Understanding Jesse Hahn’s Demotion

According to Matt Calkins of the U~T San Diego, demoting Jesse Hahn to Double-A San Antonio this past Tuesday was the right move for the 25-year-old from Norwich, Connecticut. Hahn showed flashes of brilliance with a deceptive curveball and a 7-3 record, but the Padres are opting to play the long game with their promising right hander.

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Bud Black is quoted in the article saying, “It was time to option Jesse and give him a little break.” Skipper knows best, and Calkins believes Hahn will come back in September to join the stupendous crew in the bullpen.

I understand the need to preserve Hahn’s arm. The Padres’ Wild Card hopes have been beaten up after going 2-5 against the Cardinals and the Dodgers. In addition, a healthy Hahn will be a major factor in the Padres’ starting rotation in 2015.

The one thing I am skeptical about, is the concept of “playing it safe,” and how that can hold back a team that needs to overachieve to get to the playoffs. The Pads need to be aggressive in every aspect of the game. Every single plate appearance should be given double value because we don’t have a slugger who will right all our wrongs in one swing.

As a collective, the Padres dont’ have that “slugger,” but no one guy can put the team on his back. That is why I love seeing Abraham Almonte run the bases, Yangervis Solarte swinging the baseball bat, Will Venable stealing second base in the ninth inning last night, and Tyson Ross nearly dominating LA. The guys need to be on edge at all times because we can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to get back in the game.

Give Jesse Hahn a rest, but make sure everyone else knows that every game, every at-bat, every groundball, and every pitch is a chance to make the playoffs.