Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 by Adam Wagner
Doug Mientkiewicz is Neal Huntington’s major offseason addition
On Monday, the Pirates signed 1B Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor-league contract meaning that the experienced first baseman is probably a virtual guarantee to receive a spot on a weak Pirates’ bench next season. The move benefits Mientkiewicz in that he is probably going to have the backup spot at 1B coming out of spring training, but for the Pirates the signing has one major downfall and several advantages.
First of all, if the Pirates really wanted a backup first baseman, why didn’t they just sign Josh Phelps when they had the chance? He may have been a little more expensive this season than Mientkiewicz ended up being because Phelps was arbitration eligible, but Phelps probably wouldn’t have earned that large of a raise in the process. Also, Phelps is a right-handed hitter while Mientkiewicz and starter Adam LaRoche are left-handed hitters. Being able to switch sides on a pitcher at first base late in the game, as well has having the power off of the bench that Phelps represents, would have been a nice option for manager John Russell to have.
With Mientkiewicz, who tends to hit for average instead of power, Russell will be able to turn to his bench to start a rally, but not for the big hit. Phelps still would have made more sense for this team than Mientkiewicz does.
Mientkiewicz is, despite his flaws, which include a propensity for injury, a very good fielder who represents the type of veteran leadership that the Pirates need. He has significant experience, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, and generally knows what it takes to win. He hits for average, posts high OBPs and tends to draw a significant amount of walks, all skills that the young Pirates could benefit from watching. All in all, the signing of Mientkiewicz makes a decent degree of sense, but should not have been necessary.
Hopefully this is not the biggest name that Neal Huntington picks up this offseason.
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