Jon Singleton Just Went Deep For The First Time In 2,935 Days, And He Did It Twice

I wrote a blog the other day about how seeing a player go deep in their first major league at-bat is one of those moments in sports that never gets old. I stand by that. Moments like that are eternally cool. But there is something to about a guy who finds his way to the bigs, plays for a little while, and never finds his way back. I can’t imagine the mental toll of making it to the majors and being demoted. To have that happen one time would be demoralizing. But in the case of Jon Singleton, being in the minors probably became something he figured he’d never get out of. But eight years later, he’s found himself back in the majors. And he just homered for the first time in a big league uniform since 2015.

I remember when the Astros first called up Singleton. The Astros were shit. That's how long ago it was. It was in 2014, just one year before they broke out. In the minor leagues, the dude could mash. That left-handed power stroke was pretty. But sadly, Singleton could not find the consistency. He struck out a lot, and his career on-base percentage coming into tonight was an abysmal .284. That's only part of Singleton's story. This guy got popped multiple times for failing a drug test. Well, he failed a weed test. I don't want to get too political, but how fucking crazy is it that we derail guys' careers for smoking weed? 

For several years there, Singleton was out of baseball. He wasn't even in the minor leagues. He was in a Mexican League for a few years during Covid as he tried to figure himself out. He ultimately found his way back into the Brewers organization. After playing 11 big league games with Milwaukee, he was put on waivers, where the Astros later picked him up. 

In the time in which I was writing this blog, Singleton went deep again. You can't make this shit up.

You guys know that I'm the biggest vibes guy in the world when it comes to baseball. Good things happen to good teams, and while Singleton was at one point believed to be a part of the Astros' future, he faded away quickly. The fact that he found his way back to Houston when they're in the midst of potentially another playoff run is staggering. I say all the time, "Only in baseball," but honestly, this is something that could only happen in baseball. I can't imagine a defensive lineman going eight years in between snaps. That shit just doesn't happen. And it's not like Singleton suffered some devastating injury or anything. He just couldn't perform at the big league level and became one of those guys that most people believe was destined to be in the minors forever. 

That's why you don't quit, man. You have to keep grinding. Somebody once said that some things are bigger than sports. That guy was right. Good for Jon Singleton. What a moment.