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Giants purchase contract of SS Burriss, DFA OF Davis

The San Francisco Giants purchased the contract of shortstop Emmanuel Burriss from Triple-A Fresno. Burriss, a supplemental first-round draft pick out of Kent State in 2006, split the 2007 season between High-A San Jose (.165/.233/.180 in 159 PA) and Low-A Augusta (.320/.371/.380 in 404 PA), swiping a combined 68 bags between the two levels. The switch-hitting Burriss opened the season in the California League with San Jose, but was demoted to the South Atlantic League after 36 games.

To make room for Burriss on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated outfielder Rajai Davis for assignment. Davis, 27, was acquired last July along with righthander Steve MacFarland from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for veteran righthander Matt Morris. Drafted by the Bucs in the 38th round of the 2001 draft, Davis hit .318/.381/.469 in 239 PA at AAA Indianapolis (the Pirates’ top affiliate) in 2007 and also saw some playing time with the Pirates (.271/.351/.354 in 57 PA) and Giants (.282/.360/.380 in 162 PA).

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And just like that, Brian Bocock is no longer the worst hitter on the team. San Francisco’s decision to bring up Burriss is bizarre, to say the least. The 23 year-old couldn’t cut it in the notoriously hitter-friendly Cal League last year and is off to a wretched start in the Pacific Coast League (.242/.266/.290 in 64 PA), so what, exactly, leads one to believe that Burriss will make any sort of positive contribution in the majors? Yes, he’s fast, and yes, he’s a solid defender, but Burriss is guaranteed to be an absolute zero at the plate, even by the decidedly destitute standards in San Francisco. This promotion serves neither the Giants nor Burriss well in the long run.

Granted, Davis is no great shakes, but the team also stands to lose him on waivers. The Giants are teeming with fourth and fifth-outfielder types, but such a geriatric organization should not be in the business of hemorrhaging even semi-interesting talent. A plus defender and a high-percentage base stealer, Davis could end up with the Padres, who could use an outfielder with some range.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 20th, 2008 at 9:05 am and is filed under Emmanuel Burriss, Rajai Davis, Giants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.