Asdrubal Cabrera Gets Picked Off, Caught In A Rundown, Says Fuck It And Jogs Back To The Dugout Before Being Tagged
You know, we throw around the term “veteran move” a lot around here. Kinda like Pres covering his bald spot when he bends forward on the Rundown — that’s a veteran move.
But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more clear cut example of something being a veteran move than what Asdrubal Cabrera did today against the Tigers. Let’s face it — spring training is basically for pitchers. Those guys have to build up arm strength, work on new pitches, ramp up their pitch counts, and get their velocity back over about an eight-week period, because a 162-game season isn’t something you can just jump right back into if you’re a pitcher. If you’re a professional hitter, though? Assuming you’re not somebody like, say, Tim Tebow? You’ll need a week or two tops, and you’re good to go. So, Asdrubal, I feel you on this one, man.
Position players that aren’t competing for a job are just going through the motions. This is Cabrera’s eleventh major league season, and he already knows he’s the Mets’ Opening Day shortstop. No need to overexert yourself and risk an injury, especially in a situation like being the runner in a rundown. Shit just ain’t worth it. Nothing says veteran move quite like being in a rundown, doing the song and dance for a couple throws, then saying fuck it, and jogging back to the dugout before ever being tagged out. That’s basically spring training in a nutshell for veteran players. Try, but don’t try too hard.