MLB Team Heartlessly Drops Ronny Simón; Pirates Kindly Recruit Him Instead
Revamped Rant:
Ronny Simón, the new kid on the block for the Miami Marlins, found himself in the hot seat recently. After tearing it up in the minors, hitting a staggering .354 with a .962 OPS over 15 games at Triple-A Jacksonville, he got the call to join the big club about three weeks back. But things didn't go as smoothly as he’d hoped.
Last Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres, Simón had a horror show, committing 3 errors in the first four innings, nearly getting a fourth but an official scorekeeper's change to an infield single saved him. With tears streaming down his face, Simón left the field after the fourth inning, never to be seen again as a Marlin, at least not in the conventional sense.
The Marlins threw him under the bus, designating him for assignment a mere two days later. Stars like Fernando Tatís Jr., Manny Machado, and Luis Arráez, who observed Simón's misfortunes from the opposing dugout, offered heartening words of encouragement after the game. Big names like Robinson Canó and Luis Castillo reached out to Simón via text message. However, these gestures fell on deaf ears.
Conventional wisdom might have dictated giving Simón another chance – let him jump back on the horse and show a bit of faith in his abilities. But in true Marlins fashion, they decided to bench him on Thursday, and by Friday, he found himself on the tightrope of being cut.
Back in 2022, Fangraphs had Simón listed as one of the top twenty prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization. After not making the big club, he became a free agent and signed with the other Florida team. A switch-hitter with speed and surprising power, he was thought well of by the Marlins.
After the storm, Simón kept his head high, saying through an interpreter, "To this point, no former Marlin teammate has publicly uttered any negative remarks about Simón." In a show of confidence the pitiful Miami team couldn't muster, the equally-woeful Pittsburgh Pirates claimed the infielder off waivers and added him to their 40-man roster.
Simón may not have a long, illustrious major league career ahead of him. Originally signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 2018, he has played in the Diamondbacks' and Rays' organizations before landing in Miami. Current estimates by FanGraphs have Simón's Future Value pegged at only a 40-grade player. He is currently in Triple-A Indianapolis, hoping for another call to the show.
But whether or not that ever happens again, Simóon can firmly assert, with a grain of salt, that he has “padding of character” compared to the Miami Marlins organization.
- Clarkton McCullough, a sports analyst, might discuss Ronny Simón's recent struggles with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the context of Major League Baseball, commenting on how Simón's experience with the Miami Marlins might impact his future performances.
- Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, Luis Arraez, Robinson Cano, and Luis Castillo, all baseball players currently in the MLB, might reflect on Simón's time with the Marlins during a post-game interview, sharing their thoughts about the difficulties he faced and offering suggestions for his comeback in the sport.
