Thoughts On Hanley's Benching

After fouling a ball off his foot/shin and jogging after a booted fly ball, Hanley Ramirez found himself sent to the clubhouse. In case you missed it, with the bases loaded, Hanley went back on an in-between pop-up, kicked it into the left field corner and jogged after the ball. Following that half of the inning, the superstar short-stop found himself out of the game. To the outsider, Fredi Gonzalez made the right move. Star or not, you owe the team 100% on every play.

The problem, however, is the Marlins have been perfectly content getting far less than 100% from Hanley for the past two seasons. He does not run hard to first, first to third, on the texas leaguer pop-ups, you name it, he's not hustling. This isn't an anti-Hanley soap-box or an anti-Fredi one, it's simply saying that for too long, the Marlins have been fine letting Hanley be Hanley. There's nothing wrong with letting Hanley be Hanley. It's gotten the team its first batting title, it's gotten a multiple all-star and the player many people would choose to use as their cornerstone for a franchise.

Benching Hanley tonight, after his foot could have been the cause for the jog, is much like the dog owner reprimanding his pet for pooping in the bedroom after using the living-room as his personal toilet. It doesn't send the right message - or any message - and really doesn't accomplish what was intended.

For Hanley and the Marlins, changing company policy this late in the game is sure to be a source of contention. When you're a team like the Marlins, trying to win on a shoestring budget, you can't afford to alienate your best player. Do not mistake this for me advocating for complete carte blanche for Hanley, but when the Marlins have outwardly shown they have no problem letting Hanley operate at about 80%, they have to continue to live with it.