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June 28, 2001
Chris Brown is ready to be activated. I want him back in the lineup, but a tough roster decision must be made. David Harris replaced Brown and has played extremely well. Harris has a .326/.429/.601 stat line in 55 games (207 plate appearances). I want to keep Harris as a left-handed bat off the bench because our pinch-hitters are batting a dismal .129 combined. I usually keep a five-man bench consisting of a catcher, two infielders, and two outfielders in order to have twelve active pitchers. It is difficult to stock the bench with a pure pinch-hitter and still cover all of the defensive positions. Harris may be worth the hassle, considering how badly my bench needs a big bat.
Harry Hall, our current left-handed pinch-hitter, has a pitiful stat line of .175/.240/.292 in 149 plate appearances. Hall only has one option remaining, and I hate to burn the last option on a player for a mid-season demotion. He is also our best defensive outfielder and often subs for Campbell in the late innings.
Mark Mann is the other outfield sub. He has played very well in all three outfield spots and is out of options, so he’s not going anywhere.
Ray Conley is the corner infield sub. Conley has a .230/.313/.340 stat line in 112 plate appearances. He only plays first and third base, so he is not a great option for a utility infielder. Like Hall, he has one option remaining.
Juan Mejia has been terrible in his brief tryout. His stat line is .146/.176/.167 in 50 plate appearances. He has a .929 fielding percentage and was caught stealing in his only attempt. Some fans blame him for the recent bad weather in Louisville. He stepped on the clubhouse cat and it hasn’t been seen since the incident. His locker smells bad too.
Let’s look at the AAA roster for alternatives. One player stands out. Russell Bennett, 24, is playing all-star third base in AAA and hitting .282/.413/.453. He is a switch-hitter. He has 9 steals in 11 attempts. He has a .968 fielding percentage and (get this) he plays every position on the diamond at a high level (except catcher). I would love to bring him up as a super-utility player but then I would have to open two roster spots.
I decided to keep two-left-handed bats and two outfielders, which means that Hall stays on the active roster. I compared Conley and Mejia. Mejia plays all four infield positions. Mejia is out of options and Conley has one remaining. Mejia has much better speed if I need a pinch-runner. So, Conley will go down to AAA and play first base every day. Mejia is on a short leash and will not survive long if he doesn’t clean his locker. Bennett will be pushing Mejia but he is also an ace in the hole in case of an injury to an infielder.
Otto Orcin
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