The tweets from Valdespin earlier this morning are in response to a report from Mike Puma of the New York Post last night on the meeting he had with Terry Collins after being sent down to AAA on Saturday night.
Jordany Valdespin went down fighting.
According to a Mets source, the volatile utilityman, upon learning he had been demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday, got into a confrontation with Terry Collins, during which he called the manager a “c–ksucker.”
The source said Valdespin, in the course of his heated exchange with Collins, also tried to invent an injury and demanded to be placed on the disabled list.
By the time the clubhouse opened to reporters in the aftermath of the Mets’ 4-2 loss to the Pirates, the 25-year-old Valdespin had regained composure, but had tears in his eyes.
In my opinion, where there is smoke, there is fire. Yes, Valdespin did the right thing to try to tell his side of the story. The report makes him look like an immature jerk and he wanted to tell everyone that it is not true.
The problem to me is that based on his reported history, its not completely out of question he did what Puma reports that he did. Valdespin has a temper, which we have seen on display this season. From the outside, looking in, he is an emotional player and his emotions can get the best of him.
I’m sure playing sparingly after a week of starts that did not go well was extremely frustrating for him. If this report is nothing more than a heat of the moment exchange gone wrong, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Wouldn’t you be upset if you went from the Majors to the Minors?
Valdespin was a guy that I have written about in the past as a guy who I thought wasn’t that bad of a person. The story of his relationship with his Mom being an example of him not being that bad of a guy really.
Does it come as a total shock to anyone that a guy who had problems with his attitude in the minors didn’t change when he reached the majors?
No, not really.
He has enough talent to have a career in baseball. The problem is that it seems he thinks he is better than what reality is telling everyone else about him this year.
He has worn out his welcome with the Mets and this alleged latest episode is another reason why he really can’t return to the Mets any time soon, if at all.
Even if what Valdepsin tweeted is the true story and he didn’t curse out Collins, I’m sure TC has heard worse from other players over the years as a manager. Just ask the members of the 1999 Anaheim Angels for potential examples.
Valdespin had his moments and was a funny/odd character on a team that doesn’t have too many. Who knows what his future holds, he probably gets another shot with a team if the Mets do officially cut/trade him.
I still don’t think he is a bad guy on a day to day basis. He just happens to be prone to be reportedly making some really stupid decisions.
At the end of the day, whether or not the report is true, it seems to me that it’s time to move on from #JV1.
