Deshaun Watson’s rough relationship with Browns fans has dragged up an old Cleveland memory, and it’s not a flattering one.
The current tension flared after Watson was booed during a recent preseason game and then took aim at those same fans afterward. In Cleveland, that’s the kind of move that can turn an already tense situation into a full-blown problem.
The city will live with a bad outing or even a bad stretch. What it has a harder time swallowing is a player who arrives with baggage and then doesn’t back it up with production.
That’s why Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast host Joe Noga saw something familiar in the Watson situation: John Rocker.
Back in June 2001, Cleveland traded for Rocker after he had become one of baseball’s most polarizing figures because of racist and offensive comments he made in an interview while with the Atlanta Braves. The logic behind the move was simple enough - if he performed, the noise would fade. If he pitched like he had in Atlanta, the controversy could be pushed into the background.
Instead, the whole thing unraveled.
“He immediately split the clubhouse,” Paul Hoynes recalled. Bob Wickman had been the closer, and Rocker took over that role.
The tension showed up fast. Rocker then struggled on the mound, posting a 5.45 ERA in 30 appearances, and he didn’t handle the pressure well.
Hoynes said he watched Rocker in the dugout after bad outings, “banging the back of his head against the wall. He was in a different world.”
Cleveland moved on from him before the start of the 2002 season.
Noga’s bigger point was about the burden that comes with being a controversial addition in the first place.
“When the team knowingly brings in a player that the fan base doesn’t want, that nobody wants around, is that player held to a higher standard of performance?” Noga asked.
The answer, as the situation in Cleveland tends to show, is yes. There’s no easing in.
No patience reserve. Every mistake gets louder because the crowd already has its doubts.
Watson has lived that reality. His off-field history, his injuries and his uneven play when healthy have all fed into the same kind of scrutiny. Hoynes put the fan perspective plainly: “Cleveland, like any fans and any city, they just want an honest effort from the athlete that they’re cheering for, that they paid money to see.”
That expectation stands in sharp contrast to Jose Ramirez, who has spent more than a decade giving Cleveland exactly what it wants. He has delivered MVP-caliber seasons, helped push the team into the postseason and never given fans a reason to turn on him. When he signed his latest extension, he pointed to that bond with the fan base as one of the reasons he stayed.
Could Cleveland fans ever boo Jose Ramirez? Noga said he couldn’t imagine it. Hoynes felt the same way, and pointed to the depth of the city’s connection with its sports stars, including Larry Doby, the first Black player to sign in the American League, who reportedly said he loved Cleveland because he was never booed there.
That’s the standard in this city: effort, honesty and results. For a player who arrives with controversy attached, the margin for error gets very small, very fast.
Watson hasn’t delivered enough of that. Rocker didn’t either. And in Cleveland, that usually tells you how the story ends.
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Kahlil Watson Has Given Guardians Fans A Tough Roster Question
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The problem is the one standing in front of him in Cleveland. The Guardians outfield is crowded enough that even a strong run in the Minors does not guarantee a clear path back, and the wait for another opportunity could stretch much longer than Watson or the fan base would like. It is the sort of roster squeeze that leaves the club with a real decision to make, and leaves Watson stuck trying to turn promise into something the majors can actually fit. [Read more 🡒]