Old Man River…

Whe n I think of how to fill our outfield hole, I probably think about it in a different way than others.

What I want out there is a wise veteran who can share his knowledge while playing enough in a part time role to make things easier for Randall Grichuk. I want this guy to be charismatic. Somebody with a little Adam Wainwright in him, who’ll engage not just the other outfielders, but all of the other position players on the roster, like Waino does with the pitchers.

As for veteran leadership from outfielders goes, I know we have Matt Holliday, but he’s always seemed to be the lead by example type. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t recall many shots of Holliday showing much emotion on the bench.

I also don’t want too big of a name, as this guy is going to be a part-timer. As such he needs to be affordable.

The name that popped into my head was Torii Hunter, who’s a free agent. At 40, he should be affordable, and be open to a short term contract.

Plus, despite being 40 he’s in excellent shape. Consider:

In 2014, he batted .308 against lefties, with a .459 slugging percentage, and he hit a respectable .278 against right-handers. He also had a .791 OPS in the second half of 2014, probably a reflection of the Hunter keeping himself in the afore mentioned excellent condition.

He’s also been around the block, can teach the kids (Grichuck and Stephen Piscotty, when he gets here) a few things and from what I’ve seen has a very charismatic personality. Sure, he’s had a few incidents in his past, but for the most part he’s an easy going guy. Plus he’s another guy who’s a big charity guy, always good to have.

 

Just somebody to consider who won’t cost us an arm and a leg money wise and would allow us to keep all of our prospects.

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

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