A Prospect, Redemption, and Reality

Imagine with me, if you will, a young hotshot baseball prospect.

He came up with his hometown organization, a bright prospect with a bright future. A hero among the locals. He scorched his way into the baseball consciousness by hitting .359 with 10 home runs and an OPS of 1049 in his first month and a half.

Then, he struggled to finish that year. The next year, he did okay, but worse - in fact, he was below average. The next year, he struggled again. His fourth year in the majors, he seemed to have hit rock bottom - he posted a 653 OPS and an abysmal .294 OBP. His power was gone. He made no strides in his plate discipline. He did nothing to capitalize on his promise.

Oliver Perez, a Confession and a Plan

You're not going to hear me say this a lot, everyone, so enjoy this.

I was wrong.

I was totally wrong on Oliver Perez, and it's finally become time for me to admit it. The guy can't get anyone out. There is no role for him. He's worse than a replacement reliever that we could dredge out of the minors. It's over.