So it only took a matter of hours before what really happened in the clubhouse after Jordany Valdespin learned he was demoted, began to leak out.
Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger has the scoop…
When manager Terry Collins informed Jordany Valdespin that the Mets had decided to option him to Triple-A Las Vegas Saturday night, the exuberant utilityman snapped in anger in the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park, yelling furiously while his startled teammates looked on, according to two people who witnessed the episode.
The witnesses requested anonymity to speak freely on the matter.
Bullpen coach Ricky Bones had to calm Valdespin down, according to one witness.
“He’s not helping himself,” one person said of Valdespin. “Everyone gets upset when that happens. But you just need to shut up and pack your bags.”
“He still doesn’t get it,” another witness of Saturday night’s outburst said.
And the legend of El Dramatico lives on…
Original Post 9:00 AM
It’s been inevitable for more than a month, but the Mets finally pulled the plug on Jordany Valdespin after Saturday’s game and demoted him to Tripe-A Las Vegas to make room for reliever Scott Atchison will join the team today.
Valdespin had not started a game since June 22 and has failed to produce in a reduced role as a pinch-hitter. I thought Spin was going to get demoted after his week long audition that saw him go 3-for-23, but perhaps the injury to Justin Turner bought him some extra time and spared him.
Valdespin was reportedly teary-eyed and stunned when he was told the news after Saturday’s loss to the Pirates.
“I was surprised, yes,” Valdespin said. “But that’s baseball. They say I will go down and play every day after the All-Star break. I’ll keep working hard.”
“This happens in baseball. You don’t know what they’re thinking. You don’t know what they thought. The only thing you know is how you play baseball. They said start playing. I’m not playing here. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Valdespin struck out in his final appearance for the Mets for now. He takes with him to Vegas, the distinction of having the second most pinch-hit home runs in team history.
His memorable Met moments this season were a dramatic pinch-hit home run against the Marlins that earned him a punch-pie to the face by John Buck, and a not-so-dramatic home run against the Pirates that resulted in a plunking that was condoned by his teammates and manager.
Will we see him again with the Mets? It’s tough to say… But at 25, I doubt we’ve heard the last of him. I just don’t see it happening with the Mets.
