It was just announced on the Fan 590 that JP has brought both Brad Wilkerson AND Kevin Mench, the pride of Delaware, on board. (Don't laugh. Delaware's pretty tiny and they've got to take their heroes as they come). Does he not look like the ideal DH platoon partner for Matt Stairs? First thing on the to do list: apologize to Roy Halladay for breaking his leg in the middle of a slam dunk Cy Young Award season.When the Wilkerson rumours came out last night I assumed that it would be him and out, so it's quite surprising to hear that the smart-headed move of bringing in Mench (for nothing more than cash) has been made as well. At DH, we've now got a two-headed Stairs-Mench monster with a career line of .305/.361/.563 against lefties and .274/.364/.503 against righties. That's an effective, cash conscious partnership that should produce like a mofo. As for Wilkerson's appeal, let me speculate that if JP's paying for Frank Thomas to play for the A's he figures the Mariners might as well pay someone to play for him.
Wilkerson's arrival can only mean one thing: reduced PT for Shannon Stewart. That is a head-scratcher, not because it doesn't make sense, but because Stew was JP's guy in spring training and has been showing signs of life lately despite his .229/.309/.289 line. You co-wear the goat horns for one game and you're riding the pines the next day and riding a Greyhound out of town the day after that? What happened to the "he's a professional hitter" bunk we'd been hearing from Gibby as recently as a couple of days ago?
Do I like the idea of Wilkerson starting over Stew in left? I guess, but that's kind of like asking whether I prefer lima beans to Brussel sprouts. Can't I just have steak? No? Huh...
Stew makes better contact and will hit for better average, but appears to have little to no power left. Wilkerson's got more power, but strikes out a metric tonne. Both have good OBP skills, Wilkerson can throw and play a little first. I guess that cuts into BA Barajas' PT as well. What I'd really prefer to both of these two chuckleheads is the pint of Sleeman's Original Draft that is Adam Lind.
It's hard to figure what's going on these days.
Oh, and so long Gustavo Chacin and Sergio Santos! You two shitbirds have been DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster. Joe Inglett heads back to AAA.
-- Johnny Was
3 comments:
Just amazed that Adam Lind was sent packing for Wilkerson. I don't mind Mench for lefties, but not Wilkerson.
I'm so fucking pumped that they signed Mench.
But wtf is with the Wilkerson signing. Unless he's just a bat off the bench, I'm totally confused. Cause it's Stairs/Mench, and then what, Wilkerson/Stew? That leaves a bench of SS from AAA and Barajas...
So wtf is going on. Did I miss a transaction? Why are we going with so many OF and so few IF?
Twitchy.
I'm not sorry about Stewart. I realize one game doesn't make a season, but it's been way more than one game. If we have to have a left-fielder who doesn't hit worth a damn then maybe we should have kept Lind around to get some experience. Stewart was a good hitter and a fast runner. Now he's a mediocre hitter and he can't run. And we got rid of Reed Johnson for him.
I'm glad about Mench. I guess Wilkerson is ok since he isn't costing us any money. But we need hitting. Watching the pitchers pitch gems day after day and lose is just horrible...
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