Toronto Blue Jays: Tough road ahead for Roberto Osuna
By Jasmine Yen
Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was reportedly arrested, charged with assault and placed on administrative leave by the MLB.
Roberto Osuna is 23-years-old and one of the best relievers in the Majors. He’s the youngest pitcher in MLB history to record 75 saves, and currently has 104 in his career with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The alleged actions committed by Osuna are inexcusable. I don’t care how good of a pitcher he is or how valuable he is to the Blue Jays, his actions are indefensible and if the story holds up, he deserves whatever punishment comes his way.
With that being said, it is important for everyone to separate what he does on the field from his life outside the Rogers Centre. Despite his actions, Osuna is still one of the top closers in the game and his accomplishments on the field shouldn’t be dismissed.
A career 2.87 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 221 games is an amazing feat for such a young player. He’s been so reliable for the Blue Jays and is a major cog to their past success.
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It’s a tough struggle to separate Roberto Osuna the athlete from Roberto Osuna the person. However, just because he’s a great pitcher it doesn’t mean that he’s a great person; they don’t mix.
For example, Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all time, but his personal life has been plastered with controversy (DUI, cheating).
Woods’ records on the golf course such as 79 PGA Tour victories are amazing achievements, but we shouldn’t confuse this with his personal life. He’s a great golfer, but his struggles off the golf course are hard to look past.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, just because an athlete is amazing at his/her sport, it doesn’t mean that they’re amazing people.
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Osuna is a great pitcher, but if the allegations are proven to be true, it should force him to change to his off-field behaviour. If not, it could mean the end of a career for one of the game’s elite young stars.