Search This Blog

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

You Can Never Have Enough Mediocre Backup First Basemen


MLB Spring Training is finally here which means for 2+ months we're subjected to non-stop puff pieces and non-news stories from the most boring time in the sporting calendar. That's why when something at least a little bit notable happens, we have to pump it up and make it seem way more important than it has a right to be. Today, the Red Sox traded a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Seattle Mariners for first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp.

Almost by default, he has to win the backup first baseman job (behind Mike Napoli) over such bums like Daniel Nava, Mitch Maier, Lyle Overbay and Mark Hamilton. Two years ago, when Carp played 79 games for Seattle, he seemed to have some promise: he's a left-handed hitter and he put up 12 homers and 46 RBIs on a bad team with an awful lineup in a cavernous park. Fast forward to last season when he missed 79 games because of shoulder and groin injuries and I guess you can see why the Mariners made him expendable.

Carp is only 26 and he's versatile which means he can also play in the outfield when I'm sure numerous Red Sox outfielders will go on the disabled list with assorted freak/fake injuries. He won't win them many games but at least compared to those scrubs I mentioned earlier, at least he's not a glorified Triple-A player which should be considered slight progress for the Red Sox front office.





No comments: