking Omar Vizquel out of town, I was convinced it was the right move. I still think it was. Of course, I miss Omar and wish he was here as our utility man (where he is doing a great job in Chicago), but the Peralta era had to begin in 2005.
Yesterday, that era came to an end as the Indians third baseman was sent to Detroit for A ball pitcher Giovanni Soto, who by the way, happens to be a decent prospect and not some throw-away.
It was obvious Peralta had no future here. His numbers have steadily declined since 2007 and he has never approached the 2005 season where he starred, hitting third for a 93-win team. That season, Jhonny set career-highs in batting average (.292), homers (24), and OPS (.886), while driving in 78. At that time, nobody was pining for Omar’s return.
Sure, Jhonny was never the most graceful shortstop, but nobody cared about his defense because he was hitting. Then, the hitting stopped.
In 2006, the Indians, and Peralta, were big disappointments. His batting average fell to .257, his homers dropped to 13, and he only drove in 68 runs. Meanwhile, his strikeouts went up to a career-high 152. The book on Jhonny was out – don’t pitch him fastballs and continue to watch him fish on the low and away breaking stuff.
This became a recurring theme the rest of his time in Cleveland.
The defense got disastrously worse as his range continued to shrink. Peralta seemed to return to form in 2007 (.270 BA/21 HR/72 RBI/.771 OPS) including a postseason in which he was arguably their most clutch hitter (.469 in the division series and .259 with two homers and eight RBI in the ALCS.) But under Eric Wedge’s controlling thumb, Jhonny just always seemed a little off.
After going .278/23 HR/89 RBI/.804 OPS in 2008, the prevailing thought was that the Indians were ripe for contention in 2009 and a move to third base was all but inevitable for the statue that Peralta had become at shortstop. Asdrubal Cabrera was a natural shortstop and needed to be put there immediately if not sooner. Just before New Years, the Indians traded for Mark DeRosa, who had been the Cubs regular second baseman. Peralt, prepared for the hot corner by playing there during Winter Ball.
Then inexplicably, GM Mark Shapiro and Manager Eric Wedge announced DeRosa would be playing third base, leaving AC at second and Peralta at short. The justification from Wedge and Shapiro was that Peralta was “one of the best in the game at balls hit right at him.” I still to this day, think this may have been the single dumbest statement made in the Jacobs Field era. We all knew this would be a disaster, and it was.
The Indians stumbled out of the blocks yet again, Peralta started slowly again, and DeRosa was traded by July. Mercifully, Jhon was moved to third. During the entire debacle, Peralta and Wedge butted heads, both privately and eventually in public. This certainly didn’t help his play on the field. A below-average defensive shortstop became a below-average third baseman. His power disappeared as he hit just 11 homers in 151 games. He also hit a full season career-low .254.
With one year and a club option left on his contract, 2010 became Jhon’s last stand. With a new manager, fresh outlook, and no expectations on the team, Peralta seemed primed for a bounce back year. That didn’t happen.
He hit just .224 in April and in July he crashed down to .215. The buzzards had been circling him for long enough. It was obvious the Tribe brass were trying to find a taker, but nobody seemed interested. When Detroit third baseman Brandon Inge was lost for eight weeks, the deal with the Tigers came together. By last night, Peralta was no longer an Indian.
“He’s a guy who signed here as a teenager and came through our system, replaced a legend — a potential Hall of Famer at shortstop — and did it extremely well,” Shapiro said. “Having grown up [in Baltimore] watching a succession of guys struggle to replace Brooks Robinson, I know how difficult that is. [Peralta] contributed to playoff run [in 2007] and was an outstanding professional and class individual. [Trading him] is an emotional moment.”
Shappy, always takes the high road. You gotta respect it. I mean, he could have called out CC for lying about not getting a contract offer from the Indians in 2008, but he didn’t.
Back to Jhonny.
It was time to let him go and see what the future holds. There is essentially a one year hold on the job while AA third baseman Lonnie Chisenhaul gets a little more seasoning. Luis Valbuena, Jayson Nix, and Andy Marte are on the major league roster as options the rest of the way. Columbus’s Jared Goedert will most certainly get a look as well.
“We wanted to take a look at some of our internal alternatives [at third base] for next year, because we think they can help us this year, too,” Shapiro said. “We had come to the decision we weren’t going to pick up [Peralta’s] option for next year. We had multiple guys that we viewed as potential alternatives that we wanted to take a look at.”
My thoughts? Jhonny was a good soldier; a nice kid who kept his mouth shut and played every day. Many thought he didn’t play hard all the time, but it was just his mild mannered demeanor. No doubt he cared more than the fans thought he did. He didn’t live up to the expectations of the 23 year old kid who was raking in 2003 and that was his downfall. That and the fact that he was never going to be Omar Vizquel.
With all of that said, it was time to move on. So fair well, my friend. It was a good run. We will always have this….
26 Comments
His accent? I had no idea race had anything to do with Omar leaving.
I still want to punch him. I’ve never been happier to see someone traded. The “I don’t give a s#$t” looks on his face infuriate me. Good riddance.
Tigers wont make the playoffs anyway… thanks for the prospect!
Hehe. Not only did we trade Peralta, but we did it to a division opponent.
Enjoy him Detroit.
@Stinkfist – Tigers won’t make the playoffs anyway?
That makes it sound like getting Peralta ‘helps’ them. Surely you mis-typed.
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACE!
Long term contracts badly affect certain still-developing players, and I think he was an example. Signed his extension in March ’06 after making minimums. He stopped adjusting after that and didn’t appear all that motivated. I don’t blame Shapiro for the contract, you can’t always know how a player will react. I’ll always believe he had the talent to be a very solid, professional-type stick and just got lazy.
But keeping him at SS while he was still getting taller and bulking up and losing range – that was ridiculous. Wonder how many runs resulted from 20-bouncers up the middle.
On the other hand, his wife looks kind of adorable.
“The book on Jhonny was out – don’t pitch him fastballs and continue to watch him fish on the low and away breaking stuff.”
Unfortunately, Jhonny can’t read. And, did they REALLY say that Jhonny was “one of the best in the game at balls hit right at him”?!? That’s a Romeo-Crennel-ism if I’ve ever seen one.
@Robbie, I agree with you. I mean my 9 year old son is pretty good at fielding balls hit right him too.
@Harv 21 — I agree. It sucks that the Indians MUST sign and lock-up the young players that show promise, as soon as possible, or take the chance… well, to be honest, face the certainty that those players leave for bigger markets and more money, sooner than later.
In my opinion, this is the biggest reason why MLB is not competitive. It’s one thing to not be able to attract quality free-agents from other teams because you don’t have money, but it’s even worse when you can’t retain the prospects you scout, develop and grow to love as part of your family.
I still count Sizemore as a successful gamble because he continued to play well after the long-term contract. Hafner and Peralta were busts… and, unfortunately, Fausto is officially beginning to worry me.
@Robbie, Fausto worried me from the start, then he showed brilliance in 2007, but he still worries me. He certainly has his moments
Dig deep in your memory… I know we all remember Fausto’s releiver days… ouch!!
@Robbie: Not only does it suck that they have to take these gambles, but it would be even worse if the promising player refused the first multi-year contract. For example, let’s say Santana looks like Manny Part II, and Scott Boras gets ahold of him and somehow convinces him to not give up any free agency years, or maybe one at most. We’d then be looking to trade him in his mid-20s, maybe in his fourth MLB year, just to get something. That would be hideous.
Chris,
“The “I don’t give a s#$t” looks on his face infuriate me.”
Doesn’t Cliff Lee have that same look? I think it’s the look coupled with crappy production that really infuriates you.
You are not going to succeed in this town if you SEEM like you don’t give a (darn). I agree, he probably cared more than he shown but man, he really need to show it more.
@ Harv: Agree that Boras won’t let someone like Santana give up (m)any free agent years. That’s the way it goes.
But that’s why I advocate playing the service clock game with these guys. We now have club control of Santana through AT LEAST 2016 (because he won’t acquire a full year of service this year). We get SEVEN YEARS of club control over the kid. Granted, he will make his money in arbitration, but not near what he’d make on the free market, when other teams can bid.
Someday, you’re probably right, Santana won’t be an Indian. But thinking like that makes me wonder how anyone can ever buy a puppy: “Look kids! You’re all going to cry when this dies someday!!”
Seven years is enough time to build around Santana, and if we can’t do it, it’s not Boras’ fault or Santana’s or MLB’s structure. It would be the front office’s fault. Plain and simple.
I think the saddest part of this deal (for the Tigers) is that Jhonny is actually better than the two guys they’ve tried out at third; they’re both batting just barely above .200. He’s not much better, but definitely better. There’s no way the Tigers make the playoffs with guys like that (or guys like Jhonny, for that matter).
@ Harv:
So following that thinking, this is Choo’s last year as an Indian (he’s arbitration eligible, as is Cabrera)? I would be SHOCKED if that happened, but it’s what you seem to think is standard operating procedure around here.
I would like to lock them both up, but if Boras makes Choo go to arbitration, we’re not going to trade him. At least I can’t envision that happening…
“Someday, you’re probably right, Santana won’t be an Indian. But thinking like that makes me wonder how anyone can ever buy a puppy: “Look kids! You’re all going to cry when this dies someday!!””
re-posted for emphasis. this is brilliant.
Jon: controlling a player 7 years with multiple arbitrations is theory only, would not happen with Shapiro here in any capacity. Tribe last went to arbitration even one time for any player … when? Greg Swindell? Jerry Browne? (look him up). Peters taught Hart who taught Shapiro that even one arbitration sours the player and the locker room. You believe they’d do it with their star player and his squawking agent? Will not happen.
Shapiro doesn’t operate/cannot operate in big windows. I agree only chance to compete is to convince the young guys that you might blow out a shoulder, your ship is coming in right now, and babes dig players with serious cribs more than guys with just generous per diems. I stand by 4 years if he doesn’t sign a multi, then bye-byes.
@18 – yes, he learned this and is why your best players you convince to lock up to contracts through their arbitration years. they likely don’t give up any FA years, guarantee their $$$, and you guarantee not to have a problem-child (while hopefully getting them at a discount)
As a tiger’s fan I am not thrilled. Yes, Jhonny is an upgrade over the guys we are trotting out without inge, and he’ll be an upgrade at short when inge returns, but with our injuries the last week we aren’t making the playoffs. Peralta isn’t going to replace Magglio’s production or guillen’s for that matter.
And as you mentioned, Soto is a good prospect. He kind of burst onto the scene this season after not being talked about much, but was averaging a solid 8.3k/9 with an era under 3. Could be a good find for cleveland down the road.
I gotta admit, I liked Jhonny. He might not have been the greatest but not everyone on the squad is going to be an all-star.
My first memory of seeing him play was in a Buffalo Bisons @ Toledo Mudhens game. I cracked a joke about how the minor league stadium couldn’t even spell “Johnny” correctly on the scoreboard. Someone a few rows up turned around and gave me the “you idiot” look and told me that “Jhonny” was actually the correct spelling. To this day, I’m certain that someone messed up the scoreboard in one of his very first at-bats, and Jhonny just decided to roll with it.
I always thought the ones hit right at you were the hardest.
@ Puppies – When you live in a small market baseball city, your puppies get hit by a car after 5 months.
@22 – then you wouldn’t be as attached (which is how some people seem to treat the tribe as a defense mechanism)
but, the odds are that you are locked into the puppy for at least 7 years. now, the first few years are the hard work where the puppy shows a lot of promise(minors), but, at the same time, takes a dump on the floor (inconsistent) and manages to miss the tile and hit a noticeable spot of the carpet when dumping its bladder everytime (trouble when jumping minor league levels).
and, in some cases, if you leave the puppy alone too long, you return to see it has chewed up your favorite pair of shoes (development derailing injury). but, with a lot of love and patience, the puppy becomes a dog (mlb player) and your best friend (allstar).
then, after a few great years together, the time comes for the puppy to move on to a big market team (be put down). tears come at this stage, but also a genuine respect for the time you spent together.
Nice Tigers debut for Jhonny!
[…] are no two ways about it, and as I wrote last week, it was Jhonny’s time to go. The guy had no future here; a colossal disappointment over the […]