Goodbye, Tony Campana

I have purposely waited a few days to write out my feelings about the most recent Cubs' loss. I didn't want to be overly emotional. Someone told me once that part of the curse of being a Cubs fan is that you get attached to mediocre players. Maybe that's true, and maybe I am overreacting to the loss of the popular outfielder.

Except I am not overreacting. Here is my argument for why Tony Campana should've stayed with the Cubs.

First, I'll start with the obvious: speed. Tony is, without a doubt, the fastest man in baseball. He is most likely one of the fastest men alive. But fast guys are a dime a dozen--what makes Tony's speed special? I would argue that, in addition to his speed, it's his base-running prowess. Tony's smart. He knows when to run and when not to, when to try for two bases when a normal human might only get one. He's going to keep the pitcher's eye on him instead of on the batter. You have to pitch differently when Tony's on base. He's aggressive, especially in clutch situations. Check out the stats and you'll see what I mean. At one point in the season, Tony led the league in stolen bases, and he did that being a non-starter who spent a chunk of the season in AAA Iowa. In 2012, he was caught stealing only three times.

But let's get away from the obvious. This kid finds a way to get on base. Whether it's a walk, running out what would normally be just a sacrifice bunt, or running out a dropped third strike, or running out an infield hit, he's a fighter. Maybe it's the cancer-survivor in him, or maybe it's just the athlete in him. Doesn't matter why, only that he's going to get on base. His OBP was .309 in 2012, and I imagine it would've been higher given more opportunity.

And let's talk about Tony the Personality. Don't tell me clubhouse morale will not change without him around. I've seen him joking around on the field and in the dugout. He's a little jumping-bean of energy and he pumps the guys up. If you don't believe me, ask the players. He's consistently named as favorite teammate. And what about the fans? There is not a more fan-friendly player than Tony. Game after game, during B.P., after the games, whenever there's an opportunity, he's signing and posing for pictures and laughing. I would argue that fans come to the game to see him. I know that's true because I have talked to the fans. In a season where the Cubs will probably not be contenders, how will you bring in the fans? With players like Tony. If you were at the Cubs Convention, you would see that it's true, that he is absolutely beloved.

Maybe Tony wouldn't be a starter ever on any team. But when you want good men on the bench, which every MLB team needs, you need someone like Tony to fill that spot.

Tony has been good to me for the past two years. I will miss him and his soon-to-be wife Whitney on a personal level, and of course I am biased because I love their personalities. But I truly believe we are losing so much by losing Tony, and I think we'll see that soon enough.