The baseball world was blind-sided this morning as we learned of Domingo German’s post on Instagram saying that he has left baseball and thanking his people. While this does come as a surprise to most, he had hinted at the potential of not returning in a previous Instagram post. German was suspended by the league for a violation of its policy on domestic violence. He has 63 games left to serve since he missed 18 games last season during the suspension already. German was going to be eligible for the 2020 post-season since he sat out last year’s playoffs. The New York Yankees will likely be in the post-season this year.
On The Field
On the field, Domingo German performed well. Last year he was 18-4 in 24 starts. He had an ERA of 4.03, which was an improvement over his rookie season of 5.57. He struck out 153 batters in 143 innings, with a WHIP of 1.147. Domingo was doing very well, and his future in baseball was very bright. Winning 18 games is a good sign in any season, especially one in which you missed 18 games. MLB has a strict domestic-violence policy, and German was handed an 81-game suspension—the fourth-longest so far.
Other Suspension Results
Of the three longer suspensions, a total of zero players have ever played in another MLB game. Those three were Jose Torres (100), Odubel Herrera (85), and Hector Olivera (82). For higher profile players like Addison Russell, Roberto Osuna, and Aroldis Chapman, it is not necessarily career-ending. However, teams have shown that they will likely distance themselves from players who violate the rule.
Russell went from an All-Star in 2016 to non-tendered three years later. His production plummeted after serving his 40-game suspension and he finished batting a miserable .237. After that, the Chicago Cubs cut him loose. Also, Herrera is still signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, but it is not clear if they will even put him on the roster. Osuna was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Houston Astros, as the Jays distanced from him. Chapman was traded to the Yankees while he was still waiting to see how long his suspension would be. Osuna and Chapman still pitched well after their domestic violence suspensions, so it is not necessarily career-ending.
Conclusion
The exact reasoning behind Domingo German’s retirement is currently unclear. It could be the concern of his production dropping or the dark and domestic violence cloud over his head or the fact that he was never actually charged with a crime. We will likely learn more in the coming days. One thing that we do know is that Domingo German said he is leaving baseball.
Main Image
Embed from Getty Images
