Dbacks Create Log Jam in Outfield
By Scott Allen
When the Arizona Diamondbacks signed free-agent Jason Kubel yesterday, it certainly threw up some flags on the Dbacks fan front. What about Gerardo Parra? What about Chris Young? General manager Kevin Towers all but said Kubel was coming in to start and now it was up to Parra to prove himself. Yet Parra had the better 2011 season and he was already with the Dbacks. You have to wonder what parra and CY are thinking right about now. I wouldn’t buy any real estate in Phoenix, that’s for sure. With the money they are paying Kubel, he can afford to go buy a nice home.
Of course you know Justin Upton isn’t going anywhere. He is set in right field. Young would supposedly be set in center, except he hits below the boiling point of water, despite his homers. His speed is unmatchable. So, it is important to have a speedy center fielder at Chase Field. Parra is fast too and we know what his defense earned him this past season. Only a Gold Glove. How to you remove a Gold Glove from your everyday lineup? With a guy who hit .292. It’s baffling. Almost as baffling as the Aaron Hill situation, which did finally get resolved. You have to wonder where the Dbacks brass heads are at?
Listen, I’m all for competition, but Parra isn’t going to show you any consistency if he isn’t consistently playing. Period. I’m not a Kubel hater. This isn’t what this is about. Kubel has decent career numbers. This is about trying to fix something that isn’t completely broke, or at least going about fixing a leak the wrong way.
Whatever the decision ends up being, I personally think Parra or CY has played their last game at Chase Field. I would not be surprised to see a package with one of them going for another arm in the starting rotation. The Dbacks have not kept it a secret they are still in that hunt.
I’m not getting paid to make the big decisions though. I’m just here to scrutinize them and I have every right to do so no matter what anyone says. For the record, I don’t have a lot of people in my corner on these thoughts. I don’t need to though. I will let the play on the field dictate that.
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