New York Mets: Patience With Curtis Granderson Has Paid Off
The New York Mets are surging and Curtis Granderson is having the strech of his life over the past couple of weeks. It was Terry Collins who said all along that it would happen this way.
Curtis Granderson is right in sync with the tear the New York Mets have been on over the past couple of weeks. For both Granderson and the Mets, that surge couldn’t have been timed any better. For Terry Collins, that same surge has become a form of redemption that highlights his belief in his player and his team.
In baseball, loyalty is as fleeting as the love that we thought would last forever in high school. Because as most of us soon experienced, that love lasted only as long as the time it took for a “better” opportunity to come along. Ballplayers experience the same thing, except that they are often the ones that get “dumped” when that new opportunity comes along.
Granderson has had the kind of season where he could have been dumped months ago by Collins. In fact, it was only two weeks ago when I listed Granderson as one of the Five Biggest Headaches facing the Mets for next year.
At the time, I described the problem this way, “All you need to know about Curtis Granderson’s production this year is that he’s logged 20 home runs but only 34 RBI. To duplicate that feat would be virtually impossible, especially since he’s had 75 hits other than home runs.”
Still, Collins kept insisting that Granderson would turn it all around. Just last Sunday, the New York Daily News quoted Collins this way, “Curtis Granderson’s just got the moxie I guess you could say,’’ was the way Collins put it. “He’s not intimidated, he’s not afraid of the position he’s in. He does what he does, he doesn’t get down when he’s 0-for-4. So I just said, somebody’s got to hit behind Cespedes against the righthander, he was the guy.”
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Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Take it for what it is, but I do believe in him.’’
Numbers seldom lie. The redemption numbers for Collins look like this. Since August 30th, Granderson has totaled six home runs and 13 RBI, and seven walks
Across town in the Bronx, a similar experiment is taking place. Aaron Judge has been striking out a lot with a mere .178 batting average. Nevertheless, Joe Girardi keeps sending him out there citing his patience at the plate in spite of those strikeouts, along with the importance of Judge being able to experience what it’s like to be in the thick of a pennant race.
Perhaps, Judge will emerge to help the Yankees in the same way that Granderson is now piloting the Mets during their current run. So often, we are faced with the reality that baseball is a business. We watch helplessly as players are pushed aside when that ugly axiom, “What have you done for me lately?” surfaces.
Every once in a while though, a genuine feel good story comes about. Granderson and Collins are writing one of those stories right now.
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