Rodriguez always hits AAA pitching! .295-.361 AAA career line. I like this addition, though. I'm not sure what it says about Wilson and Wilson. I suspect it means that one of them will not be a Mariner next year....or it might mean that the M's are worried enough about Jack Wilson's health that they are looking for cheap alternatives.
Rodriguez isn't Tug Hulett with the bat.....but he's better with the leather.
By the way, read yesterday that Upton has a four team no-trade contract that includes the M's. Also that, evidently, the asking price for Upton included Ackley. No chance there, I think.
According to SI.coms Heyman, one AL exec described the aking price for Upton as "rediculous!"
moe
And Bryce Harper, too, if you are interested.
Not much, but take what we can get.
http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13027543
At 1:10 Ack is called out on strikes, though he obviously thought he had walked.
At 1:29 a single to left.
At 1:36 glovework!
And more defense here:
http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13026699
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While I'm here: reportedly the Ms have signed Luis Rodriguez, a mildly interesting utility guy who Does. Not. Strike. Out. (check out his eye ratios -- majors and minors) and then suddenly at 30 became an offensive presence in AAA last year. This after two non-black-hole seasons in the majors (90 and 88 OPS+ in 05 and 08) mixed in among three ugly ones.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodrilu01.shtml
Plays SS, 2b, 3b (about 1/3 each in the majors). Seems like another no-downside move by the Z-crew. Like an inverse Doug Fister.
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Interestingly, his age-30 "breakout" season in AAA looks almost exactly like his age-23 and age-24 AAA seasons on the way up, except that half of his doubles turned into homers (38, 39, 35 extra-base hits in those 3 seasons; 46, 53, 42 walks; 46, 49, 35 strikeouts -- just in the first two all his XBH were doubles and in the last one they were half and half)
He's certainly a guy could plausibly turn in a decent year, but those sub-.600 OPS years staring you in the face gives one pause.
He's a switch-hitter, though, and we know that the Z-crew likes that.