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Please welcome 1B Contestant #4…
Apparently, the Yankees feel that having Wilson Betemit, Jason Giambi, and Shelley Duncan competing for the first base job isn’t enough.
According to ESPN, the Yankees have reportedly signed Morgan Ensberg to an one-year deal and will be invited to Spring Training.
More from ESPN:
Terms of the contract weren’t immediately available. Ensberg signed a minor-league deal, with an invitation to major league camp. The Yankees’ 40-man roster is currently full, but three spots are expected to open when Carl Pavano, Humberto Sanchez and Andrew Brackman are transferred to the 60-day disabled list in March.
Basically, Ensberg had one great year: in 2005, coming in 4th in the NL MVP voting, posting a 144 OPS+ and hitting .283 with 36 HRs and 101 RBIs. Mostly used as a third baseman (he played one game at first base his entire MLB career), the Yankees hope to use him in a split first-base rotation since he can be used as a force against left-handed pitching (.284 AVG/.936 OPS).
With the competition at first base and in the bullpen, much like the Presidential Primaries, this year’s Spring Training will be intriguing to watch with front-runners and people dropping out of the race. Anyone taking bets?
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on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Trades / Signings / Rumors.
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20 Responses to “Please welcome 1B Contestant #4…”
January 31st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Eh? What?
Weird. That’s not great news for Shelley Duncan.
January 31st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I am ok with it. I want Duncan to play, but only on merit. If he can’t beat out Ensberg for a spot, then he should be on the bench until one of the other options fail. With little separating the Yankees and Sox, the Yankees have to maximize production everywhere.
January 31st, 2008 at 5:58 pm
If Ensburg beats out Duncan, I don’t see Duncan on the team. They need a backup outfielder (who isn’t currently playing DH).
January 31st, 2008 at 6:09 pm
He really doesn’t seem much different than what’s already there.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:31 pm
And he doesn’t play 1st. They have 4 guys for one spot and you can’t be happy with any of them. Same thing last year they put Phelps there. I think they take the spot for granted.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Obviously, this does seem to be deja vu all over again with Josh Phelps, et al from last year.
As long as we are gagging on Giambi’s big contract, there seems to have been a temptation to platoon 1B “on the cheap” (how about “the one who got away” - Carlos Pena - wouldn’t he be an ideal fit now?!?!?)
So, the one question this brings up in my mind is who - going forward, after Giambi’s contract expires - who is the Yankees 1B in the New Stadium and beyond?
Jorge Posada? Johnny Damon? Mark Texiera?
Are there any Farm Hands or Free Agents who might become our “1B of the Future”??
I’d be curious to hear what you Guys think.
January 31st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
TheCro: There is no doubt in my mind that they sign Mark Texiera next offseason. With all the money the yhave coming off the books and all the money from the new stadium. They can sign Texiera to a 7 year $140 million, contract for all I care. And it will be well worth it. Oh and allow me to stop anyone who tries to oppose my idea by saying that it’s foolish to lock anyone up to such a long, lucrative contract. Texiera is not Jason Giambi. Texiera has a much better chance to produce both Offensively and Defensively over the life of that kind of contract. Forget the fact that he will post .300+, 35+ HR, 120+ RBI’s every year playing for the Yankees but he’s also arguably the best defensive First Basemen in all of Baseball..
I don’t think the Yankees will be passing that up…
January 31st, 2008 at 9:09 pm
If Ensberg has anything left, why the hell not? Even if all it does is get the other guys’ attention, it’s worth it.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:20 pm
When is Humberto Sanchez coming back?
January 31st, 2008 at 10:08 pm
It’s a minor league contract and Duncan has options anyway, it’s a very good move that gives the position even more options. Ensberg is very underrated. he had one GREAT year, but he also had several more good onces (03 and 06 OPS+ 131 and 120 )
injury hampered him a lot in the last couple of years. hopefully he could get over that.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I cant even tell you how happy I am about this signing. I named Ensberg right away when he became a FA as a possible 1B starter and great guy to have off the bench. People ate me up over it and called me all sorts of names. It seems people forgot rather quickly how good of a 3B Ensberg was SUPPOSE to be. Until June or so in ‘06 when he got hurt he was one of the NL’s top 3B. I think he’ll be a hell of a pickup. Worst thing that happens by signing him is we cut him or put him in AAA. The best thing is we get another solid bench player and a potential starter. Great, no brainer signing.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:18 pm
How many future first basemen do we have? Posada is apparently going to move their after say 2 years. But of course, we’ll have signed Texiera to a 7 year deal. And let us not forget that A-rod will also be playing there in the future, not to mention Jeter.
February 1st, 2008 at 1:23 am
I still have my money on Shelley Duncan winning the job. The Ensberg signing might motivate him even more. I don’t think Ensberg is better than Shelley Duncan at this point. They just added some competition to the position. That’s about it.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:22 am
Isn’t he actually contestant #5? That Lane guy…
I like the pickup. This was once a REALLY good player. He’s been hurt, and he may be cooked, but it’s worth a roll of the dice to see if he’s got something left.
Shelley Duncan, as much as I like him, is a AAAA player who could easily fall on his face this year. If he beats Ensberg out for the job, bravo. If he faceplants, there is a viable option.
The one I don’t understand is Lane.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:44 am
Maybe Shelley Duncan is trade bait eventually for bullpen help?
February 1st, 2008 at 8:51 am
Does anyone else feel the Yankees are ignoring Defense a little at first base? A-Rod and Jeter, god bless ‘em, bounce every other throw to first. I’d feel better about the 1B competition if at least one of the guys had a top glove.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am
Doug Mink. was awesome at 1B. Why he was not kept is beyond me.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:37 am
The Yanks do take the position for granted. As do most teams. Everyone thinks it’s the easiest position to fill, until the player has to take a bad throw from the infielders that’s up the line and in the dirt, with some 210 lb. monster sprinting up the line looking to knock your dick in the dirt, and oh yeah you gotta make a tag too.
We forget sometimes that one of the beauties of the game is almost everyone in the AL and everyone in the NL has to play defense as well as hit.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:38 am
I would have like to see the yankees sign Dallas McPherson instead. He is still relatively young and still has potential. He might not have as much value as Ensberg if he doesnt work out, but he has more upside. Either way though, none of these 1B options really has much a chance to do anything this year. If we could get a decent avg and solid defense there I think thats all we should be asking for. Unless Betemit can show some progress, there isnt much hope there.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Doggie Defense cannot hit, and he’s getting old. There was no reason to hang on to him.
I’m all for a Betemit/Duncan or Betemit/Ensberg platoon.
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