The last few days for me have been quite bittersweet as I watched former Marlins outfielder, Josh Willingham, make baseball history. How rare is it to hit two Grand Slams in one game? Josh is just the third player to do it in the National League and 13th in the Majors. Perfect games are more common!
Josh was sent packing to baseball purgatory, Washington, last season by the Marlins. He is what you’d call a “late bloomer” who also happens to be injury prone. His best year came in 2006 when he hit 26 home runs with a .277 batting average. The next two years he spent much time on the Disabled List.
What’s really sad is despite being healthy, Willingham spent most of the early season riding the bench on the worst team in baseball. In April and June he had just 35 at-bats both months. Finally able to get some playing time in July, Willingham has hit 7 home runs, driven in 23 runners, and hit .329 in over 80 at-bats.
It’s really disappointing to know the Marlins gave up on “The Hammer” but kept former super prospect, Jeremy Hermida on the team for another year. Hermida, a wasted #1 draft for Florida is in his 5th Major League season and is on pace for his third 15 HR/100+ K year.
It’s good to see one of the genuinely good guys grab some attention.
The Baseball Card Blog 