Open Roster Spots
With so many young players in camp, and the media’s general ignorance of the various quality of prospects (this isn’t meant to be an insult – most of the beat writers just don’t have time to do any real prospect analysis and have to rely on skimming Baseball America and taking what the organization tells them at face value), we’ve seen a lot of stuff written about how various players are trying to position themselves for jobs with the major league team. In reality, a lot of them just don’t really have any real shot of making the majors.
Take Bryan LaHair, for instance. He has a 0.0% chance of making this team. It doesn’t matter that he’s volunteering to play left field or thinks that he’s figured out how to hit for power now that he’s over some injury issues. With the talent ahead of him, he’s just not going to fit on the roster.
So, which roster spots are actually up for grabs, and who has a shot at them?
Let’s fill out the roster with the no doubt guys – Johjima, Branyan, Lopez, Betancourt, Beltre, Chavez, Gutierrez, Ichiro, Griffey, and Cedeno are on the team unless they start the season on the DL. These guys have 10 of the 13 or 14 position player spots locked up. That leaves 3 or 4 spots potentially available, depending on whether they go with an 11 or 12 man pitching staff. Those three or four spots have specific roles, though – here’s the spots that are open and who is actually in the mix for those spots.
Catcher: Jeff Clement, Jamie Burke, Rob Johnson
I almost put Clement in the lock category, but there is some chance that he has a bad enough spring that the team decides to start him off in Tacoma and goes with Kenji as the starter. The odds of that are probably less than 10%, but, they aren’t zero, so I put it here. In reality, though, Burke or Johnson can’t really play their way onto the club – their only shot is if Clement looks so bad that he plays himself off the roster. And, of course, that would be a pretty bad development for the M’s, so they’ll do whatever they can to avoid this scenario. Most likely, Clement takes this job and gets a good chunk of the time behind the plate while Johnson goes to Tacoma and Burke gets released.
Right-Handed 1B/DH: Chris Shelton, Mike Morse, Mike Sweeney
Even with the M’s talking about giving Branyan a chance to play everyday, they’re still going to carry a backup at first base, and given his historical platoon splits, it only makes sense to have a backup 1B who can hit left-handed pitching. Right-handed hitters only need apply for this job. Morse is out of options and still has fans from his big spring last year, but he’s simply not as good of a player as Shelton, so if the team decides on production potential, Shelton’s the winner. Sweeney’s got the leadership/chemistry stuff over both of them, but management has been very clear that they were going to build a winning team and expected chemistry to follow, rather than the other way around. Unless Sweeney hits a bunch of long home runs and shows that he’s found the fountain of youth, he probably retires at the end of ST, and the M’s are left to choose between Shelton and Morse. Bet on Shelton.
Right-Handed Outfielder: Wladimir Balentien, Prentice Redman
Considering that Griffey will act as the DH occasionally (or regularly, if we’re lucky), the team has to carry another outfielder besides Chavez-Gutierrez-Ichiro. With Gutierrez as the only RH hitter among the outfielders on the roster, it doesn’t make much sense for the extra OF to be another left-handed bat. So, like with the backup first baseman, right-handed bats only need apply for this role. And, with that being the case, Balentien is the obvious choice here. Despite the visa issues and the comments about how he’s got a lot of work to catch up on, it’s remarkably hard to see the M’s putting Balentien on waivers in order to keep a replacement level player like Prentice Redman. In reality, there just isn’t anyone in camp that is going to put any real pressure on Wlad for this spot, especially since he’s out of options. Unless he’s part of a spring training deal, he’s extremely likely to fill the RH OF/DH spot.
If they go with a 12 man pitching staff, then that’s your bench – Cedeno, the catcher, the 1B, and the OF. If they decide to only go with 11 pitchers, then there’s one more open spot, and given the speed of some of the guys on the roster, it should really go to a pinch runner. And that would almost certainly be Reegie Corona – the M’s didn’t spend the second pick in the Rule 5 draft on him for no reason, and if they are carrying a player specifically for his wheels, it’s going to be Corona.
So, there’s a few options for how the open roster spots will shake out, but a good chunk of guys in camp have no chance of making this roster. Realistically, it’s going to be one of Clement/Johnson/Burke (strong favorite Clement), one of Shelton/Morse/Sweeney (favorite Shelton), and one of Balentien/Redman (strong favorite Balentien), with Corona’s future depending on how many pitchers they decide to go with.
For all the other position players in camp, they aren’t really in the mix. Tui, LaHair, Woodward, Crabbe, Wilson – they can have the spring training of their lives, but they still aren’t making this team.
Comments
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Unlike some of the people around here, I’m not a huge Mike Morse fan; even so, I hate to consider him just being let go. I realize this is a lousy time for trades (baring injuries), so I suppose there’s very little chance we’ll see him (or a combination of him and someone else) shipped off for anything in return, since all the other GMs must know they can just wait and grab him off the wire.
Still, it’s painful to see the last bit of value from the Garcia trade being let go for nothing… and since Garcia was fruit of the RJ trade, that’s the last vestige of the Big Unit too. A long road of ever-diminishing value that led nowhere and to nothing.
Is Carp headed for AAA Tacoma for sure?
How much is occasionally? We have all heard Griffey say numerous times that dhing is not his gig. Well at least not yet. Would be lucky to see him dh more than 10 games a month?
Hello!
I’m a long time (2+ years) reader, first time posting. Has there been any research done in quanitifying the effect of a catcher on a pitcher’s game, other than basic defense? In other words, how great an effect does Burke have in calling a game vs. say, Clement.
The casual opinion is that Burke is better at calling games. How does he compare to Joh or Clement? Is it enough of a difference to warrant keeping him around?
Thanks in advance for any links or info.
What would you think the odds would be of Cedeno winning the starting gig straight up? It seems he has held his own in the SSS so far and at least been involved in a lot of groundballs.
“their only shot is if Clement looks so bad that he plays himself off the roster”
Clement is such a big question mark, he really worries me. Is he worth keeping on the roster if Joh is prefered as the every day catcher(via Clement looking bad behind the plate or his bat not coming around)?
Is Carp headed for AAA Tacoma for sure?
Yep.
How much is occasionally?
The biggest test of Wakamatsu’s abilities as a manager will be how well he can convince Griffey to stay out of the field. If he can get him to buy in to DH’ing full time and rarely taking the field, he deserves the manager of the year award. We’ll see.
What would you think the odds would be of Cedeno winning the starting gig straight up?
1%.
Is he worth keeping on the roster if Joh is prefered as the every day catcher?
If Clement has a miserable spring and can’t beat out Kenji for the catching job, then it’s probably time to just end the experiment of having him catch, send him to Tacoma to be a 1B/DH, and just let him focus on hitting full time.
Still, it’s painful to see the last bit of value from the Garcia trade being let go for nothing… and since Garcia was fruit of the RJ trade, that’s the last vestige of the Big Unit too.
Well, he was sort of an afterthought, but Jeremy Reed was part of the big Putz trade. So in that sense, the legacy should carry on for quite some time with Chavez and Gutierrez, probably Cedeno, someday Carp, and hopefully Cleto eventually.
And since RJ was the last vestige of the Mark Langston trade, it’s the end of that road too.
I would argue that the RH 1B/DH spot is also a minor test for Wakamatsu and Z in this regard.
adroit adroitly beat me to the point about the Langston trade. To give you a sense of how long ago that was, it was about six weeks into Ken Griffey, Jr.’s career. The only deal that I can think of that has had as long a tenure was the Doyle Alexander/John Smoltz deal in 1987, though I’m sure there may be other examples out there. I think it’s pretty attenuated to say that the players received for Putz, Green and Reed were really fruits of the Freddy trade, though.
I hope they can find a way to keep Reegie. Trading Betancourt would be one way, but who’s the likely taker?
Shelton > Morse. Any thoughts on Griffey filling in the very occasional game at 1B?
How much difference does Morse’s “versatility” make? I note that he’s been starting at third base this spring, though that’s no doubt partly because Beltre isn’t ready. And of course he can play outfield, at least in the same sense that Ibanez could. But if Tuiasosopo is in Tacoma, is Cedeno the infield backup everywhere but first, or do they sacrifice defense for Morse’s marginally better bat?
Would Burke be released? I thought that he signed a minor league deal and wasn’t on the 40 man roster. Wouldn’t they just shuttle him to Tacoma to backup Johnson in case Clement or Joh get hurt? That assumes that Moore doesn’t start in AAA, because they want him and Johnson to get regular work catching.
Re: Clement
At the USSM/LL event in January, the minor league guy (forget his name) was VERY high on Clement.
He says Clement tends to struggle his first year at each new level, then get it together the next year. He expects big things out of Clement this year.
So don’t necessarily judge Clement by last year’s performance with the M’s. He may surprise some people this year.
As Mike Snow pointed out, the Unit’s legacy continues in Gutierrez et al.; and adroit and Breadbaker are right with their reminder that the Unit himself was part of the legacy of Mark Langston, but the truth is, that chain goes back further yet: the Mariners took Langston with a compensation pick they received when the Rangers signed Bill Stein. So we have a chain stretching from Stein, whom we took with the fifth pick in the 1976 expansion draft, all the way to Gutierrez and the others who came here when we sent Jeremy Reed (along with a couple relievers) to the Mets. From an original Mariner to a current starter — it doesn’t get any better than that.
I echo Joser’s (though I am shivering at the visual of what a “baring injury” might be, Joser
) and Mike snow’s comments on Morse. He’s really not valuable at any of these positions, but can play 3B and LF in addition to 1B, and I’d hate to see him go away for nothing. He’s a sh*tty fielder, but a decent bat.
That said, I see no way for him to stick around unless they go with an 11-man pitching staff, and even then only if Reegie shows he has no skills to offer at this level except running. But I do wonder if his “versatility” will give him some edge over Sweeney (unless Sweeney shows vintage early 2000s form in ST – and if that’s the case just give HIM the full-tme gig) and Shelton. Shelton signed a minor-league deal, right? So theoretically they can send him down without losing him?
SeasonTix Re: Clement. I was at the event as well. (these events are great if you have not been it is better than most games you will see.) If memory serves me right they were more concerned with his throwing than anything else. They also said that they were not going to be putting him anywhere in the line up that he might put pressure on him as a hitter. I say they play him as the regular catcher this season, unless hurt.
Will somebody please explain to me why Branyan is being considered a shoe-in? He only signed a 1-year deal… If you look at his lifetime numbers (remember, the guy is 33)he’s barely worth a win/year. He’s never had more than 400 ABs (and only topped 400 PAs once). He has incentives even for reaching even just 200 ABs.
I understand exactly why LaHair, Carp ect. won;t be on this opening day roster (and Branyan can be, sure). I just wish we weren’t so sold on him as an everyday 1B (maybe he’ll change my mind). But the numbers just don’t support it. Here’s Bill James’ projections for Branyan this year:
a .238 BA in…ready for this…122 at-bats. 8 HRs, 20 RBI, 17 Runs, but get this…18 walks to 47 Ks. More than a third of the dude’s at-bats. CHONE isn’t much kinder, giving him 241 ABs to hit .228 with 13 dingers, 33 RBI, 30 R. His OBP? .329 from chone. I know, I know…projectiosn don’t necesarily mean anything. But these projections are right in line with his career. Even as a fielder he has a negative career UZR at 1B. What am I missing here? I love Jack Z and his moves so far. I just don’t get why a guy like this (who would normally be lambasted) is being so accepted into the role. Here’s a guy that has the potential to be Richie Redux. Is that it? Is it just because he’s not Richie? I’d rather see LaHair or Carp get the shot personally.
How does the financial side of the business work for a player like Burke?
Does he get any money or compensation for being at spring training, or does it all depend on making the team?
Of course we don’t know how motivated/resolute Wakamatsu is about keeping Griffey out of the field either. Odds are his position on the issue isn’t as firm as the USSM one is, and his ideal outcome won’t be “only when Felix is pitching at home and the other team starts a righty.” So Wak could well do a masterful job of handling Griffey and get him to DH 100% of the times Wak thinks he should, and still fall short of the mark from our perspective.
I think adroit has a good point: the handling of the 1B platoon will be a good test also, and maybe a fairer one for Wakamatsu since it’s not complicated by a star player who has the ear ownership and disproportionate influence with fans (not to mention a contract that depends upon attendance of fans who want to see him play the field). There are too many factors outside Wakamatsu’s control to judge him entirely on how he handles Griffey.
BTW, the “minor league guy” at the USSM event at the library was Pedro Grifol. And he was very positive about Clement (who has already thrown out at least one runner trying to steal second this spring, fwiw)
The Ancient Mariner did adroit one better by also proving the worth of his name. Bill Stein, my Gawd! If there were any reason to give him a nickname, “The Gift That Keeps on Giving” would be the one.
For what it’s worth, Tango’s Marcel projection for Branyan was, I believe, the highest of any Mariner, even Ichiro or Beltre. I can’t believe that projection could have been based on him hitting against left-handed pitching, however. Of course, Marcel also loves Shin Soo Choo. And unlike Bill Stein, we have nothing left from the Broussard deal, since we DFA’d Tug.
Half agree and half disagree. If Clement can’t show that he’s up to catching in the spring, it looks like the nail is in that coffin. However, I don’t see the point of sending him to Tacoma to DH/1B. He’s proven he can hit AAA and I don’t see what he’s going to learn about hitting major league pitchers from spending more time hitting against guys he can hit. The only thing he might learn in AAA is fielding at 1B, but does it really do the club any good to have him split time with Carp at AAA? Clement should probably just become the DH of the future if he’s not going to play C.
They really need to go with a five-man bench with 3 full-time platoons:
C Clement/Joh
1B Branyan/Shelton
DH Griffey/Sweeney
OF WLAD
UT Cedeno
If you don’t value defense, you can also have WLAD platoon in LF with Endy…
Maximize the entire roster…
“Of course we don’t know how motivated/resolute Wakamatsu is about keeping Griffey out of the field either.”
I’m content seeing how Wak doesn’t care for the idea of Griff in the field.
Excert of Davish with Jack Z after the Junior signing
“What is Griffey’s role with the club going to be, DH, LF or both?”
Jack Z -”It’ll probably be a lot of that. It depends on how he feels physically, I think that will all be determined, I think it works to his advantage that we have a designated hitter. I think that was something that Don expressed to us when we sat here and talked.”
Would Sweeney accept spending some time at AAA since he lives in Gig Harbour? I assume that he would rather spend time with his family, play in Tacoma, and await a call from the M’s than become an FA and hope another team puts him on their major league roster.
I also heard the M’s discussing Cedeno having played “a little” outfield. If Cedeno can convince them that he can field better than WLAD, and WLAD convinces them that he cannot hit, could they keep both Corona and Cedeno and let WLAD go/trade him. It might not be the absolute best way to construct the roster right now, but it might be more beneficial to keep Corona rather than WLAD within the organization.
Which is what Dave was suggesting
A first baseman is more valuable than a full-time DH, both on the team and off it (in a trade). If Clement can’t catch, he should become the 1B of the future unless/until he proves he can’t do that either. Otherwise you’re just throwing away potential value.
But I’m still not convinced he can’t catch. There are plenty of poor defensive catchers who held onto their position because of their bat. If Clement can start mashing the ball people will tend to forgive him a lot of defensive liabilities.
Dave, I had heard rumblings here and there that Wlad may not be the new regime’s type of player and he’d thus be on a pretty short leash.
Have you heard something to the contrary? It seems like you’re quite positive on his ability to stick around, visa issues and all.
Snelling, a FA!
Dave,
So against lefties, it’s Johjima, Shelton, Lopez, Betancourt, Beltre, Wlad, Gutierrez, & Ichiro. But if Junior totally tanks hitting left-handers, who will be the DH?
heads up!
M’s vs AUS right now
Morse is sooooo bad in the OF…
Doyle time!
Snelling almost gave Miguel a heart attack. How many pitches was that?
Beluga Tits closing seems like a GREAT idea.
And The Forehead is saying LaHair has a decent shot at 1B.
I’m pretty sure the Australian 2B would pass a steroids test. Is he 15?
Aardsma is money.
Wilson makes a routine play look like an awesome catch.
OMG, the hate begins already for the on air team! Some weird crazy baserunning play, and they’re chatting with RSS about how hard it was to play baseball in Oz as a kid and can’t be bothered to even comment.
Whatever!
Is it me, or have the Aussies just stolen the A’s uniforms?
Part of the stipulation for the M’s to play the game I’m sure. Look like a rival team and take a lot of pitches.
I agree with that list except for Shelton making the team. I still believe they will keep Sweeney for 1st just in case Branyan doesnt work out and Morse will compete for OF/DH with Balentien. Balentien will lose his shot unless he really shows he has found his swing again.
It seems like this staff wants pitchers that can throw a couple innings not specialists so maybe that will ensure both Corona and Cedeno make the team.
Have you heard something to the contrary? It seems like you’re quite positive on his ability to stick around, visa issues and all.
If the M’s had any real alternatives, then I think Balentien would be in trouble. But the reality is, they don’t. Prentice Redman? Mike Morse as an outfielder? There just isn’t anyone in camp who can legitimately push Balentien off the roster in a fight for a RH reserve outfielder role.
Now, it’s entirely possible that the M’s decide that Balentien’s not the guy they want in that role, and trade him for someone who they think fits that role better. But until that happens, Balentien is the favorite, because he just doesn’t have much competition for the job.
Who would have imagined by age 26 Doyle would have a career 225 MLB ABs while hitting .241?
AyalaFan4Life:
Why would you use projection systems to make the case against Branyan, and then advocate for Lahair, who projects in all systems to be notably worse?
Also, I don’t get what you’re doing using the projection system’s playing time projections and counting stats. The reasons those are worthless should be obvious, I’d think.
Also, you’re cherry-picking certain stats. Overall the four projections on fangraphs show him to be something close to an average bat for 1st base. He hasn’t earned less than we’re paying him since 2002.
The whole point in showing this season’s projections are becuase they are right in line with everything he’s done in his career (save for his fluke 20 homer years in 2001 and 02). There’s nothing to support a big jump in any way. You say I’m cherry picking stats to show something a certain way, yet now one has been able to show why he deserves the shot (based on the fact he’s gotten several over his career and has yet to deliver). As for his Marcel projection, Breadbaker, sure, it is slightly higher. But again, this is based on a projection of less than 300 PAs.
I realize the stats support my arguement…it’s why I’m using them. Look at his career line…it’s not that different. Again, I’m asking for someone to show me why I should think he has a magic upside.
As for LaHair, sure, his projections aren’t better. But we’re talking about a guy with 150 career PAs. I think LaHair deserves to show us what he can do full time more than Branyan, who has had more than 2300 PAs to prove his mettle (however, I do agree with you in saying we’re not paying him more than he’s worth). I’m not saying LaHair is our future, but I’m having visions like watching Richie struggle and seeing Broussard just sit all over again.
And truth be told, I don’t mind Branyan as a back-up. But if this is a team that, thanks to pitching and defense, seriously considers itself to be on the verge of competing in the AL West, then this is a position, in my opinion, that is among our weakest.
So again, can anyone logically/statistically show me why I should hold hope Branyan will improve? I’m not trying to be a party pooper. Again, the M’s have done great this offseason and will be *finally* fun to watch again (potentially). Again, it’s just the Branyan bandwagon that befuddles me.
Someone gives him a starting job and lets him play? Seriously, players can’t control their playing time. This isn’t rocket science.
This will be his *third* chance at a starting job now. How many do you get? Again, can anyone logically/statistically show anything? That’s all I ask. I’m aware it’s not rocket science; neither is my question.
Bryan LaHair sucks. Russ Branyan does not.
No one’s bothering to walk you through this because it’s self evident. Seriously, this is just one you need to get over.
[this is not a board]
Branyan doesn’t suck. His career wOBA is .345 and he’s projected for a .337 wOBA in 2009. That’s an above average major league hitter.
When Dave N did that in-game interview with him, Zduriencik seemed to think the team was leaning towards a 12 man pitching staff. I’ve never been a huge fan of that (it seems to be as much a way to cover for bad bullpen management as anything else, and we’ve seen stretches in the past where they had to send guys to the mound for no better reason than to keep the rust off). And in the current situation, where you have several positions that demand platoons, it seems particularly short-sighted.
I agree 1B is a weak spot in the lineup, but I don’t really see any of the options making that much difference overall. There’s not a lot of need to give LaHair innings just to “show us what he can do full time” — he’s had over a thousand ABs with Tacoma over the past 3 years, and the projections that take that into account should be fairly reliable.
I think that whenever I see any Aussie national team. Green and gold (or “gum and wattle”) have been the Aussie colors for more than a century. At least they don’t insist on wearing white shoes.
(That last link mentions “Harry Musgrove’s troubled Australian Baseball Tour of America”… in 1897! And we think the M’s travel schedule is tough. I’d like to find out more about that, but all I can turn up is this book on Amazon where a reviewer mentions this “disaster tour” was in reply to an 1888 Spalding tour of Australia. Anybody know anything more? When something is described as “troubled” and “ill-fated” and “a disaster” you know there’s a good story there.)
Branyan does one very important thing very well – he hits RH pitching. He cannot hit lefties at all…
Last year he had an OPS of 1.030 against righties… And 0 against lefties. True story. 0-14 with 0 walks and 8 Ks against lefties.
But against righties, he is a solid hitter. As long as he’s a true platoon player, he is a MAJOR improvement over what the M’s had last year.
Especially considering under that scenario Shelton (or someone else) will hit against lefties…
The Mariners could very realistically end up with an OPS of .900 for their staring 1B position…
To follow up on my previous comment, I noticed that Cedeno is in LF today, with Balentien in RF. Any shred of a chance that Cedeno proves a better option as a backup OF than Balentien? That would allow the M’s to carry Corona and a 12 man pitching staff. Of course, there would be almost zero power on the bench in that scenario.
I had a dream that Johjima was so pleased playing in Japan with team Japan that he decided to stay there and void his contract with the M’s.
That being the case, to me, our catching would be better off with Clement and Burke then Clement and Johjima. If there was a way to get rid of Johjima I would be all for it.
Also I believe Morse deserves a shot. He has done whatever the M’s have asked of him and has never complained. He could still back up at 1B, 3B, and the outfield. I also think Sweney needs to be on this team. I think he can hit .290 15hrs and 70-75 RBI’s as a DH part-time 1B. He can RH/LH DH with Griffey and do the same with Branyan at first. This young team needs the leadership qualities of both Griffey and Sweeney. Those are intangibles that could win them 5-10 more games a year.
I think the M’s could get by with a 11 man pitching staff. Which would allow for another position player, be it, Balentein, Corona, Morse or Sweeney. Carp will go to AAA with Tui and Mike Wilson and they will tear the place up.
Uhh…
So Sweeney’s leadership=Pujols bat. Pretty amazing he settled for a minor league contract…
Uh Oh
I’m going to agree with joser on this one, and look to the 1000+ AAA at bats as the basis for projecting Morse. He’s had a shot of sorts.
Also, I wonder how many people fit into this category “He has done whatever the M’s Have asked of him and has never complained” ?
If this happens, I will eat my own shoe.
Just because you platoon guys against opposing handed starting pitchers means that they are going to get to face that the whole game. The reality of the game is that about 40+% of the game is pitched by the bullpen.
And if you’ve got a LH 1B that can’t hit LHP worth a damned, you have to pinch hit for him a lot. And now you come to the closer, and you have a bad RH vs RHP, and you have nothing remaining. Now factor in that one of them is going to be a superior defensive player, are you going to want to take them out late in the game?
Platooning is nice and all, but eventually you’re going to lose some close games because you are so limited. Especially if you are going to carry 12 pitchers.
And this team isn’t going to blow a lot of people out, right? So more often that not, games they win will be decided by an at bat or two… And to end up in the bottom of the 8th with Branyan facing a left handed reliever because we pinch hit him earlier in the game is a disaster.
Not that I’m not saying platooning a few positions isn’t a good idea for this team, but lets not go nuts. Especially if we go into opening day with 12 pitchers and only 4 bench players.
Henryv,
It’s not particularly hard or unusual for the left handed half of a platoon to get 90% of his at bats against RHP. (Like…Russ Branyan, 2008!). It’s not as hard as you suggest.
As far as the cost in wins from less roster flexibility…a lot of those late game moves you might make if you hadn’t burned one sub already are percentage plays of a very minor variety. Color me skeptical about significant lost victories until evidence is produced that suggests otherwise.
It seems rather clear that platoons are underutilized in todays game, not overutilized. Probably that’s related to the 12-man pitching staffs.
Morse is terrible. So’s LaHair. Sweeney is pretty much done as a player. Shelton’s very clearly the best player of those four.
In fact… Shelton’s career wOBA and projected wOBA isn’t much different than Branyan’s. Yes, I know, Safeco screws RHB. He’s still the obvious player you want to keep around on the roster to a) give some RH 1B/DH ab’s to and b) replace Branyan or Griffey in the lineup if they are injured.
I hesitate to say Morse is a AAA/injury guy but lean that way more often than not. He’s definitely not the next A-rod (contrary to the commentary a few years ago), he doesn’t appear to be a ‘yoeman’ every-day type or a bonafide utility guy (OF? Ugh). He has talent, no doubt, but the fact that he doesn’t appear to ‘fit’ anywhere very well and can only occasionally hit should be an indication. We’ve been trying to find a place for this guy at the major league level for quite awhile due to his natural ability, talent and ‘potential’. Unfortunately, sometimes a few good pieces doesn’t equal a good whole. I say we give him a shot in more than just garbage time and see if he can hit or resign ourselves to the fact that he’s Ok in a pinch for an injury call-up but little else.
Just curious what the possibilites of Jack Z finding a suitor for Johjima…My opinion is that he is worthless, and should let the Clement start full time with Burke backing up. Seems like the M’s are trying to get done and build for the future, and thats what needs to get done, honestly I don’t think Johjima is or should be part of the future for the M’s. So here’s hoping Jack Z can find a suitor for him, and continue the youth movement…