Ned Yost waited as long as he could stand waiting.
After careful deliberation, he gave it a few more weeks.
Then, he waited a little longer.
The Brewers manager, who learned the value of patience while working under venerable Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox, kept playing the odds. He kept hoping that veteran rightfielder Geoff Jenkins would correct the minute flaw in his timing mechanism, rediscover his hitting stroke, bash line drives from foul line to foul line (and occasionally into the bleachers) and become the run-producing force that Milwaukee's offense has needed all season.
It didn't happen.
With his patience depleted, Yost made his move -- slowly, but surely. With a lefty on the mound for Chicago on Tuesday night, Yost pulled Jenkins for pinch-hitter Brady Clark. On Thursday afternoon, he sat him against Cubs right-hander Mark Prior in a series finale. Friday afternoon, he went public with his decision to bench Jenkins for much of the final six weeks in order to allot more playing time for Gabe Gross and Corey Hart.
Yost has pushed his chips to the middle of the table. Now, it's time for general manager Doug Melvin to act.
It's time to trade Jenkins.
If it doesn't happen in the next few weeks, it has to happen during the winter. It won't be easy. With Jenkins slated to make close to $8 million next season, the Brewers likely will have to take back another team's high-salaried, underachieving player in the deal or pick up part of the salary.
But, it has to happen.
The notion that Jenkins could bounce back as a part-time player over the next six weeks is quaint, but it's about as far-fetched as the Brewers' hopes of winning the wild-card. It's not that Jenkins won't try. He's got too much class to sit around and sulk and he's been given too long a leash this season to snap at Yost or go to Melvin and demand a trade. But, he's also been an established, everyday player for too long to make significant adjustments while sitting on the bench.
Yost's decision to look at Gross and Hart, which many will argue was long overdue, had to shake Jenkins' confidence. His confidence couldn't have been high in the first place. Jenkins knows he's hitting .254. He knows he has 10 homers and 57 RBI. He knows he has 108 strikeouts in 397 at-bats. He knows he's 6 for his last 43. He knows he went a career-high 142 at-bats without a homer earlier this season. He knows he's batting .119 against lefties. He also knows, after a story ran in the newspaper last week, that a lot of fans think that his past production was chemically-enhanced (a charge he apparently found insulting).
It's romantic to think that Jenkins will dedicate himself in the off-season, come into camp intent on winning back his old job and recapture the hearts of Brewers fans who once considered him their favorite.
How often do things work out that way?
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that Jenkins does work his way back into a regular role next season. Do you honestly think the team will exercise his option for 2008? That's not going to happen.
It's time for a change of scenery. Clubs have shown interest in Jenkins in the past and the fact that he's been healthy all season and is in the final year of his deal should give Melvin a few options for deals.
Speaking of options, Yost, who showed extreme patience with Wes Helms, J.J. Hardy, Derrick Turnbow (to a lesser degree) and others, had options to consider as well. He could have sat Jenkins for a week, sent him to the batting cage with hitting coach Butch Wynegar (whose days are likely numbered). He could have announced a platoon, with Hart playing against lefties and Jenkins starting against selected eighties. He could have kept Jenkins in the lineup and dropped him to eighth in the batting order.
Instead, Yost went for the big move. He's seen enough to think that Jenkins isn't going to come out of his tailspin this season. Friday night, in the first game after his demotion, Jenkins came in as a pinch-hitter and almost homered. His sacrifice fly tied the game and represented the only run in what turned out to be a disheartening loss.
On another night, in another circumstance, that swing could have been seen as a bright spot; a potential turning point; a sign that Jenkins is finally coming around.
But, it's too late for that now.
Yost has made his decision. One positive result shouldn't enough to offset the damage that Jenkins has done this season or alter the plan to give Gross and Hart more playing time.
Although most fans will applaud the change and hold Jenkins in contempt because of his contract, it's hard not to feel sympathy for him. This is the same Geoff Jenkins who carried the offense in the second half last season despite playing with a compression fracture in his pelvis. He has overcome injuries in the past, played dazzling defense, made an all-star team and helped out with charitable donations in the community.
If the Brewers trade him, they'll be turning a page in the organization and handing the team over to guys like Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and others. They'll also be doing Jenkins a favor. After years of loyal service, when he played through injuries, grinded through at-bats and belly flopped to catch balls even though his team was down six runs, Jenkins deserves better than to close out his time in Milwaukee as a role player.
After careful deliberation, he gave it a few more weeks.
Then, he waited a little longer.
The Brewers manager, who learned the value of patience while working under venerable Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox, kept playing the odds. He kept hoping that veteran rightfielder Geoff Jenkins would correct the minute flaw in his timing mechanism, rediscover his hitting stroke, bash line drives from foul line to foul line (and occasionally into the bleachers) and become the run-producing force that Milwaukee's offense has needed all season.
It didn't happen.
With his patience depleted, Yost made his move -- slowly, but surely. With a lefty on the mound for Chicago on Tuesday night, Yost pulled Jenkins for pinch-hitter Brady Clark. On Thursday afternoon, he sat him against Cubs right-hander Mark Prior in a series finale. Friday afternoon, he went public with his decision to bench Jenkins for much of the final six weeks in order to allot more playing time for Gabe Gross and Corey Hart.
Yost has pushed his chips to the middle of the table. Now, it's time for general manager Doug Melvin to act.
It's time to trade Jenkins.
If it doesn't happen in the next few weeks, it has to happen during the winter. It won't be easy. With Jenkins slated to make close to $8 million next season, the Brewers likely will have to take back another team's high-salaried, underachieving player in the deal or pick up part of the salary.
But, it has to happen.
The notion that Jenkins could bounce back as a part-time player over the next six weeks is quaint, but it's about as far-fetched as the Brewers' hopes of winning the wild-card. It's not that Jenkins won't try. He's got too much class to sit around and sulk and he's been given too long a leash this season to snap at Yost or go to Melvin and demand a trade. But, he's also been an established, everyday player for too long to make significant adjustments while sitting on the bench.
Yost's decision to look at Gross and Hart, which many will argue was long overdue, had to shake Jenkins' confidence. His confidence couldn't have been high in the first place. Jenkins knows he's hitting .254. He knows he has 10 homers and 57 RBI. He knows he has 108 strikeouts in 397 at-bats. He knows he's 6 for his last 43. He knows he went a career-high 142 at-bats without a homer earlier this season. He knows he's batting .119 against lefties. He also knows, after a story ran in the newspaper last week, that a lot of fans think that his past production was chemically-enhanced (a charge he apparently found insulting).
It's romantic to think that Jenkins will dedicate himself in the off-season, come into camp intent on winning back his old job and recapture the hearts of Brewers fans who once considered him their favorite.
How often do things work out that way?
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that Jenkins does work his way back into a regular role next season. Do you honestly think the team will exercise his option for 2008? That's not going to happen.
It's time for a change of scenery. Clubs have shown interest in Jenkins in the past and the fact that he's been healthy all season and is in the final year of his deal should give Melvin a few options for deals.
Speaking of options, Yost, who showed extreme patience with Wes Helms, J.J. Hardy, Derrick Turnbow (to a lesser degree) and others, had options to consider as well. He could have sat Jenkins for a week, sent him to the batting cage with hitting coach Butch Wynegar (whose days are likely numbered). He could have announced a platoon, with Hart playing against lefties and Jenkins starting against selected eighties. He could have kept Jenkins in the lineup and dropped him to eighth in the batting order.
Instead, Yost went for the big move. He's seen enough to think that Jenkins isn't going to come out of his tailspin this season. Friday night, in the first game after his demotion, Jenkins came in as a pinch-hitter and almost homered. His sacrifice fly tied the game and represented the only run in what turned out to be a disheartening loss.
On another night, in another circumstance, that swing could have been seen as a bright spot; a potential turning point; a sign that Jenkins is finally coming around.
But, it's too late for that now.
Yost has made his decision. One positive result shouldn't enough to offset the damage that Jenkins has done this season or alter the plan to give Gross and Hart more playing time.
Although most fans will applaud the change and hold Jenkins in contempt because of his contract, it's hard not to feel sympathy for him. This is the same Geoff Jenkins who carried the offense in the second half last season despite playing with a compression fracture in his pelvis. He has overcome injuries in the past, played dazzling defense, made an all-star team and helped out with charitable donations in the community.
If the Brewers trade him, they'll be turning a page in the organization and handing the team over to guys like Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and others. They'll also be doing Jenkins a favor. After years of loyal service, when he played through injuries, grinded through at-bats and belly flopped to catch balls even though his team was down six runs, Jenkins deserves better than to close out his time in Milwaukee as a role player.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
