Uh oh, are the Puig haters beginning to roll in? Jonathan Papelbon could be one of the first, given his comments on the Cuban rookie who’s had the best first month in the history of the majors. Papelbon said on MLB Network Radio Tuesday:
“To me, it’s an absolute joke. It’s really kind of stupid if you ask me…The guy’s got a month, I don’t even think he’s got a month in the big leagues, and just comparing him to this and that, and saying he’s going to make the All-Star team, that’s a joke to me. It’s just really what happens in baseball when … to me it really does an injustice to the veteran players that have been in the game for eight, nine, 10 plus years, and it kind of does them an injustice because they’ve worked so hard to stay there.
There seem to be a few things wrong here. First, just because a player has been in the big leagues for “eight, nine, 10 plus years” shouldn’t make him an All-Star. Second, the bottom line is he deserves to make the All-Star team if the fans want him to make the team, and if they want him to make the team, he’ll get the votes, plain and simple. Lastly, who cares? It’s only an All-Star Game, not the World Series, not the Hall of Fame. Papelbon should probably take it easy. There’s no sense getting all worked up. And it also isn’t wise, in case he does make the team, to bad mouth a dude who is 6’3″ and 245 lbs and shares your locker room.
About Ronald Haraka