As mentioned in the post game report last night, the Indians have demoted Chris Dickerson in what was a very oddly timed move. Dickerson was originally purchased from the Tigers in July to help with outfield depth after injuries to Michael Bourn and Nyjer Morgan really thinned things out. When he initially joined the club, it seemed like he would never cool down, starting out with a five game hitting streak and batting .314 over his first 20 games with the club. Now that Tyler Holt, Zach Walters and J.B. Shuck have joined the team and Bourn, Ryan Raburn and David Murphy are off the DL, Dickerson found himself behind at least five other players in the outfield depth chart and rather than split playing time up between up to nine players, the Indians have sent Dickerson down to AAA, where the Clippers season has already ended.
While this line of thought makes a little sense, what makes it interesting is that Dickerson wasn’t taking up any space he isn’t still (he remains on the 40 man roster) and will still need to be paid for the rest of the season. Had Dickerson remained on the team, he would still be one of the best outfield defenders and one of the fastest base runners, making him a perfect pinch runner or defensive replacement candidate. Since he is still being paid and still using a roster space, it seems silly not to take advantage of his speed in these situations.
Despite being in his seventh season at the age of 32, Dickerson will be entering into just his second season of arbitration next year, so if the Indians want him, they have the opportunity to keep him around, likely for a very low price. That of course, brings up the question of if they would want to. After that hot start, he batted just .147/.228/.176 from July 30th on. He also struck out 20 times in 51 at bats, a higher rate (39%) than even Walters (strikes out in 36% of at bats), who has a much higher potential, at least concerning power, than Dickerson. In addition, while he may be more talented and athletic than Ryan Raburn, both Raburn and Murphy are signed through 2015, making them unlikely to be removed from the roster next year. Once things get back down to 25 men next April, there will only be room for between four and six of those eight players depending what who the DH is and how the bullpen is constructed. When looking at that, it is hard to place Dickerson above any other than Raburn.
On a team that scores less than 4.3 runs per game, offense is paramount, especially out of the corner positions and the Indians simply have too many superior candidates compared to Dickerson. While still working on an outside shot to the postseason, the Indians will need to use those limited at bats to decide who will provide the most value out of the group that includes Walters, Raburn, Murphy, Holt and Shuck. Chris Antonetti and Terry Francona have made that decision just a little bit easier already by moving Dickerson to the forgotten realm of Columbus, Ohio.
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