The Ides of March
Today, March 15th, is always marked as the assassination of Julius Caesar as Emperor of Rome. William Shakespeare even wrote in a soothsayer character telling Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March" for his play depicting the life and times of one of the strongest and most fiercest leaders to ever rule. When two of his senators, and even his own son-in-law Brutus, turned a knife on him, it sent the people into a chaotic frenzy.
Since then, this date has provided an outlet for superstition and anxiety. The word "Ides" is, itself, a Latin phrase meaning "divides." Fittingly enough, it applies to many things, including the current political climate going on in America right now. But that's a topic and discussion for another day, another time and another place.
Ironically, the anxiety surrounding this day has been plaguing me lately when it comes to your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis. He has 13 catching innings in the books, and has led a good portion of the pitching staff to the same number of strikeouts in as many innings that he has been behind the plate. Only one wild pitch has gotten by him, which actually wasn't his fault. Defensively, he has looked really good suiting up as backstop.
Unfortunately, the bat has yet to come full circle. He currently sits at the major league doldrums of a mere .200 batting average (5-for-25). He already has 5 strikeouts for a 20% rate on that, AND a combined OPS of .514 so far in the 10 games that he has appeared in this spring. (.217 of that is slugging, .296 of that is on-base.) Small sample size, I know.
The few saving graces in all of this is that he does have a pair of RBI and 4 walks to his name. And I constantly keep having to remind myself of his career Spring Training stat line. Which, for those that don't know, is still a pretty stellar .305/.332/.542/.874 across 5 Grapefruit League seasons. These numbers here have been anything but small. In fact, they are just as big and powerful as the bear is!
Even still, it doesn't take away from the fact that his current numbers with the bat are ghastly. And to make matters worse, time is running out before opening day. Evan is already a long shot to even be in the lineup for the first game of the season. But if Juan Centeno keeps putting up the numbers he does, El Oso Blanco could very well be in jeopardy of not even being on the bench. A thought that plagues me day in and day out, even at times when he's able to get a hit.
The past two seasons with the Astros have seen the Big White Bear get off to slow starts. If he does not come out of the gate mashing those pitches across all different fences of the park, or even driving guys in off the bases, the organization may get a short fuse. Anything that can endanger the bear from getting playing time or even staying with this ball club are the subject of many of my nightmares.
The other half of Bear Squared, Brian McCann, however, is making his bat come alive in a very big way. 2 home runs over the past two games have led him to raise his average to .273 with an OPS of 1.060. (.727 slugging and .333 on-base.) Certainly some good news for the BMac, who will get the majority of starts behind the plate this season. The Astros did end up winning today's game against the Washington Nationals 8-2, and Gattis did tack on another walk to help his on-base numbers.
But the helplessness of what has been happening to El Oso Blanco at the plate this Spring is something to make my teeth chatter and my tear ducts kick into overdrive. The very endangerment of his playing time is too much a reality that it has caused me to assume the fetal position one too many times. It's never a good feeling, no matter what or whom has to suffer from this.
Am I just being overly paranoid or anxious? Do we as fans really need to beware "The Ides of March?" Perhaps, and maybe not. I know everyone wants to make the assumption that these games don't "technically count," and that the everyday players may just being trying to pace themselves. While possibly true, I still can't shake the struggles that the bear is going through.
Whenever Evan Gattis, one of the hardest working players in this entire league, has to suffer slumps that put his playing time, or dare I say even his very career, on a thinning thread, it worries me. It's my natural reaction to hit the panic button in times like this, because I don't want to see him derailed. I don't want to keep seeing these bad things happen to him, and not be able to do anything about it. I don't want to see his career end prematurely before it has even really begun, or before he has even been in the league the minimum number of years to have a shot at Cooperstown. At last check, that's at least a decade!
He's broken plenty of records over the past 4 seasons. The impact he has on the fans is beyond compare. The amount of team player attitude and work that he puts in his is unmistakable. His clubhouse, team, coaches, media and fan presence is an inspiration to so many. Somehow, in someway, from whatever force in the cosmos needs to make this happen, I just want something to go right for him. I want him to get the credit and respect he deserves. I want him to go down in the history of this game in a positive, and not negative, light.
I'm trying not to feel so bad about things now, since I am less than 24 hours from flying back east to Atlanta to see family there, and in Orlando for my birthday week next week. (March 20th is my actual birthday, for those that don't already know.) It will be my first time seeing them since I moved to Texas a year ago last January. My writing capacity may be limited in that time, since I will be having a lot of fun that includes attending a Spring Training game in West Palm next Wednesday, the 22nd. But I am truly hoping and praying for some sort of miracle or good fortunes to go the way of my bear buddy.
Maybe my presence at the game next week will help, but something has got to give!
Since then, this date has provided an outlet for superstition and anxiety. The word "Ides" is, itself, a Latin phrase meaning "divides." Fittingly enough, it applies to many things, including the current political climate going on in America right now. But that's a topic and discussion for another day, another time and another place.
Ironically, the anxiety surrounding this day has been plaguing me lately when it comes to your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis. He has 13 catching innings in the books, and has led a good portion of the pitching staff to the same number of strikeouts in as many innings that he has been behind the plate. Only one wild pitch has gotten by him, which actually wasn't his fault. Defensively, he has looked really good suiting up as backstop.
Unfortunately, the bat has yet to come full circle. He currently sits at the major league doldrums of a mere .200 batting average (5-for-25). He already has 5 strikeouts for a 20% rate on that, AND a combined OPS of .514 so far in the 10 games that he has appeared in this spring. (.217 of that is slugging, .296 of that is on-base.) Small sample size, I know.
The few saving graces in all of this is that he does have a pair of RBI and 4 walks to his name. And I constantly keep having to remind myself of his career Spring Training stat line. Which, for those that don't know, is still a pretty stellar .305/.332/.542/.874 across 5 Grapefruit League seasons. These numbers here have been anything but small. In fact, they are just as big and powerful as the bear is!
Even still, it doesn't take away from the fact that his current numbers with the bat are ghastly. And to make matters worse, time is running out before opening day. Evan is already a long shot to even be in the lineup for the first game of the season. But if Juan Centeno keeps putting up the numbers he does, El Oso Blanco could very well be in jeopardy of not even being on the bench. A thought that plagues me day in and day out, even at times when he's able to get a hit.
The past two seasons with the Astros have seen the Big White Bear get off to slow starts. If he does not come out of the gate mashing those pitches across all different fences of the park, or even driving guys in off the bases, the organization may get a short fuse. Anything that can endanger the bear from getting playing time or even staying with this ball club are the subject of many of my nightmares.
The other half of Bear Squared, Brian McCann, however, is making his bat come alive in a very big way. 2 home runs over the past two games have led him to raise his average to .273 with an OPS of 1.060. (.727 slugging and .333 on-base.) Certainly some good news for the BMac, who will get the majority of starts behind the plate this season. The Astros did end up winning today's game against the Washington Nationals 8-2, and Gattis did tack on another walk to help his on-base numbers.
But the helplessness of what has been happening to El Oso Blanco at the plate this Spring is something to make my teeth chatter and my tear ducts kick into overdrive. The very endangerment of his playing time is too much a reality that it has caused me to assume the fetal position one too many times. It's never a good feeling, no matter what or whom has to suffer from this.
Am I just being overly paranoid or anxious? Do we as fans really need to beware "The Ides of March?" Perhaps, and maybe not. I know everyone wants to make the assumption that these games don't "technically count," and that the everyday players may just being trying to pace themselves. While possibly true, I still can't shake the struggles that the bear is going through.
Whenever Evan Gattis, one of the hardest working players in this entire league, has to suffer slumps that put his playing time, or dare I say even his very career, on a thinning thread, it worries me. It's my natural reaction to hit the panic button in times like this, because I don't want to see him derailed. I don't want to keep seeing these bad things happen to him, and not be able to do anything about it. I don't want to see his career end prematurely before it has even really begun, or before he has even been in the league the minimum number of years to have a shot at Cooperstown. At last check, that's at least a decade!
He's broken plenty of records over the past 4 seasons. The impact he has on the fans is beyond compare. The amount of team player attitude and work that he puts in his is unmistakable. His clubhouse, team, coaches, media and fan presence is an inspiration to so many. Somehow, in someway, from whatever force in the cosmos needs to make this happen, I just want something to go right for him. I want him to get the credit and respect he deserves. I want him to go down in the history of this game in a positive, and not negative, light.
I'm trying not to feel so bad about things now, since I am less than 24 hours from flying back east to Atlanta to see family there, and in Orlando for my birthday week next week. (March 20th is my actual birthday, for those that don't already know.) It will be my first time seeing them since I moved to Texas a year ago last January. My writing capacity may be limited in that time, since I will be having a lot of fun that includes attending a Spring Training game in West Palm next Wednesday, the 22nd. But I am truly hoping and praying for some sort of miracle or good fortunes to go the way of my bear buddy.
Maybe my presence at the game next week will help, but something has got to give!
Original Photo Credit: Houston Astros on Twitter
Baseball Gods, Have Mercy on El Oso Blanco! I Beg You, PLEASE!!!!
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