Secret Outrageous Corridor of Reputation: Ronny Cedeño

In January 2006, Baseball The USA claimed that their #3 Chicago Cubs prospect, Ronny Cedeño, “has proven that he also can fair also be bigger than fair staunch a glove man. His win fingers and wrists give him appropriate bat tempo that must allow him to hit for common and presumably 15 homers per year.” He changed into, in assorted phrases, per a guess to be an attractive appropriate Predominant League Baseball participant.

This probability did no longer pan out. Nonetheless it also didn’t no longer pan out. As an more than just a few, Cedeño operated in what could well well per chance also be baseball’s most mystifying sphere: the lengthy-length of time extremely incorrect utility participant. Between his Predominant League debut in 2005 and his closing game nine years later, Cedeño amassed 2,792 plate appearances, hitting .245/.289/.353 — he nearly by no methodology walked — and changed into within the self-discipline for extra 5,319 innings. That also can very neatly be a LOT of baseball for somebody who in overall couldn’t play it at that diploma.

It’s refined to be a appropriate MLB participant, but it no doubt’s vastly extra refined to be fair staunch appropriate sufficient to stick spherical on a roster for nine years with out ever making a most important contribution. Now not solely conclude you’ve got to characteristic at an enormously consistent (albeit beautiful heart-broken) diploma for years, you’ve got to be particular you end up in cases the do in actuality appropriate gamers aren’t threatening to displace your cushy verbalize within the baseball universe. Thanks to a combination of expertise and luck, Cedeño inhabited a Goldilocks zone of public mediocrity.

So what? Baseball has had lots of incorrect lengthy-length of time utility dudes, and we solely write articles about some of them. Nonetheless I web in my possession two reviews about Ronny Cedeño, and I wish to notify them. So right here goes. (Neither of the reviews are the indisputable truth that I imagine him singing his name esteem Jason DeRulo does. That’s a fun extra, fair staunch for you.)

The first sage takes do on April 20th, 2007. The Cubs are web set up hosting the St. Louis Cardinals, and Cedeño began the sport on his pure habitat: the bench. Nonetheless now it’s the ninth inning, and the Cardinals are 2-1 up, and Label DeRosa has fair staunch hit a single. A fleet pinch-runner could well well per chance set up strain on the protection and lend a hand spark a rally. Cubs manager Lou Pinella decides that Cedeño is his man.

So … come all over. Loads of pinch-runners had been thrown out stealing 2nd. Being aggressive on the basepaths carries a diploma of menace, and normally it doesn’t determine. Nonetheless there are outs, and there are outs, and as I hope you’ve got gathered, the Cedeño’s subsequent escapade falls into bucket number two.

At the same time as you’re no longer intimately conscious of the foundations of baseball, let me give you a cramped primer. If the batter walks, they’re despatched to first nasty, robotically pushing any runners to the next free nasty. At the same time as you happen to be on first nasty and the batter on the abet of you draws a free roam, for you furthermore mght can moonwalk to 2nd or experience esteem a snake for the full principles care. It would aloof therefore be one thing esteem very no longer likely to win caught stealing 2nd nasty staunch by a stroll. Because it looks to be, it’s no longer moderately very no longer likely.

Jacques Jones is on the plate and has worked the count stout in opposition to Jason Isringhausen, which is the most mid-00s baseball sentence I web typed in totally ages. On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Cedeño breaks for 2nd nasty. Because it looks to be, he breaks a cramped too spirited.

Cedeño slides into 2nd nasty, met by a reflexive throw from Yadier Molina. It would not topic, of route, whether or no longer the throw beats Cedeño to the web or no longer — he is win by the iron Law of the sport, and he’ll be awarded 2nd nasty whether or no longer Molina nails him or no. Nonetheless that security solely applies as soon as.

If, explain, to your enthusiasm to attain scoring verbalize, you overslide and are tagged after falling off the nasty, the aegis vanishes, and you’re left within the humiliating verbalize of trudging abet to the dugout, thrown out stealing 2nd staunch by a stroll. This, of route, is what took do to Ronny Cedeño on April 20th, 2007.

I don’t know why I changed into observing this game, but I changed into, and I distinctly endure in thoughts the Cubs announcers claiming that this had also took do to Cedeño in Spring Coaching earlier that year. Making that abolish of very no longer likely error as soon as is droll; doing it twice turns into a designate. I made up my thoughts that a participant with the ability for that diploma of futility deserved my consideration.

Naturally, Cedeño ended up playing for Seattle, the scene for my 2nd sage. This one is less about him than about a) me (borrrrrrrring) and b) my appropriate and expensive fair staunch friend turned implacable enemy Yuniesky Betancourt.

The Mariners signed Betancourt in 2005, after he’d defected from Cuba. Looking out at him play infield that year changed into unparalleled. He moved with grace, tempo and lots of precision, and changed into basically so inspiring I former to flip up as early as most likely to video games fair staunch to survey him use fielding discover. At some stage in one game, he played 2nd nasty whereas Expert Immense Man Mike Morse handled shortstop; I’m beautiful particular Betancourt made extra plays on the fine aspect of the infield than Morse did.

In 2006, he totally fell apart. He actions flip kludgy and slack, and he regarded sick-at-ease in his thickening body. He also couldn’t hit charge a damn (Yuniesky Betancourt is an anagram for ‘Batter 9 You Sucky’). I took baseball moderately too personally on the time, and Recent Betancourt felt esteem a betrayal. Affection and admiration turned disbelief, then unrelenting fury.

In an are attempting to evict Betancourt from my recollections, I latched onto in overall any assorted shortstop possibility that equipped itself. In 2009, that changed into Cedeño, who arrived by utilizing exchange. Cedeño changed into very incorrect and I knew it, but I changed into bored to death, and infuriate makes fools of the appropriate of us.

On April 19th, the Mariners purchased their asses kicked by Rick Porcello and the Detroit Tigers. Betancourt began at shortstop and made two errors, whereas Cedeño handled 2nd fair staunch fine and hit a dwelling bustle. I left Safeco Field in a Betancourt-fueled rage and proceeded to win extremely drunk, as changed into my custom on the time.

The events of that evening remain a blur, but what I know is this: just a few weeks later, an official Ronny Cedeño #3 Mariners jersey arrived at my door. Cedeño, I must aloof point out, changed into awful in Seattle. He hit .167/.213/.290 over 59 video games with the Mariners sooner than being punted in August. There’ll not be any appropriate clarification for anybody to use just a few hundred bucks on a Ronny Cedeño jersey. Hell, I guess even he doesn’t web one.

It’s aloof hanging in my closet, a testomony to the folly of childhood.

Per the nonsense above, I am proud to call Ronny Cedeño, baseball participant (supposed), as the inaugural member of the Secret Outrageous Corridor of Reputation.