After closing up shop here last night, I figured I would expound upon Luis Terrero's performance for my next entry. Little did I know that
South Side Sox and
The Bard's Room would have the same thing in mind.
This is probably the most attention Terrero has received since a few years ago when it became evident he wouldn't pan out in Arizona, and Diamondbacks fans wondered what happened to their so-called top prospect. So hell, let's add some fuel to the fire. After all, he might be the one guy on this team who is exceeding people's expectations.
Of all of Kenny Williams' moves in the offseason,
the Terrero signing might have been the most forgettable. However, he's exhibited a solid set of tools so far this season. He owns the longest homer of the season,
a 442-foot blast against the Devil Rays. He has the best arm in the outfield -- on Monday, he nearly threw out Michael Bourn at third base from deep center field on the fly, even impressing Phillies fans with his gun.
Terrero has even maintained a solid on-base percentage, which probably was the greatest of my concerns upon his promotion. In Charlotte this year, he walked only once over 65 at-bats, and he's quadrupled that total in the majors. Of course, five plunkings have contributed greatly to that .365 OBP. Then again,
Aaron Rowand proves that getting hit by pitches is a repeatable skill, so as far as I'm concerned, the more, the merrier.
He's fairly fast and tracks a flyball well enough -- I'd say he's a notch below Darin Erstad and Brian Anderson in that department, but still capable. That he struggles to make contact without a great eye to compensate likely means he has a low ceiling, but any dose of athleticism is a welcome addition.
The Sox have arbitration rights over him next year, so the Sox would be well-served to keep playing him to see what he can offer. Considering Scott Podsednik, Darin Erstad, Ryan Sweeney and Rob Mackowiak are all left-handed, there's a spot on this team for him if he can earn it.
Four other guys who need maximum exposure as the Sox play out the string:
1) Josh Fields. That doesn't seem like it will be a problem.
2) Andy Gonzalez. He only 14 major-league at-bats under his belt, yet he already looks less feeble at the plate than Alex Cintron. The Sox can save $1.5 million if Gonzalez shows he can maintain his solid on-base skills and not screw up too much in the field, because it would remove the need for Cintron and his weak elbow.
3) Rob Mackowiak. Not in the outfield, but in the infield. Return him to his utility man status and play him at third and second base. It will give Williams a better idea if it would be worth exercising Mack's $3.25 million option next year, especially with Tadahito Iguchi's status up in the air.
4) Boone Logan. He struck out Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in his inning of work
in today's game, and has generally been the only non-Bobby Jenks reliever to perform halfway decently. Ozzie should press him more to see how he responds.
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Minor league round-up:- Huntsville 3, Birmingham 2
- After back-to-back rough outings, Adam Russell delivered 6 1/3 solid innings of work. Two runs, one earned, on eight hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
- Robert Valido and Donny Lucy each had two hits and drove in a run apiece, meaning they basically served as the Barons' entire offense.
- Oneli Perez kept the game tied through eight, but Corwin Malone was tagged with the loss. Four Birmingham errors didn't help.
- Potomac 8, Winston-Salem 4
- Clayton Richard gave up seven runs over 3 1/3 innings, but three of them were unearned. Jason Rice kept the game close with 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, walking three and striking out three.
- Javier Castillo had a double, a homer and three RBI. Aaron Cunningham went 0-for-2, but collected three walks and stole his 20th base.
- Kannapolis 4, Greenville 3
- Faustino De Los Santos allowed two runs over five innings, walking two and striking out five. He allowed seven hits, which could be the first time he allowed more hits than innings pitched in an outing all year. MiLB.com's game log only goes back to April 18.
- Maurice Gartrell scored three of Kanny's four runs, going 2-for-4 with a triple and raising his average to .302.
- Lee Cruz went 2-for-4 with his 17th double and an RBI; Chris Carter did not play for the second straight game.
- Charlotte OFF