Jordany Valdespin Picks Wrong Day To Forgo Cup, Takes Fastball To Nether Region
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mets utility player Jordany Valdespin began his Monday with a boast on Twitter, not out of the ordinary for the 25-year-old.
After tweeting "No body cant stop me (sic)," Valdespin was indeed stopped for several minutes -- by a Justin Verlander fastball to the you-know-what.
And he wasn't wearing a cup.
"Everything is good, working good, normally," Valdespin said after the Mets' 11-0 win against Detroit. "Everything is great."
Apparently everything wasn't so great from the view of manager Terry Collins, who was miffed that Valdespin was lacking a certain piece of protective equipment.
"You would think if you are starting at second base, you would be smart enough to wear a cup," Collins told the New York Post.
Verlander said he knew the pitch was headed to a cringe-worthy spot as soon as it left his hand. The hit-by-pitch came during Valdespin's third plate appearance. He led off the game with a home run against the Tigers ace.
"He took a hack the first pitch, already hit one bomb, next one he total squared at me (to bunt) and I am like, 'Oh God this isn't gonna be good,'" said Verlander. "Right out of the hand I was like, 'Oh (expletive), it's right at his (genitals).'"
Collins said the self-assured Valdespin, who once exclaimed "I'm the man right now," is still adjusting to life in the big leagues. As pointed out by the New York Daily News, Valdespin "sometimes wears a T-shirt with a picture of himself and often wears a hat off the field with his initials and uniform number."
"We're going to settle some of that stuff down," said Collins. "He has been told a lot in the last couple of years about how to handle himself on the major league field, especially when you are a young player. He understands it, he's adjusting to it and once in a while you always get caught up in the moment.
"When you've been doing some things your whole life sometimes you have a little difficulty making some adjustments, but he will make them. We've got some good veterans on this team. They will make him."
Valdespin is batting .370 with three home runs and six RBIs this spring.
Um ... ouch. We all feel for Valdespin, but are you growing tired of his antics? Sound off in the comments!
