The Ranger’s new utility infielder, Khalil Greene is not going to be reporting to Spring Training because of his repeated difficulties with Social Anxiety Disorder. This is something he has had to deal with a few times before in his career, and actually, it is something he has dealt with since he was a kid.
Social Anxiety Disorder is described as a “chronic fear of being judged by others and of being humiliated by one’s own actions.[1]” For Greene the disorder would cause a deeply rooted stress under the pressure to perform. The pressure however, was for the most part put upon by himself.
"I don't know what level, as far as how much one internalizes the feelings, how deep they go to the core of a person, but for me it's always been pretty deep. I've always taken the game pretty seriously and wanted to perform well. It's been a love-hate relationship in a lot of ways. A lot of that is natural and it's a response to what you consider important. A lot of that is healthy, but for me it wasn't healthy in terms of how deep it goes. I don't know how to describe it, other than the fact it wasn't pleasant.[2]"
In 2008 Greene broke his hand punching a wall in the dugout. And last season with the Cardinals Greene went on the DL because of the amount of stress.
All of this should have been a red flag fro the Rangers before signing Greene to a one-year, $750,000 contract. But on the flip side, the potential pay off was worth the risk[3]. Greene is a talented player, and had he not been plagued by a mental condition for his career could have turned into an everyday starter. He would have been a perfect fit for the highly coveted Utility Infielder role that has been filled in the past by players such as Omar Vizquel, Mark DeRosa, and Billy Ripken[4]. Now the Ranger’s are in a last minute scramble to fill a very important position on the roster as they are forced to proceed under the assumption that Greene won’t be returning to Spring Training and may not play at all.
There are a small handful of decent options, both through free agency and in our system. Or watching the waiver wire toward the end of Spring Training may fill the need. It’s unlikely a trade would happen to fill the role, but that is still an outside possibility. Regardless, what the Ranger’s do to fill the Utility Infielder position is something worth watching as Spring Training progresses.
3. Historically, GM John Daniels hasn’t been afraid to take a risk on a player every now and then. Milton Bradley was a risk coming into the 2008 season and paid off big. Kenny Lofton was also a risk that yielded a nice return in 2007.
4. I love any opportunity to throw in a good Billy Ripken reference?
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