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I’ve dealt with more depression throughout my life than you will know. If I let it affect my job, I’d be fired.
Waiting to see how this will be spun negatively…
UPDATE: Dexter Fowler will be at Winter Warmup. He has changed his travel plans for that weekend and will be in St. Louis, the Fowlers notified me this morning, said it was important to be present for #stlcards, as many fans wanted. Story will be updated. https://t.co/eY1TiGA2oY
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 16, 2018
C2016, I am genuinely sorry to hear that. My former company (and many I worked with over the years) have employee assistance programs for mental health issues. So does MLB, I think.
Not to make light of such a serious issue, but I think Nyquist and C2016 are right on. Dexter is only thinking of his own depressed state and not the deep funk he put we Cardinal fans in with his miserable play…..let alone his teammates and coaches. One would imagine that Dexter will be on pitbull’s leash in 2019 and will be jettisoned out very quickly if he has a slow start. That fact in itself might be enough to get Dexter’s head spinning. We all would love to see a dramatic Fowler turnaround…..but unfortunately the odds of that occurring are well below the Mendoza Line too.
I’ve had my life destroyed by people stealing from me. I lost over $2 million because of it. Right now, I work for a company with no benefits. It is what it is.
You only know because you made a comment that others need to understand what it is like to deal with depression. I understand it, because I have to deal with it.
It doesn’t change the fact that PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IS ABOUT WINNING, it is not about participation trophies.
I agree with everything you said, C2016. I never suggested Fowler should keep playing if he does not produce, nor have I seen anyone else here post that, but I understand why the Cards are giving him another shot. I do find the insensitivity to fellow human beings shown by some to be disappointing, but that reflects the world we live in. Happy Holidays!
Depression can be a debilitating disease. I can see how his play would be affected by it and looking back he seemed to want to be anywhere but on a baseball field. I did not like the signing at all but I agree he needs to be given an opportunity to see what he can do.
Unfortunately we will never know if Fowler was truly depressed. Or if he was, was it responsible for his bad play? Or was he depressed because he was playing bad
There is also the question of whether he should have gone on the DL while he sought professional help (there is precedent).But if we give him the benefit of the doubt, where does that leave us for 2019 and beyond. True depression wont go away just because it is a new season, new manager, or even necause you are playing better. Are all his slumps now going to be chalked up to mental health? Yes, some people seem insensative but it is not hard to see this just as a possible excuse.
I will take a shot, CC. As I said on an earlier page, it is incumbent on Fowler getting help. There have been several references in Goold’s articles about the front office checking in on Fowler’s current well-being. But, the details of his treatment (if there is any) is none of our business. However, if he did not get help or it was not effective, then it is a different situation.
I get that some call it an excuse. That is how many react to anyone who shows “weakness”. The reality is that none of us know the truth, but the significant details of the story as relayed by Goold seem quite plausible. Others see it as nothing more than elaborate set of lies, likely because their minds were closed on Fowler long ago.
Just calling it for what it is. An overpaid, underperforming player who blames others instead of himself. Notice that most of his comments are about himself and not about the team?
The count is full and you hit a screaming line drive….. For an out. Remember that feeling.
Tomorrow you get four PA’s, one BB and three well centered, well timed balls in play…. For outs.
Eventually it evens out right? Last season it didn’t for Fowler. He carried a career .338 BAbip into 2018, and came away with a .218 BAbip for the season.
It’s still baseball, not psychology 101. You still have to hit it where they ain’t, and that’s basically luck, or unlucky for Fowler last season.
He couldn’t repeat last seasons results at the plate if he tried. Was it depressing for him? It would be for me, especially over months.
If I were in Fowlers situation, opening day couldn’t get here soon enough, and I doubt you’d feel any differently.
He’d bat second for me, giving him the best opportunity at positive regression. He’s not going to fix his 2018 results from the bench.
But if you look closer you will also see that Fowler’s LD% was at a career low and his exit velocity was down significantly. So your premise that he was hitting the ball hard but just at somebody is a myth.
Fowler
LD%:
4 seasons with a lower LD%.
Career 25%, 2018 at 23%.
I dont find that significant.Batted ball:
Career hard% 30.7%
2018 33.9% (3rd highest season)BR
fangraphsBW – I’m very happy that DF has changed his mind and is coming to WWU. If it’s the start of a turnaround that
shows positive results on the field it would be great. There is nothing I’d like to see more in 2019 than DF having a great year.Cardinals2016 – Your final chapter has yet to be written. Don’t allow those cheats from your past to continue to drag you down. Indeed, very easy for me to say. It is clearly evident that you are both very intelligent and a good person. These attributes can never be taken from you. You will rise above all of those dirty deeds done to you and achieve the ultimate prize…..happiness! You are amongst friends here.
The LD rates on fangraphs are significantly different
Career 22.1%
2018 18.3%
The 18.3% being his only time below 20% since his 13 game inaugral campaign.I’ve looked at his season multiple times. The two things i found significant were that it’s a 334 PA season (sss as seasons go) and ALL batted ball types BA were way down.
What that reminds me of is Carps start of 2018. At 148 PA’s he had a .213 BAbip and a .609 ops.
Sometimes you hit it at em, and sometimes for much longer than you want.
Read the Fowler interview with Goold again. While we have no way of knowing for sure, my take is that the “depression” is nothing more than a self diagnosis after the fact because of lack of another explination. No indication of seeking professional help during or after the season.
Fowler is not obligated to provide that information but if he (and the team) want to reabilitate Fowler with the public it would seem like something they would mention if true. I have great sympathy for those who suffer depression (as I myself have) but Fowler doesnt seem convincing to me (others may have a different opinion).
I expect Fowler to be better in 2019 but I dont know if better in his case will be good enough to be a starter on a championship club.
Note: 2 thumbs down for Goold for failing to even mention Fowler’s defensive lapses and perceived lack of effort.
At least Fowler got his head out of his back end and realized what he was doing was utterly stupid…more likely he was told by somebody that if he didn’t the outcome would be bad…
I’m sympathetic to the issue of depression. But the starting roster of an MLB team trying to win its division, is not the place to sort it out and seek healing. Such a situation would likely be harmful to mental health. Depression can not be fixed, nor can it be dependent upon circumstances or the ups and downs of an MLB season. He should compete just like everybody else for his position. The Cardinals should give him every opportunity to prove himself, and get him any professional help he may need to treat his depression. But roster spots are earned, period. And it’s time for him to earn it.
I find it odd that when someone says they were depressed that so many people just assume that clinical depression is involved instead of it being the far more simple explanation – that he meant he felt depressed. Occam’s razor, and all that.
While we have no way of knowing for sure, my take is that the “depression” is nothing more than a self diagnosis after the fact because of lack of another explination. No indication of seeking professional help during or after the season.
I find it odd that when someone says they were depressed that so many people just assume that clinical depression is involved instead of it being the far more simple explanation – that he meant he felt depressed. Occam’s razor, and all that.
People are using the word “depression” to mean feeling sad or not feeling well. I doubt that DF even knows what true depression is. I believe that if he was truly depressed he wouldn’t being playing ball at all.
I also feel that his defense was pitiful and he won’t be able to improve on it. I would rather see JoMartinez in RF because, on the other side, the guy can hit. As of today, Jose has so many more positives on and off the field than Dexy…. not even close. The FO insists on having Fowler starting in RF, something is just not right.
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