Skip to main content

Amaro refutes Biddle's concussion diagnosis again and again


Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd
When a CSNPhilly piece by Jim Salisbury featured quotes from Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. discrediting prospect Jesse Biddle's assertion of suffering from a concussion last season, the uproar that should accompany such contradiction was missing.

The Phils' 2010 opening round draft choice (27th overall), Biddle, missed considerable time last year after the Phillies told the media that the German Town Friends School graduate needed a mental break.

Biddle struggled with his production after he was struck in the head with an ice pellet during a hail storm in May.  Prior to the ailment, which forced him to miss one start initially, the Philadelphia native posted a 3.18 ERA with 61 strike outs and 24 walks in 10 starts for Double-A Reading.  In the five starts that followed he had a 9.81 ERA with 15 strike outs and 16 walks issued.

At the time of the injury, Biddle was diagnosed by a doctor as having a concussion and, according to a piece by the Reading Eagle's Mike Drago last year, it was his the third of his life.

Biddle's high demands on himself drove him to push through the difficulties and things weren't getting better.  In June he would be shut down to visit a specialist and participate in physical therapy in Florida.

Biddle offered a declaration to me in August that the damage caused by being struck in the head was quite substantial, having an impact outside of baseball.

"I definitely was experiencing some symptoms and whether or not they were affecting me on the field, they just affected my day to day life," Biddle said.

The young left-hander also expressed that the concussion symptoms lasted for some time and any implications that he is delicate between the ears was of no great concern to him.

"I didn't really read anything about it," Biddle stated.  "One of the things I'm learning is to just try not to read stuff about yourself."

In Salisbury's article though, the man that should be expected to have some interest in the welfare for Phillies on-field personnel, Amaro, seemed to be resistant toward Biddle's diagnosis.

Amaro this week acknowledged that Biddle had “concussion symptoms,” but added, “I don’t know if it was a full-blown concussion.” He went on to say, “That wasn’t the reason we gave him the break.”

What is it that the guy in charge of the Phillies is trying to convey there? Why does he continue to question the 23-year-old's toughness?   Does the general manager aspire to be a brain trauma expert?

Amaro's doubtful critique of the scenario can't benefit, in any fashion, a player that should still be a prized prospect to his team. There's also no manner that ripping Biddle's fortitude can help to boost his value to a different team.

So, what good can this do?  None.  Could it have a negative result?  Maybe.  Biddle and other players could take notice of Amaro's resistance and opposition toward medical diagnosis and may develop resentment toward management.

While there have been plenty of reasons in recent years for fans to dislike the job Amaro has done and to call for his termination, perhaps there is no more appropriate reason to call for his removal from the team's front office than a complete and demonstrable disregard for a player's health.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Jason Knapp Q&A

PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...