Going Home Does Not Come With Guarantees

With Jason Giambi going back to the Oakland Athletics, where he began his baseball journey, people have started to discuss if going back to the original team a player started with would resurrect their careers.

I do not agree with this. Coming home again does not come with any guarantees.

Some people argue that it gives the player more motivation to play.

If this were the case, why play at all? By making that argument, you suggest the player was not trying with the other team, or teams, he played for.

If a player is injured and does not play well for one team and they decide to go back to their original team, does that mean they are going to be able to play better?

Of course not! They can go to any team and that can happen. It is a matter of having better trainers on the team.

An example would be Ken Griffey, Jr. He was hurt throughout his time in Cincinnati.

Compare that to when he played for the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners. He was perfectly healthy. This would imply the latter two teams had great trainers to keep Griffey healthy.

You can say, "Well their home fans would love the player and encourage him."

I, in turn, would say, "So would the fans of any team they play for if they love the player or if the player chose to play in his hometown."

Mike Piazza's original team was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Before he retired, should he have gone back to them to try to resurrect his career? We all know the answer is "no" simply because he was considered a DH.

Other examples are Lee Mazzilli*, with the New York Mets and Gary Carter, with the Montreal Expos. They began and ended their careers with the teams they started with, not necessarily lighting it up.

This is my point. It does not matter if a player goes back to their original team.

What matters is if they actually have it within themselves to continue to play. They could just be better off retiring, as in the case of Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine.

Call it a career and wait for your turn on the Hall of Fame ballot.

*Mazzilli split his last season in the majors with the New York Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays.