Memories of Sam Coonrod

[Edgy MD]

Every little Met's gotta shine. So when learning that the last unaccounted-for 2023 Met moved on to deliver 6 2/3 innings in the Frontier League, he gets a memorial thread. I can't help myself.

Sam Coonrod, a 2023 Spring Training star; strained-lat victim; veteran of 10 games, one hold, and one vicious drubbing — coming on in the eighth inning of an 11-1 ballgame and giving up four runs without recording an out — that wasn't his swan song, but sure signaled it was coming. Two more appearances and then a ticket out of the majors that has yet to produce a return trip.

[FIMG=500]https://www.newsday.com/_next/image?url=https:%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc:ZWI5ZWQwNTAtMWYyMi00:NTAtMWYyMi00YzJmOTNk%2F1611926044.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80[/FIMG]

[metirish]

I'm sorry to say this name doesn't ring a bell for me , sorry, Sam

[Edgy MD]

The hard-throwing Coonie made a name for himself in a bad way with his first team, being all thumbheaded about Black Lives Matter back in 2020. He also had to be escorted off the field once as a Phillie for losing his head after two of his teammates got plunked. He developed his slider after being "inspired by Trevor Bauer," and one hopes that is as far as the inspiration went.

He very much is a model of the regime of the modern pitcher, going to great lengths to get the extra mile on his fastball, only to disappear for long rehabs every time that fastball gets him a break. But in the meantime, the regimen pushes everybody toward being a power pitcher, everybody toward being a reliever, everybody toward being an adrenaline junkie, and — ultimately — everybody toward being a quickly forgotten, often-injured *******.

...If you want your kid to make it to the bigs, hard-throwing reliever is the way to go. But if you want your kid to make something of themselves and actually make a mark while they are there, encourage them to take another path.

[The Hot Corner]

...If you want your kid to make it to the bigs, hard-throwing reliever is the way to go. But if you want your kid to make something of themselves and actually make a mark while they are there, encourage them to take another path.

 

Had him a bat and pitch to him at the expense of your own arm. If he has the aptitude, teach him the fine art of catching. Give them a good education to fall back on, then hope for the best.

[Cowtipper]

Like a lot of those 2023 relievers, he started off really well (1.69 ERA through 7 games), then tanked.

[Edgy MD]

It's the nature of the beast for disposable relievers.

They will be DFA'd or otherwise exiled as soon as their performance starts to retrogress, so they will always be seen as ending badly. They may have never recovered if they had stayed around, but maybe they might have. The impression of their performance is defined by the end always being externally applied at a negative point in their trajectory.

With regard to the disposability of relievers, I just read that Hunter Pence's nephew is hitting 100 ... at 16. As much as I would like to be excited for the kid, I can't help but think he's doomed.

[Cowtipper]

I hit 100 at 16, too.

Well, .100 more specifically.