And now, the black hole. The past two seasons have been wretched for Phillies third basemen, first with David Bell losing any sense of hitting ability he ever had, and then Abe Nunez actually trying to eclipse Bell by being unable to even make any contact or get a ball out of the infield. So what’s in store for this season?
19 Greg Dobbs L/R 6-1 205 7/2/78
The Phils picked him up to be a utility guy for both third and first because of a pretty good 2006 where he split time between AAA and the Seattle Mariners. He’s turning 29 halfway through the season and it’s unlikely he’ll be any better than he’s been throughout his career, but if he can try and add some patience to contact he could be a decent piece off the bech. One thing this guy doesn’t do is strike out (or walk), but if he’s going to just pop up everything behind second base, what does it matter? We can hope he turns on the switch and hits 300 off the bench, but I’d shoot for a 270 average with a 310 OBP and a little bit of pop.
18 Wes Helms R/R 6-4 230 5/12/76
He won’t win any awards for his defense, but Helms has been hitting for the past two years, and there’s no reason to suggest he won’t hit again. He may face more lefties than anything, which could be to his advantage, but he actually had a higher OPS against righties (1.000) then lefties (.919) last year with the Marlins. I’m not sure I’d expect another 900+ OPS season out of him, but 800-850 isn’t out of his range. Either way, it’s an upgrade for the position.
3 Abraham Nuñez S/R 5-11 190 3/16/76
Yes, Abe is delusional and thinks that 3 months in 2005 is his actual production line (and not the other 13 years since being a rookie minor leaguer. Yes he hits weak grounder after weak grounder, and flatlined the entire season. But he’s Abe! You can’t get made when he puts up an ‘improved’ .240 batting average with absolutely no power. He’s not the one giving himself at bats out there. He’s not the one that signed him to a TWO year deal. He’s just playing the game he loves, no matter how much he sucks in comparison to other professionals.
78 Brennan King R/R 6-3 218 1/20/81
Good filler that could be brought up later in the season if he’s doing well and the Phils need a bat off the bench. He had a decent year until the end of the season last year, and will probably start out in AAA Ottowa once again. He’s nothing spectacular.
Helms’ defense concerns me A LOT more than I’d like. His bat will be decent but I know I’ll cringe watching him play at 3rd in some games.
That Abe Nunez article absolutely cracked me up. I don’t care if he’s the second coming of Brooks Robinson at third, that man has no business being anywhere near a major league starting lineup. He’s even marginal as a bench player. In his career year of 2005, the one that made the Phillies stupidly go out and get him, his OPS+ was 84. Last year it was 48!! This guy makes replacement level look fearsome. I think we need a Mendoza-type label for OPSing .600. The Nunez line, anyone? (Abe’s career OPS: .631)
helloy