The Look is Less

So there’s been a lot of chatter on the social media and by blog friends such as Metsmerized Online and Metsblog regarding reporting early to training camp, and whether it would be a good idea for certain players to report a few days early to regain the people’s good graces.

“It’s not news that these two are VERY close to being cut from the roster, so you’d think they’d make whatever arrangements they could to get down there early.”-Matt Cerrone

“Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran are not in camp either and both of them have a lot to prove this Spring as well.” -Craig Lerner

Those are just snippets, so go read the entire links.  In short (for context’s sake), I think Craig just brought up Bay and Beltran to make a point that Perez and Castillo shouldn’t be isolated or painted unfairly in this discussion.  It would certainly look good for guys like Perez and Castillo to show up early and gain “brownie points”, so I wouldn’t disagree completely with people who want to see them there early.  But …

To me, four or five days isn’t going to make too much of a difference in a six month season with a month’s full of spring training games.  Think of it this way: If Jason Bay goes 32/103/.295/.392/.549, is anybody going to look back in October to showing up to spring training five days early as the point where Bay set up his bounce back season?  Conversely, if Oliver Perez comes to camp, totally bombs and gets cut, is anybody going to say “man, if only Ollie had shown up on February 10th he would have had a chance?”

The answer is a flat “no”.  Showing up four days early to camp is like going through an entire semester without going to class and then cramming four months work of work into a twelve hour study session right before the final exam.  It’s not going to help.  And not that I really want to defend Oliver Perez, because the refusal to go to the minor leagues, while his right to do so, proved to be detrimental to the club and more so his own career.  You want to get on Perez for not showing up early when his “career is on the line”, seems to me his career was on the line when he was asked to go to the minor leagues.  And his refusal to go down shows you how much he really cares about his career.  Blame Omar all you want for signing him, but for certain players, they have to shoulder the bulk of the blame for not performing themselves and I put Perez in that category.  If Oliver Perez showed up to camp tonight, my mind wouldn’t change about him.  I wouldn’t think he was any more committed than he was when he decided to refuse his assignment to Buffalo.

But it isn’t like Perez stayed at home all winter and ate bon bons … he actually did go to the Mexican League to try to straighten himself out.  So it’s not like he needs the extra day to get into shape or maintain shape.  The problem with Perez now is plainer and simpler than that: He just can’t pitch.  Four days early isn’t going to give Perez back the stuff that has escaped him.

All this talk about showing up early to me can be attributed to the hypercritical 24-hour news cycle that we’re spinning in, and also looking for any immediate positive after the horrors of September 2007 through now (or an immediate negative that we can pounce on … believe me I’m as guilty as anyone).  I personally think that as a society, we spend too much time looking like we’re getting the job done, and not enough time getting the job done.  Showing up early to camp is just for show.  For a guy like Perez, four days earlier isn’t going to erase or even lessen the impact of two horrible seasons.  The results on the field are ultimately what counts.  Showing up early for camp because you want to is fine.  Showing up early to camp as a public relations move is fraudulent, and everyone will see right through it.

The good news though, is that if Perez does show up early, that gives the Mets five extra days to cut him.