Dodgers outfielder → mental illness → homelessness, the story of renewing the contract with ‘zero salary’ for 5 years
The quiet consideration of the Los Angeles Dodgers team in the US Major League is becoming a hot topic.
CNN, an American news channel, reported on the 24th (Korean time), “The Dodgers team renewed the contract again with a player who has not played a single game in the major leagues at the end of 2018.” This player is Andrew Tols (31), who once played as the main center fielder for the Dodgers.
Born in Georgia, USA, Tols was a promising prospect who went pro after being selected by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. However, since 2014, mental problems have arisen and he has had a discord with the team, and he was eventually released before the start of the 2015 season.
After returning to the field after signing with the Dodgers for the 2016 season, he had the pleasure of making his major league debut in July of that year. In 48 games his first year, Tols posted an impressive batting average of .314 with 3 homers and 16 RBIs. He also excelled with an OPS of 0.870, a combination of on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Using this as a stepping stone, in 2017, the following year, he was named on the Dodgers opening game roster and was expected to be the starting center fielder. However, in a game on May 10 in which he played in left field, he ruptured his cruciate ligament while defending and suffered a season-ending injury. At the time, he was active with a batting average of 0.271, 5 home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games, so he was more disappointed.
After recovering from an injury in 2018, Tols returned to the major leagues, but he was no longer what he used to be. After sluggish batting average of 0.233 in 17 big league games, he ended up spending most of the season in minor league Triple-A.
And he didn’t show up at spring training in 2019, and only showed up at the end of April when minor league extension camp began. However, a month later, he left the camp again for no particular reason and returned home. It was the last time he was seen wearing a baseball uniform. 먹튀검증
It was later discovered that Tols had health problems, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In the summer of 2020, he was arrested for trespassing while sleeping near Miami Airport, Florida, USA, and appeared in the social media news.
CNN said, “The reason the Dodgers continue to extend Tols’ contract for a fifth year is to provide insurance so he can receive medical assistance.” “So there is no financial support such as salary in this contract,” he said.