Rising Apple Player of the Week: Jordany Valdespin

The Rising Apple staff chooses one player to highlight on our site for their outstanding or unique performance for the last week. If you have a nomination on who should be crowned as the Rising Apple Player of the Week, please let us know! You can leave us a comment, tweet us, or make a comment on Facebook.

The last week was a brutal one for the Mets, in turn making it quite forgettable for the majority of the players on the roster.  As the week neared its end, there were votes for Robert Carson and Scott Rice.  I can’t, however, name either of them player of the week after their recent performances.  Daniel Murphy got some love, but he’s hitting .167 over his last 24 at bats.

Apr 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets outfielder Jordany Valdespin (1) is greeted at home by New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) and the rest of the team after hitting a walk-off grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the bottom of the tenth inning of a MLB game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The only other name that merited consideration from the staff was the player on the squad with the most swagger.  The one who was the recipient of the most vicious pie to the face ever, the dude who retreats to the clubhouse during games to jump on instagram.  He also happens to be the one who provided the only memorable highlight of the last seven days.  For that, Jordany Valdespin is the player of the week.

On Wednesday night, long after Matt Harvey had departed the game, Valdespin stepped to the plate in extras with the game tied and a chance to be the hero.  With the bases loaded and one out, all he needed to do was find a patch of grass anywhere or lift the ball far enough for a sacrifice fly.  In classic JV1 fashion, he decided to hit a grand slam to lead the Mets to a 7-3 victory over Los Angeles.

Valdespin has gone hitless in the nine at bats since his heroics, but his moment still stands as the lone bright spot that momentarily pierced through an otherwise dark week for the Mets.

Here’s to you Valdy, and to the team performing at a level that makes this decision a little more difficult a week from now.

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