There is only so much that can be done with a slumping player. You can send them to the batting cages. You have them work with the hitting coach. You can give him advice until his ears bleed or his brain explodes. However, at some point, you do have to realize that maybe the player is just not going to get it done and leave it at that. This is the story of Jason Bay.
So what exactly do you do with a player as currently bad as Bay? When mechanics and injury have all been ruled out, the only thing left is mental issues. Time off is always an option so that he can clear his head. Could he possibly be psyching himself out without the presence of David Wright? People have made it known that Wright is stellar when he is surrounded by other powerful hitters in the line-up. So it could stand to reason that Bay is dealing with the same thing. Is he feeling a certain amount of pressure to perform without Wright and Ike Davis in the line-up? The only player who can really hit for power that is with him is Carlos Beltran. It does not seem to be enough.
No matter what the reason is, I hardly think two days off is going to get the job done. You have to explore the options of sending him down to the minors. I would rather see Fernando Martinez come up and let Bay go down to the minors to work on that swing rather than take up valuable space on the bench. He is of no use to the team the way he is right now. He should not be here.
The New York Mets should not be wasting time on players who are underperforming. With the All-Star break coming up next month, signaling the end of the first half, and the team still 6.5 games out of first place, they need to make quick decisions. They need to start pulling guys who are not getting it done and bring up those who can. Send down Bay to work on what he needs to work on. There is no harm in it. The worst that can happen is he will do no better there. In which case you know what needs to be done. If Martinez were to be successful, he can continue with the club. There is no time to be prideful. Do what is best for this team while they have a chance. While the division seems like a long shot, they are only 4.5 games out from the Wildcard. Tick tock! Tick tock!
Bay won’t go down to Buffalo, The same way Ollie did not go down to Buffalo. Not many Steve Traschels out there around baseball. He really does need a getaway to the land of the Bisons in the worse way. He looks beyond lost now….great work on this blog.