Casey McGehee’s Rough Start Bringing Out the Worst in Some
Casey McGehee is off to a miserable start. If you’ve watched any San Francisco Giants‘ games recently, that is not news to you. After being acquired in an offseason trade with the Miami Marlins for virtually nothing, McGehee is playing for his childhood team, and things could not be going worse for him.
In his first 13 games with his new team, “Hits” McGehee has not lived up to the nickname he earned in Miami. He is hitting an abysmal .163, and leads baseball with seven double plays ground into. He only has seven hits, and has struck out nine times. His defense has also been subpar, as he already has three errors, after accumulating just seven in 158 games in 2014.
In other words, the McGehee era in San Francisco is off to a dismal start.
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Giants’ fans are understandably frustrated, as he done more harm than good so far for his team. But some of the reactions that McGehee’s slow start has garnered are simply awful.
Just 18 games into the 2015 season, and a number of people are calling for McGehee to be benched, as Matt Duffy is waiting on the bench, patient for an opportunity to prove himself. Adam Duvall has also been tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A Sacramento, as he owns a .419 average with 13 extra-base hits (eight doubles, four home runs, and a triple) in 15 games.
More than a fair share have also called for McGehee to be designated for assignment, as the 18-game sample size is more than enough to show that this is the real McGehee, and the guy who batted .287 with a .355 on-base percentage and 76 RBI in 2014 was just a fluke.
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But that’s not the worst of it. Those are the tame responses to McGehee’s slump. Some of the naysayers have taken a much darker approach to hating the new Giants’ third baseman.
Some disgusting individuals have questioned McGehee’s existence. A twitter user had this to say after McGehee hit into a double play on Friday (please excuse the grammar, this is verbatim).
"[H]ow can you hit into a double play every at bat[?] How is he a pro MLB player[?] How is he a Giant[?] How is he even alive"
Another response wanted McGehee to break a leg, but not in the theatrical manner.
"Fat f— Casey mcgehee double play machine. Duffy needs to start. Need Casey to break his leg"
Yet another response didn’t mince any words, wishing the absolute worst on the man.
"Die in a fire McGehee"
There’s plenty more, like some saying that “Casey McGehee is the biggest piece of s— I’ve ever seen.” Last I checked, A.J. Pierzynski is still playing ball, right? Oh, and there’s also a petition to have McGehee benched or optioned as well, which I’m sure Bruce Bochy is watching intently, waiting for it to get enough signatures so he can show it to Brian Sabean and cut the dead weight.
In baseball, slumps happen. Struggles occur, and sometimes they last a while. But at what point does any human being begin to think that because a player is going through a rough patch, he deserves that kind of hatred? Sports truly do bring out the worst in people.
McGehee isn’t the only one scuffling. Entering Friday, he and Brandon Belt owned identical .179 averages. For a little while, Belt’s average had dipped below .100, and his struggles became nearly impossible to watch. Belt seems to have righted the ship, as he is now hitting .238 after a 3-3 day, and is riding a five-game hitting streak. Belt broke out of his slump, and all it took was a little time.
Pablo Sandoval, the man that McGehee has been tasked with replacing, got off to a similarly miserable start in 2014. At one point in the first month, Sandoval’s average dipped all the way down to .132, and 31 games into the season, he was hitting an awful .167. Sandoval got back on course, ended the season hitting .279, and mashed all the way through October.
Imagine being in McGehee’s shoes. He’s playing for the team he grew up cheering on, and in his first month, he wants to make a good impression on his hometown crowd. He has big shoes to fill, and extremely high expectations to live up to. Instead, he gets off to a horrid start, and now the fans he’s trying to endear himself to have turned on him. The pressure seems to have gotten to him so far.
Wanting McGehee to take a seat on the bench for a few days is one thing. Wishing bodily harm to him, and hoping for his ultimate demise are something entirely different, and at no point should that cross anyone’s mind.
McGehee is a good example of why some athletes are better off staying away from social media.