Well, it seems the Phillies are done tinkering with their roster in advance of Spring Training, the latter being an event that can't get here fast enough in a satellite television landscape festooned with nothing but college and pro hoops as far as the eye can see, with only tiny islands of the Senior Bowl and Super Bowl offering relief. It's like reliving the Dark Ages every winter…
Anyway, the Phils have settled with all of their arbitration-eligible players, the last being yesterday's signing of energetic and charismatic rightfielder Hunter Pence. They also reshaped the team's bench once again by inking veteran outfielder and one-time speedster Juan Pierre [left].
Signing Pierre on the heels of ceremoniously dumping solid infield back-up Wilson Valdez, who was Cast Away to the Cincinnati Reds for an erratic minor leaguer, gives some insight into the thinking of the team's braintrust.
First, the front office is enamored with the back-upinfield combo of Michael Martinez, last year's light-hitting 25th man (constant swinging from the heels by the tiny Martinez [right] rivaled that of hulking Ryan Howard) and AAA shortstop Freddy Galvis, slick of glove and long anointed as the heir apparent to Jimmy Rollins.
Both infielders flash leather like Madonna, but with far less idea of what to do when they eventually find wood in their hands.
You could do worse than installing Juan Pierre as your primary left fielder, even in the waning years of his career, if the Phils' other dice rolls don't pan out: Laynce Nix, John Mayberry, Ty Wiggington, Martinez, and even the star-crossed Domonic Brown.
It also speaks volumes about the confidence the team's medical and trainging staffs must have that they can keep the rickety Rollins, Chase Utley, and Placido Polanco on the field for most of 2012!
Still, more importantly, I see the team using Pierre as a spot starter, pinch hitter and runner extraordinaire, and as a second hitting coach (3rd if you count manager Charlie Manuel) with an eye toward refining the skill sets of Martinez and Galvis [below].
In his hey-day, Pierre was devastating combination of speed and contact hitting who could go get 'em in center field—a player who found himself in All-Star Games, World Series celebrations, and MVP voting discussions while authoring just 16 home runs in 162 big league seasons.
Look for Pierre in the field and on the plate, assuming he has anything left in the tank. Don't forget: He's listed at 5'11' and 175, but plays smaller, and once reeled off five straight 162 seasons from 2003 – 2007.
Look for him even more to be tutoring Martinez and Galvis on the fine arts of lead-off hitting, making contact, bunting, and situational hitting. This is in line with Ruben Amaro's off season mantra about changing the mindset of his teams' oft-flailing hitters, and he also may end up helping with the team's baserunning and stealing in the wake of the ill-advised dispatching of Davey Lopes...
The signing of Pierre, from this corner, looks like a great idea. How receptive the youngsters will be to his advice remains to be seen.
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