It's just really weird to me that these numbers are coming out of nowhere. I can say we're gonna win 104 games in 2013 thanks to Russell, but it doesn't mean anything. Why are we only winning 85 games in 2012 if Branyan is here in 2010 and 11? Mike Wilson has the pitch reading ability of an earth-gazing snail. It just isn't there. If a DH hitting .220/.280/.420 appeals to you, by all means grab him. Last I heard we hated Balentien, which is Wilson's profile. He's not doing anything in AAA that any number of other bats with his # of minor league ABs are doing. It's not a guarantee of pro success.
I'm trying not to disparage Wilson (I happened to want us to give Balentien some time) but IMO he's NOT a solution, let alone a significant part of 5 extra wins in 2012. And as much as I want Ackley to perform and get promoted, he's doing fine making tweaks in AA. He'd be fine in AAA for the 2nd half of the year. It's not brutally stunting his growth to not have him in the bigs right now manning 1B. And he won't be playing 1B for us next year either. And have I mentioned that promoting Ackley now means one less year of Ackley later, so why would you WANT to bump him up in a "lost" season?
If Wilson can force his way onto the team with a continued string of success in AAA, great! Let him force the issue. The roster isn't ossified, even with Branyan. Mike's hitting .200/.294/.333/.627 over his last 10 games, btw, and his Tacoma line against righties is back to career norms, give or take. Maybe he's really learning to crush lefties. That's good. Mike could always turn out to be someone. Or maybe he's just in his normal prime months before he wears down and sucks to close out the year, like he usually does.
We're getting into hyperbole now, when the signing of Branyan has totally imploded our playoff chances in 2012 before he even steps to the plate for us in 2010. Let's step back, take a deep breath, and realize that maybe, just maybe, "stealing" Wilson's at-bats for a position he was not going to mann for us anyway isn't a 2012 pennant killer.
And that a 120 OPS+ bat does have SOME value above giving those ABs away to lesser players, even if those players are under contract longer.
~G
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