With today's acquisition of outfielder Delwyn Young from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the PBC Blog's report that Neal Huntington wishes to try him at second, this got me thinking about the future of incumbent second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Now, I don't know if the Pirates want to play Young at second to possibly groom him to replace Sanchez, or to just expand the number of positions he could play, thus increasing the likelihood of working his bat into the lineup more. I'm hoping for the latter since I don't think Sanchez should be leaving town any time soon.
Sanchez signed a two year deal prior to the 2008 season. The deal also calls for an option year for the 2010 season. The Pirates can choose to exercise this on their own accord or it could automatically kick in if Sanchez reaches 635 plate appearances or 600 PA's with an All-Star selection. The dollar figure for that 2010 option year would be between $8 and $8.5 million, depending on incentives reached. Now, $8 million seems like a good chunk of change for the thrifty Pirates to spend on one player, but if you factor in impending raises for the likes of McLouth, Doumit, Maholm, Snell and Duke, the Pirates' 2010 payroll should be comparable to this years'. Now, I am also assuming that Adam LaRoche and John Grabow will be gone, and if Jack Wilson returns, it will certainly be at a substantial pay cut. So, I don't think money, at least the total amount of it, should be an issue.
Sanchez's production last season has caused many Pirate fans to give up on him. I've seen on numerous Pirate blogs and message boards that fans everywhere are already looking ahead to having Shelby Ford at second. Now, Ford might end up being a decent player, but I don't get how he can be anointed so soon, and so easily. The 24-year-old Ford spent last season at AA and is currently the starting second baseman for AAA Indianapolis. He looks to be a solid contact hitter with some base stealing ability, though, statistically at least, he doesn't appear to much different than Warren Morris. I'm hoping for greater things from Ford, but let's not get too excited about him just yet. And Young, well, he is certainly Sanchez's inferior with the glove, and maybe even with the bat.
But back to Sanchez's production. Last year, he had his worst overall season since 2004. Struggling with a shoulder injury, Sanchez hit just .226 prior to the All-Star Break. Afterwards, however, Sanchez was among the league leaders with an average of .346. That, coupled with his solid '07 season (.304, 81 RBIs) and standout '06 campaign (.344, 85 RBIs), lead me to believe that Freddy Sanchez is still a superb hitter. 3 bad months does not mean that he's washed up. And, though it's only been 7 games, Sanchez is hitting .375 with 6 doubles this year. Why look to replace a very good hitting, and solid fielding, second baseman when you don't have to.
But it's not just that I'm worried team management is thinking along these lines, it's the fans I don't get. We're the fans, people. It's not our job to worry about money. We don't need to take the GM mindset while planning for the future of the Pirates. Have years of the Pirates dumping star players caused us to take up a defensive position, to protect ourselves from the shock and heartbreak of losing a favorite player, so much so that we're got to pine for the Shelby Fords of the world? I seriously hope not.
My job as a fan is to cheer for the Pirates and hope that the team does whatever it can to produce a winner. And this year, at least, Freddy Sanchez is the best option at second base. Next year? Well, based on who's currently in the system, it's Freddy Sanchez again. So that's who I want to see at second base. If the team trades him, I'll be disappointed, but hopeful that the return is substantial. If Sanchez stays through this season, but his option isn't exercised, I'll still be disappointed, but I'll understand that it's part of the game. But Pirates fans already planning, sometimes excitedly, for life after Freddy? That I don't understand.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Rumors of Freddy Sanchez's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
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2 comments:
There is only one reason I can think of for benching Freddy yesterday. That is to keep Freddy from reaching 600 at bats, thus allowing him to exercise his 8m option for 2010.
Russell and the front office must think the fans are idiots. Had Freddy started yesterday, There would have been no errors at second and the Pirates would most certainly have won the game.
I am not an expert, but given the player incentives written in his contract, these curious decisions to bench Freddy when he is hitting as well as he ever has in his entire career, and benching him just before an off day seems dangerously close to unfair labor practices by the Bucs management.
This makes me so angry that I feel like taking a bat to a drink machine.
It's possible that Russell just wanted to give Freddy a day off; in his brief tenure as the Bucs' skipper, he hasn't been shy about resting his starters. However, the 600 plate appearance clause is an intriguing possibility. The current management team really hasn't seemed too shady since they took over, so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. But it is very curious.
However, in the context of simply trying to win yesterday's game, not playing Freddy makes no sense. He's clearly swinging a hot bat, and though he doesn't have great numbers against Zambrano, he's still Freddy Sanchez. A win yesterday would have given the Pirates a winning record on their longest road trip of the season, a rare series win against the Cubs, and an important victory over a division rival. Starting Freddy would not have guaranteed a win, but it would have given the Bucs a much better chance.
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