Postseason hero Travis Ishikawa has been cut by the San Francisco Giants.
Ishikawa had been rehabilitating from a back injury, but under Major League Rules, the team had until yesterday to decide whether or not it wanted to keep him.
The Japanese American who hit the home run last season that sent the Giants to the World Series is a victim of a very talented roster.
First year players on the team this year have done well, leaving Ishikawa who plays first base no where to go. His position is occupied by Brandon Belt who’s hitting .302 this season with 19 RBIs for the 26-20 second place Giants. Ishikawa would be Belt’s back up, but the Giants like to play all star catcher Buster Posey there occasionally to give him a break from sitting in the crouch behind the plate.
Ishikawa was a steady presence on the bench last season hitting .274.
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If no team picks him up on waivers, the Giants have 10 days to decide if they want to trade him or send him back to the minors. If that happens, Ishikawa could decide he rather not return to the minors and forfeit his $1.1 million salary.
This latest story about Ishikawa is typical of his career. Last season he considered quitting baseball, but decided to stick it out in the minors. The Giants called him up to the big leagues toward the end of the season and Ishikawa turned it into a Cinderella story with his historic home run.
In 2010, Ishikawa earned a World Series ring, but was cut from the team at the end of spring training the following season. Unfortunately, something very similar has happened again following his second ring.
Ishikawa isn’t the first postseason hero to be cut by the Giants. Michael Morse also hit a big home run in the National League Championship series last year, but was not resigned by the team. Neither was Pablo Sandoval, the popular 3rd baseman who has three world Series rings with the Giants. The Giants could not come to terms with Sandoval and he went to the Boston Red Sox.
In 2010, Edgar Renteria was named World Series MVP after winning the series winning home run in game 5 against the Texas Rangers. Renteria declined a $1 million offer from the Giants and ended up with the Cincinnati Reds.
RE: Travis Ishikawa-Hero one day, gone the next: Leave it to the Giants to hang Travis out in the wind. Let’s hope they keep him on.