With Manny Ramirez activated today from the disabled list, the Dodgers put backup outfielder Reed Johnson on the DL to create roster space. In the opinion of Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times, Johnson's back injury might've been the "slight reprieve" that Garret Anderson needed to stay on the team. With George Sherrill put on waivers, Dilbeck thinks the Dodgers would have Anderson in mind should the club be looking to further clear the roster of under-performing veterans.
Anderson signed a minor-league contract with L.A. in March and made the club with the expectation that he would provide veteran leadership, a backup glove in the outfield and left-handed pinch-hitting help off the bench. While Dilbeck says Anderson is "great in the clubhouse," the outfielder has posted a .470 OPS in 140 plate appearances and his limited time in the field has been shaky (a -8.8 UZR/150).
Dilbeck thinks L.A. has more to gain by cutting Anderson and keeping rookie Xavier Paul as the left-handed outfield reserve. Dilbeck notes that Paul himself hasn't performed overly well (a .649 OPS in 94 PAs) but Paul at least has upside, whereas there's little evidence that Anderson will turn things around in the second half. GM Ned Colletti gave Anderson a vote of confidence in May, but if the problem, as Colletti claimed, was that Anderson hasn't yet adjusted to a backup role, then two more months of struggles would seem to imply that Anderson may never find that comfort zone. Anderson's career 103 OPS+ is a sign that he may have been a poor choice for the "professional hitter" pinch-hitting job in the first place.
In spite of Anderson's problems this season, he would likely get picked up by another team in the hopes that his experience could aid a playoff contender (and that his numbers would pick up with a change of scenery). If Dilbeck's prediction of July 24 as the Dodgers' decision day is correct, Anderson would have lots of time to catch on with another team should he actually be released.
Before spring training, i thought that Xavier Paul would get this job anyway. And i thought that signing GA was such a waste, and look what happened
this job should have been Dougie Mientkiewicz’s from the start
Exactly. He was even a better hitter in Spring Training and they gave the job to GA
and the sad part is that he is out of the league and in my opinion could still be a productive player off any teams bench
and the sad part is that he is out of the league and in my opinion could still be a productive player off any teams bench
If Anderson isn’t hitting anymore, they have Jay Gibbons raking in AAA as well. I like Garret Anderson just like everyone else does, but he doesn’t have it anymore.
Anderson has been worth -1.9 WAR combined the last two seasons….how exactly does he still have a job?
My guess would be the veteran club house presence, mentoring Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Xavier Paul. He is almost a player coach.
oohhh…so that’s why Kemp has been having a lesser year. He has been following GA’s example.
oohhh…so that’s why Kemp has been having a lesser year. He has been following GA’s example.
WAR doesn’t account for the off the field aspects of baseball…
He better be worth a hell of a lot as a mentor for all the games he loses and the roster spot he occupies.
Call me crazy but the Yanks could use Garret Anderson. At the pro-rated league minimum, a DH platoon of him and Marcus Thames wouldn’t be half bad. Unless the Yanks pick up another catcher and let Posada be the full time DH. Either way the Yanks lack of depth has got to be concerning…
I don’t think you understand how bad GA is at the plate nowadays…..
You’re crazy, because putting in such a below average hitter at any position would never benefit a team.
I would rather have the yankees pick up carlos delgado because i think he still has something left in the tank, hes been training and hitting and he said he would be willing to go to the minors and that short left porch would be great for him and his march for 500 homeruns.. Im all for signing Carlos. Garret Anderson is horriable i wouldnt want him near the yankees.. theres more productive options then him
I would rather have the yankees pick up carlos delgado because i think he still has something left in the tank, hes been training and hitting and he said he would be willing to go to the minors and that short left porch would be great for him and his march for 500 homeruns.. Im all for signing Carlos. Garret Anderson is horriable i wouldnt want him near the yankees.. theres more productive options then him
You’re crazy.
Perhaps you don’t understand how bad a 470. ops is, but check out GA’s traditional stats. Then apply the well know AL east is real baseball, NL west is a step down philosophy, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be saying the Yanks could use GA ever again.
Perhaps you don’t understand how bad a 470. ops is, but check out GA’s traditional stats. Then apply the well know AL east is real baseball, NL west is a step down philosophy, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be saying the Yanks could use GA ever again.
Garrett Anderson always turns it on in the second half. In fact, since he was at one time the MLB leader in hits from 1995 – 2003, it would only make perfect sense for him to go to the Yankees and suddenly perform well just as Nick Swisher has with that short porch in right field. GA should have gone to Yankees last season.
Players usually perform best with teams they either feel the most comfortable with and/or play with teams they play well with in their home ballpark. (VLADDY!)
Going to a hitter’s ballpark like Yankee Stadium III would probably help both GA and the Yankees.
Garrett Anderson is 38- I think his best days are long gone. Anderson and Swisher are hardly comparable.
GA is done. What are you thinking? If the Yanks really want to there are literally hundreds of far FAR superior left handed outfield options they could pick up via trade or free agency. It would seriously take a Brian Cashman lobotomy to land GA on the Yanks. George would turn into hulk in his grave.
GA is done. What are you thinking? If the Yanks really want to there are literally hundreds of far FAR superior left handed outfield options they could pick up via trade or free agency. It would seriously take a Brian Cashman lobotomy to land GA on the Yanks. George would turn into hulk in his grave.
Don’t tease me.
as an Angels fan, I just wish GA would retire, he really doesn’t have it anymore, he hasn’t had any power since 2003, from 2004-2008 I kept waiting for him to “turn it on 2nd half” but it never happened on a consistent basis. Sure he had great performances like his 10 RBIs against the Yankees in 2008, but nights like that are long gone for GA.
as an Angels fan, I just wish GA would retire, he really doesn’t have it anymore, he hasn’t had any power since 2003, from 2004-2008 I kept waiting for him to “turn it on 2nd half” but it never happened on a consistent basis. Sure he had great performances like his 10 RBIs against the Yankees in 2008, but nights like that are long gone for GA.
Garret Anderson is the least of the dodgers issues, it would be nice to see Xavier Paul play somewhere full time in the majors to see if he is a major leaguer or not. At major league minimum if he hits .250 the left fielders job would be his. The best deal would be to dump manny and his contract, or dump manny pay his contract and get a decent Prospect.
Garret Anderson is the least of the dodgers issues, it would be nice to see Xavier Paul play somewhere full time in the majors to see if he is a major leaguer or not. At major league minimum if he hits .250 the left fielders job would be his. The best deal would be to dump manny and his contract, or dump manny pay his contract and get a decent Prospect.
Dillbeck & the rest of us can write eulogies all they/we want. But it looks like Manny is going Nomar again, (calf 2.0) so I don’t see GA going anywhere anytime soon …Manny DL or not. Joe is in love with veteran leadership, and I can’t blame him for that (can’t blame him for anything other than pitching staff management, but that’s only half the game, isn’t it?)