It's always satisfying to see the Orioles beat the tar out of the Yankees, and even more so when it pushes New York to a season-high seven games back in the East. I also feel like it's a vicarious sort of vindication for Brian Roberts, who was given his release by the Yanks on Saturday. The walking wounded in pinstripes had previously designated B-Rob for assignment after acquiring super-utility player Martin Prado from Arizona. Roberts, ironically one of the few Yankee players not to miss significant time with injuries in 2014, batted .237/.300/.360 (86 OPS+) in 91 games with 16 doubles, four triples, five homers, and 21 RBI. He was also 7-for-11 as a base stealer. These are not typical Brian Roberts numbers, but then again, he hasn't had this much playing time since 2009. Five years on, the 36-year-old second baseman is clearly not the player he was during his prime in Baltimore. In Prado, the Yankees got a more expensive player (surprise!) who is six years younger, more defensively versatile, but isn't hitting any better: .264/.311/.364 (88 OPS+), with even worse stats in an 11-game sample size in the Bronx (.189/.250/.297). But New York is still in the wild card hunt through their usual mix of fortuitous bounces and unspeakable dark magic, so they took the gamble on Martin Prado and jettisoned our old, battle-weary friend. I hope this isn't the end for Brian Roberts, but if it is, I hope he's at peace with things.
1 comment:
There are guys out there with much worse numbers. Maybe he has some game left in him.
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