Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
It was just a year ago that Eric Hinske was considered a very important member of the Atlanta Braves locker room and they were sad to see him move on to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was one of those “baseball decisions”. Unfortunately Hinske struggled this season and was optioned to the minors earlier this month. His performance in the minors was bad as well and now he has been released by the DBacks. The rumor is that now he will retire after twelve seasons in Major League Baseball.
It is never easy to see a good guy suddenly lose his swing or ability to make an impact on a baseball team. I find it difficult to believe that Hinske could really be completely done with the game though. Maybe I am just having sad feelings about it because we might expect a little longer career from a one-time American League Rookie of the Year. I’m not sure what it is, probably it is just frustrating because you like to see good guys succeed in the game they love to play.
It isn’t all bad though because as is always the case, someone somewhere will want a good baseball personality around their franchise for one reason or another. It is even possible that one more team could give him another chance to find the groove again. No matter what he does in the next year, or whether it includes baseball or doesn’t, I’m sure good things will follow Hinske wherever he goes because sometimes in this life good things actually do happen to good people. Hinske certainly is one of those.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
