MVN - Most Valuable Network

Mariners option Clement to AAA Tacoma; recall OF Reed

When DH/C Jeff Clement was recalled from AAA Tacoma earlier this month, it was thought that the Mariners would give the former USC star an earnest shot at establishing himself as a fixture in the big league lineup. However, after a brief and unsuccessful trial, the Mariners optioned Clement back to AAA. Clement, the third overall selection in the 2005 amateur draft, batted .167/.286/.250 in 56 PA for the Mariners.

To replace Clement on the 25-man roster, the M’s recalled outfielder Jeremy Reed. Originally acquired from the Chicago White Sox in June of 2004 in a deal that sent Freddy Garcia to the South Side, Reed is a career .253/.314/.366 major league hitter. Reed, 26, was off to a .349/.411/.557 start in 168 PA for Tacoma.

TG Analysis

Seattle’s handling of Clement has always been rather odd, so why break tradition now? In 2006, Clement suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and a bone chip in his left elbow. Off to a solid start at AA San Antonio (.288/.386/.535), Clement was forced to miss nearly two months while recovering. So, naturally, the M’s shoved Clement up to AAA Tacoma upon his return, with predictable results (.257/.321/.347).

Now, it seems as though the Mariners are going to the opposite extreme, failing to give Clement more than a two week trial despite his having little left to prove in the PCL (.275/.369/.497 in ‘07, .390/.524/.683 in ‘08) and the wretched play of Jose Vidro (.207/.256/.302 in 127 PA). By trading for Erik Bedard and consequently surrendering its tastiest farm products (Adam Jones and Chris Tillman), the M’s clearly conveyed a “win now” attitude. While this strategy is often thought to go hand-in-hand with playing veterans, it also entails giving a kid a fair shot when he is clearly your best option going forward. In Clement’s case, there’s every reason to believe that he can outhit a formerly famous, singles hitting second baseman who happens to be playing an offensively-charged position.

Speaking of formerly famous guys, Reed used to be one of the darlings of Chicago’s farm system. The Long Beach State product exhibited a high-contact approach while covering the gaps with aplomb. However, Reed has found major league pitching to be a rather daunting challenge, as his average plate discipline and modest power have conspired to inflict him with the dreaded “fourth outfielder” label. The best use of Reed’s talent would call for the M’s to stick the iron-gloved, molasses-covered Raul Ibanez (-6 Fielding Runs Above Average in ‘08) at the DH spot and install Reed in left field. Reed is likely a comparable hitter to Vidro (perhaps even a bit better), and would absolutely cover more territory than Ibanez.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 6:54 am and is filed under Jeremy Reed, Jeff Clement, Raul Ibanez, Jose Vidro, Mariners, White Sox. 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.