Originally posted on my MySpace blog, May 23, 2007:
This was posted this morning on ESPN.com's Rob Neyer's blog...
Entering last night's game against Milwaukee, Dodgers third basemen had combined to bat .188 with one home run, which helps explain why they've called up rookie Tony Abreu.
When asked specifically about Abreu, Dodgers manager Grady Little explained the motive for the move:
"To get another hot hitter in the lineup. We're looking for somebody who's going to get hot. He's earned the right to get an opportunity right now."The kid brings life, he brings energy, he brings productivity."
Well, at least we can quantify one of those things. Abreu certainly has been productive this spring. In spring training, he batted .340 with three homers in 23 games. Abreu opened the season with Las Vegas, and he's batted .347 with two homers in 39 games. That's impressive. But it's only a couple of months. And Abreu, though his youth and his performance make him a legitimate prospect, wasn't all that good last year in Double-A.
Meanwhile, rookie Andy LaRoche entered this season as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect. Promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month, he's batting just .241 with no homers. But, on the other hand, he's walked 13 times in 11 games, and scored eight runs. Granted, LaRoche has sometimes batted No. 8 in the lineup, and No. 8 hitters get a walks "bonus" because the pitcher is often due up next. But as Jon Weisman notes, it's not all about lineup position. LaRoche's walks are "something legitimate to tout."
The Dodgers don't seem all that impressed, though; Abreu started at third base last night. He and LaRoche both bat right-handed, so there's not a platoon there. And now it seems likely that neither will play often enough to get into a groove, which seems all the worse when you consider that both are just beginning to establish themselves as major leaguers.
The Dodgers do have a big lineup problem. They've got three everyday players -- Andre Ethier, Nomar Garciaparra and Juan Pierre -- who are not hitting, and it's certainly possible that they'll continue not hitting. I just don't know how replacing a Grade A prospect (LaRoche) with a Grade B prospect (Abreu) is going to solve that problem.