The last time many of you saw Jonathan Albaladejo, he had just gotten smoked in the head with a baseball, and his black eyes made him look like a raccoon. A fat raccoon.Carig goes on to say how there was a bump in the road for Albaladejo when he visited Puerto Rico and had his mom's cooking. He gained four pounds in a week and decided he couldn't stay any longer.
That's not me being harsh, I'm only using Albaladejo's own self description, just the way he did the other day when he was telling me about finishing the season at a bloated 290 pounds and feeling like his arm lacked life.
"I just was... fat, " he said. "I had to do something."
So he hired a friend to help. With the guidance of a personal trainer he knew well from his days pitching in the Puerto Rican winter league, Albaladejo got serious for the first time about working out. He ran more than he had ever before.
Then he lost weight by eating. *
Indeed, Albaladejo discovered the nature of metabolism. In the past it wasn't unusual for him to neglect eating. So when hunger did strike, he often made poor choices. To make matters worse, missing meals slowed his metabolism, his body's natural response for being deprived of food.
So, to lose weight, he ate. And what he ate was better for him. Combined with exercise, he sped up his metabolism, and the weight started falling off.
Apparently, many players and coaches have been shocked by his appearance. Hopefully it can translate into some positives on the field. It's going to have to, because with the addition of Chan Ho Park the Yankees pen is pretty crowded.
