Eating Crow About Edmonds

I was (repeatedly) wrong about Jim Edmonds.

There, I said it.  After Monday night’s win, I have to say the crow tastes pretty good.  A little crispy, but I like my stuff well-done.

What were some of the things I said about Edmonds when the Brewers signed him to a minor league deal in January?

(Read More)

Jim Edmonds Signed to Minor League Deal:

Melvin said that he’s hoping for a similar outcome to the Gabe Kapler signing.  That’s nice, but there’s a big difference: Kapler was only 32.  Edmonds will be 40 this year.  I don’t think we’ll see the same results.
…
I guess it fulfills that desire for a fourth outfield bat that hits from the left side, but wouldn’t Gabe Gross be a better option?
…
But if he makes the roster, does anyone else have the fear that Ken Macha will end up playing him instead of guys like Carlos Gomez or Corey Hart?

Putting Edmonds’ Age in Perspective:

A lot of my bad feelings about this move have to do with the fact that he’s 39 — and turns 40 in June — and hasn’t faced Major League pitching in over a year.  For a guy whose value these days comes solely from his bat, that could be a problem.

Edmonds is hitting .289/.353/.513 in 218 plate appearances this year.  Kapler hit .301/.340/.498 in 245 plate appearances for the Brewers in 2008.  This year, my proposed 4th outfielder Gabe Gross is hitting .243/.286/.311 in 191 plate appearances for Oakland.

I was right about Edmonds initially getting more time than Hart, and he’s still taking starts away from Gomez in center.  I obviously didn’t see Edmonds hitting this well (or Gomez hitting this poorly), so at this point, I don’t think I mind it as much.

Am I annoyed that Ken Macha keeps starting him when he’s clearly hurt?  Yeah, I am.  But I have absolutely no problem with him becoming pinch-hitting option #1 while Joe Inglett is starting in place of Corey Hart.  If Monday night is any indication, the achilles injury isn’t hurting his swing that much.

For the record, though, unless this team goes on a ridiculous tear to get back into contention (and despite winning five straight now, they’re not there yet), I still think the Brewers should think about trying to deal him in an August waivers deal.