The Florida Marlins aren't really capable of setting the Internet ablaze, but they made their best effort on Saturday, August 13. Following a loss to the Giants, the Marlins cut Wes Helms and demoted Logan Morrison to triple-A New Orleans. This despite the fact that, although he'd been slumping, Morrison was among the best hitters on the team.
Logan Morrison Returning To Marlins After Receiving Sent Message
Logan Morrison’s brief stint in the minor leagues is over, as he re-joins the Florida Marlins on Wednesday. The organization must believe the message was received.
Immediately, there was suspicion that Morrison was being punished more for what he did off the field than for what he did on it, and the Marlins did little to refute the accusations, with Larry Beinfest saying, “He needs to concentrate on all aspects of being a Major Leaguer and work his way back.” Morrison’s behavior had gotten him in trouble with the organization before, and to the outsider it looked like the Marlins were trying to send him a message.
Fast-forward to now. Joe Frisaro:
Logan Morrison will be back in a Marlins uniform when the club plays a doubleheader Wednesday against the Reds.
The 23-year-old outfielder tweeted at 6:23 p.m Tuesday night.: "6pm flight to FLL. The Boogeyman is back!"
So Morrison’s stint in the minors lasted exactly ten days. Which just so happens to be the minimum amount of time a player must spend in the minors before being recalled. And it’s not like he was lighting up the scoreboard. As a Zephyr, Morrison went 4-for-24 and missed a game with a groin injury. He had one hit in his last four games.
Morrison wasn’t hitting yet in triple-A. If his demotion had to do with his performance, the Marlins would’ve waited to bring him back until he improved his performance. So it’s perfectly clear that his demotion wasn’t about his performance, and was about his attitude. The Marlins wanted to give Morrison a little jolt, to get him to act more like their idea of a professional.
Which, well, whether you agree with the Marlins or not, the fact that they’ve recalled Morrison suggests that they’re satisfied. Satisfied that their message has been sent, and satisfied that their message has been received. That Morrison was down for the minimum amount of time implies that both sides have an interest in moving forward together.
So now we get to see how this goes. The inclination is to side with the player, and indeed, I think the Marlins were silly for sending Morrison down. But if Morrison comes away from this a changed person, a person the Marlins are proud to have as a face of the franchise, it’ll be hard to be too critical. Different teams discipline in different ways, and if the Marlins get what they want, then more power to them.
And if Morrison comes away from this the exact same person, that would be interesting, too.
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