Though stooge of the day Jason Giambi is only hitting .196, his 18 walks put his on base percentage at a respectable .386. So if anyone says he’s taking up valuable roster space for the Yankees, the answer is staring Joe Torre in the face (and looking like A.J. Soprano in the process) ; Giambi should bat first. Once he walks, pull him for a pinch runner!
But seriously folks, if home plate is the only place where Giambi has shown some discipline, there’s something to be said for that. Not much, but something. Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheenan discussed the Mets’ leadoff man, SS Jose Reyes in today’s column.
Not to keep harping on the point, but Jose Reyes really isn’t major-league-ready, I don’t care how fast he runs. He’s hitting .259/.285/.381 with a 25/4 K/BB. That’s awful, and until the Mets make a concerted effort to let Reyes develop his plate discipline in Norfolk, they’re going to risk taking a high-ceiling player and making him into Shawon Dunston. Plate discipline matters, especially for a top-of-the-order hitter, and hand-waving Reyes’ lack of it away is just going to hurt the player and the team.
With Kazuo Matsui apparently a flop (.241/.291/.306), and a crowded outfield now that Mike Cameron is back, how long before the Mets become tempted to give Victor Diaz (.275/.414/.525) some time at his old position? Diaz isn’t a second baseman by anyone’s standards, but it’s not like the Mets are getting great defense there right now, and he’d be a considerable offensive boost.
They could just wait for Cliff Floyd to go on the DL, I guess.
I suspect that Miguel Cairo will see more playing time if Matsui can’t show some dramatic improvement. Though with Floyd’s injury history, it is doubtful that Diaz is returning to Norfolk anytime soon.