The Brewers have apparently finalized their Opening Day 25-man roster by waiving centerfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr., who cleared waivers and is scheduled to be the starting centerfielder for the Nashville Sounds again in 2009, and will add Chris Duffy as the 5th outfielder.
All 29 other teams passed on adding the son of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to their 25-man roster, probably fearing that the 26 year-old had not recovered fully from his sore shoulder injury encountered back in February, and/or that his .275 BA at Nashville last year indicates that Gwynn still needs a bit more seasoning in the minors before being called up.
I view this as a good move, and a bit of a surprise…this move–along with choosing Casey McGehee over Mike Lamb–shows that Ken Macha and Doug Melvin are looking at which player has the most potential right now to contribute to the parent club. Both Lamb and Gwynn struggled this spring, while McGehee and Duffy–two newcomers that were not with the Brewers last year–proved their worth with effective Cactus League performances. In other words, just because you were on the team last year, does not mean you will make the team this year. A bit cold, but necessary to compete. And Macha seems to have figured that out.
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