Regardless of the situation and context, whenever I hear or read the word infatuation, my mind immediately goes to the Rod Stewart song and music video. I can’t help myself and I’m unapologetic in my appreciation of the video. At some point everyone becomes infatuated with someone or something (even an idea) and hopefully it never results in the violence suffered by Rod.
Sports fans and the media are equally prone to bouts of infatuation and almost always it’s not returned, that’s the curse of the beast. It’s not a reciprocal relationship. 117% of the time we become infatuated with a player based on a very small sample size (ST or September call-ups back in the day). Fortunately, this love at first sight doesn’t have any impact on our teams’ fate. However, when managers and front offices fall in love with players it usually has a detrimental effect on the team’s success and future.
17 games, 27 plate appearances, one home run and four runs batted in, and a slash of .200/.370.451 is as skimpy a sample size as there is and yet, Craig Counsell is infatuated with Tyler Austin.
The Cubs signed Austin to a contract to provide depth at first base for the 2026 Cubs. The above represents the totality of Austin’s one-year spent with Counsell and the Brewers. Overall, the picture isn’t much brighter as the former Yankee, 11th round draft pick has only played in 209 games from 2016-19. While he did hit 33 homers in only 521 at-bats, doing so over four seasons raises questions. Austin didn’t miss time due to miliary, missionary service or prison time-so why didn’t he play more?
One of the local writers covering the Cubs wrote (today) how Austin’s injury and ensuing surgery is impacting the Cubs plans for the upcoming season. In principle it should open things up for a few other castoffs the Cubs have invited to camp, but as he pointed out, none of them are obvious solutions at first base.
For those of us who have already grown weary of the pre-draft worries of the NFL, following the transactions in MLB is all-consuming. As I’ve posted many times in the past, DFA’s, waivers and simple bye-bye’s are the norm in February and March as every team tries to upgrade their 4-man rosters and depth at AAA. Without exception, every guy invited to camp is looking to put himself in the best spot for the upcoming season. And because of the WBC interruption several players will get extended looks with Team 1, before they move on.
Even if Scott Kingery, Michael Conforto, Chas McCormick, Justin Dean and Dylan Carlson don’t land spots in Chicago or Iowa, they will begin the season at AAA or ML somewhere.
Organizations and managers also become infatuated with pitchers and in the case of the Cubs, the sample size is never too small because they have a pitching infrastructure that has proven itself capable of turning around careers.
The media’s role in all of this lovey dovey crap is to create narratives and pretend they are affecting reality. Case in point, Counsell’s love for Ryan Rolison. The Cubs may have unearthed a rare gem that only they can properly develop. Time will tell, but the local media is definitely steering the story and is doing so to shade the White Sox.
Almost every locally written story about Rolison and the Cubs, names him as a former first-round pick released by the White Sox. Gee, if he turns out to be all that will this move by the Sox rank up there with the James Shields for Fernando Tatis Jr. trade? Of course it will, but key facts are missing.
First, Rolison was a first-round pick, but by the Rockies in the 2018 draft-after being selected by the Padres in the 37th round of the 2016 draft. Second, the Rockies traded him to Atlanta after the 2015 season and was later DFA’d before the White Sox claimed him off waiver. Ergo, he’s only pitched professionally for Colorado and mostly in the minors. As much as the Chicago media wants to label him as a Sox pitcher, he’s as much a Braves castoff. Personally, I hope he plays a positive role with the Cubs this season, but I don’t think the Rockies, Braves and Sox are going to have any real regrets. I also don’t think Craig Counsell is going to get punched in the nose for his infatuation.
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