From: kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu (Dave Kirsch)
Subject: Re: If not Alfredo, who?
Organization: David Cone's Pull Toys and Assorted Paraphenalia, Inc.
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 22:51:07 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.092650.1@vaxr.sscl.uwo.ca> palmer2@vaxr.sscl.uwo.ca (John 'unfortunately not related to Dean' Palmer) writes:
>The Blue Jay management has done some strange things with the SS hole
>on the team. It seems they expected Zosky to become better than he is
>when they traded away Tony Fernandes, and then they signed
>Alfredo as a backup for Manny Lee.
>
>So they made some mistakes. But what should they do now?

  Play Jeff Kent. 

  I noticed he's been playing 3B for Gruber the last couple of days. I still 
think the Jays should have kept him as a utility man out of Spring Training. 
Last time I looked at his Spring Training numbers, he was at about a .525 OBP
and about a .650 SLG and looked pretty good in the field. At least they did 
the right thing and called him up when they put Derek Bell on the DL. 

  BTW, about Bell; OUCH! The guy wins a full-time job and gets beaned on the 
wrist a couple days into the season. Gonna be out a long time too. To all the
obnoxious woofing Jays fans; STOP IT! Don't you realize you've already
angered the baseball gods (Bell's wrist), and if you keep this up they may
start to look on Red Sox and Cub fans in a favourable light to the detriment 
of Jays fans? FOOLS! Anyways, back to Kent ..  

  My understanding is that he used to play SS but was put at 2B by the Jays 
because he had Fernandez and Zosky ahead of him. I don't know if he's got the
arm to move back there, but reports on the other parts of his defence have
been pretty good. His MLEs from last year showed a good OBP (~.340, I think) 
a decent SLG (~.400+) with good pop in his bat. He's hit double figures in HR
all three years in the minors, two of them in pitchers parks. 25 SB and 6 CS 
last year, 77% success rate overall stealing bases in the minors. He'll be 24
this season.  
 
>Suppose Manny Lee is injured or begins to play even worse than he has
>played in the past. Should they start Alfredo? Should they call up
>Zosky? Do they have someone in AA they can call up? 

  Knowing that the Jays are pretty conservative about young players,
especially moving them around, Kent won't likely be playing SS. I'd call up 
Zosky and give him a shot. He's only gonna hit .250-.260 with a low number of
walks and OK pop, but how much worse than Mann 'E' and Fettucine can the
Polish Prince be? He's got a helluva arm, and deserves a shot at least for 
the time being. If he flops, he's about as bad as the other two. If he does
well, he's much better. 
 
>Or should they try to make a trade now before they get even more
>desperate? What are some reasonable trades they might make to fill
>this hole?

  I think this is the most likely option of any, considering how cautious the
Jays often are bringing along young players. I'd suggest the Jays try to get 
Jeff Blauser; the Braves might be willing to part with him, considering they 
don't even play him everyday with Treadway hurt. Not only that, but Chipper
Jones should be ready in the next year or two. Jeff's not much of a defender,
but I see him as a Jay Bell type; adequate (may well be below average) as a
defender, but a very good bat out of what is normally a very weak position. 
Blauser may not affect the Jays as much as another team, given that the
pitching staff is pretty much flyball-oriented and should be well above
average in strikeouts.  

  Besides, when Mann 'E' Lee's the alternative, what have you got to lose? 
I'm not sure what they could give the Braves that they need, though .. both 
farm systems are pretty well stocked. At least both teams have been willing 
to trade with one another in recent memory. Maybe the Jays could trade
'Tricky' Rick Trlicek back to the Braves (acquired for Ernie Whitt). People 
would probably even get Gruber and Blauser confused from time to time; "Are 
you guys brothers?"  
 
  Oh well, that's just me thinking out loud; now it will probably turn into a
rumour and then a bona fide trade offer later this week. Hey, after Guzman 
for Grace, anything's possible. :-)  

-- 
Dave Hung Like a Jim Acker Slider Kirsch  ...   of the Warren Newson fan club 
kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu                          "Blue Jays all the way in '92"  
"Sportswriters mostly sit in bars and argue about things, then go home and 
 write all the clever bullshit they think they should have said at the time." 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball