05/19: Bubba Crosby & Mitch Jones
Posted by: James
The Yankees have placed Bubba Crosby on the DL and brought up Mitch Jones as his replacement.
Honestly, my first instinct is to say that this is a mistake, just like bringing up Erickson was a mistake. You're bringing up the wrong player and in both cases, the exact opposite of the player that you need right now.
With Jones, you're bringing up a player (no longer a prospect at age 28) who has mediocre plate discipline and has struggled to even make contact in the minor leagues. In his defense, Jones does drive the ball when he does hit it and over the course of his minor-league career, 50% of the hits he has have been of the extra base variety (48% at AAA). However, do you really think that major league pitchers aren't going to be feasting on this guy? He might get a few XBHs every now and again when he guesses right but other than that, I see a lot of Ks in his future.
Secondly, Steve Lombardi puts it best. 'In the OF, he plays like a 1B." Is that what we need on the team right now? When Damon and Jones share the outfield, he now has to compensate for the range limitations of Jones. Who knows, that added stress might be the straw that busts that hurt foot of Damon. Granted, this is just speculation on my part but I don't think it is very far-fetched. Why even risk it? Mitch Jones just isn't what was needed at this time. Kevin Thompson would have fit the bit quite a bit better. Thompson's speed could have helped him beat out a few grounders, kick up the Yankees running game and also get a few more balls in the outfield. Wouldn't that have made more sense or is that just me?
That being said, I hope Jones can channel Shane Spencer for a week or two.
Credit to Steve L. for the link.
Honestly, my first instinct is to say that this is a mistake, just like bringing up Erickson was a mistake. You're bringing up the wrong player and in both cases, the exact opposite of the player that you need right now.
With Jones, you're bringing up a player (no longer a prospect at age 28) who has mediocre plate discipline and has struggled to even make contact in the minor leagues. In his defense, Jones does drive the ball when he does hit it and over the course of his minor-league career, 50% of the hits he has have been of the extra base variety (48% at AAA). However, do you really think that major league pitchers aren't going to be feasting on this guy? He might get a few XBHs every now and again when he guesses right but other than that, I see a lot of Ks in his future.
Secondly, Steve Lombardi puts it best. 'In the OF, he plays like a 1B." Is that what we need on the team right now? When Damon and Jones share the outfield, he now has to compensate for the range limitations of Jones. Who knows, that added stress might be the straw that busts that hurt foot of Damon. Granted, this is just speculation on my part but I don't think it is very far-fetched. Why even risk it? Mitch Jones just isn't what was needed at this time. Kevin Thompson would have fit the bit quite a bit better. Thompson's speed could have helped him beat out a few grounders, kick up the Yankees running game and also get a few more balls in the outfield. Wouldn't that have made more sense or is that just me?
That being said, I hope Jones can channel Shane Spencer for a week or two.
Credit to Steve L. for the link.
RG wrote: