Kaleb Ort of the Boston Red Sox has not had an easy time in his attempts to become a regular MLB pitcher. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has amassed an ERA of 6.59 in 41 innings over the course of the last three seasons.
If these lackluster numbers weren't bad enough, Ort has had to deal with sustained trolling from one of baseball's most listened-to commentators.
Jared Carrabis, a well-known MLB podcaster and Red Sox fan, started trolling Ort online last season. Carrabis would often refer to Ort as "terrible" and called for his demotion to the minor leagues.
The trolling was apparently enough for Ort, who has blocked Carrabis from Twitter so that he would not be subject to any more abuse. Needless to say, Carrabis found a way to use this against him as well.
"State of the Nation — Kaleb Ort has blocked me on Twitter" - Jared Carrabis
Carrabis recently posted a rather sarcastic video on Twitter where he referred to Ort's move to block him as "it's sad, it's confusing, and it's frustrating."
While the video played, Carrabis flashed a litany of recent Tweets in which he quite obviously sarcastically praised Kaleb Ort, calling him one of the best pitchers in the MLB.
Ort's most recent appearance for the Boston Red Sox came on April 25 in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, and it was a disaster. In just 0.1 of an inning, Ort surrendered five runs, four of them earned, including two home runs. The Michigan native was sent back down to Triple-A after the unfortunate outing.
"Gunnar Henderson vs Kaleb Ort. Home Run (2) Opponent: Boston Red Sox. Distance: 401FT. Exit Velocity: 104.6 MPH" - Orioles HR
For Ort, it was not his first unraveling. On April 23, in a game against the Minnesota Twins, Ort gave up an earned run and threw a wild pitch over the course of 26 pitches, and was subsequently yanked from the game by manager Alex Cora.
Jarred Carrabis' trolling undoubtedly adds to Kaleb Ort's pain
Kaleb Ort is having a very difficult time establishing himself. For him, all the sacrifices he made to be at the top of all his childhood teams seem to be vanishing before his eyes.
While fans can enjoy a cheap laugh at Ort's expense due to Jared Carrabis, they need to ask themselves if a sustained campaign against Ort is either decent or worthwhile at this point.