Goodbye to Jody Gerut

I awoke this morning to the news that the Cleveland Indians had traded Jody Gerut to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguer Jason Dubois.

I don't know enough about Dubois to discuss him intelligently but beside that this post is to say so long to a fan favorite. Jody Gerut made his debut for the Indians in 2003 batting .279 with 22 homers while being named the TSN Rookie of the Year. However, it was his defense that made him a real fan favorite. My son wanted to emulate his diving catches and demanded I throw the ball out of his reach so he had to dive. Off the field Jody was an ambassador of the game to the Cleveland community and will quickly become a fixture at charity events in Chicago which coincidentally is his hometown.

Sadly, Gerut regressed offensively in 2004 and just as he was getting in a groove, his season was ended by a knee injury. This year, he missed time coming back from that same injury and I'm not convinced he is fully back yet. I hope and expect that he will thrive with regular playing time in Chicago. Thanks and good luck Jody!