Lost Dog: Hudson Gone for Season, Maybe for Good
With the news that Orlando Hudson underwent surgery late Saturday night on his dislocated wrist, the Diamondbacks again find themselves missing their star 2B for the stretch run of the season. His is a critical loss during what Arizona hopes will be a second straight NL West championship campaign.
The club will still benefit from his leadership in the clubhouse, but the ODog's presence on the field cannot be easily replaced. He is an absolute witch with the leather, invaluable for a team whose leading pitcher is a groundball specialist. And while his modest power makes him an unlikely No. 3 hitter, Hudson played that role for the Diamondbacks. That a guy who has never surpassed 15 HR or 67 RBI in a season batted third in the order 97 times says a lot about Arizona's 2008 offense.
The Diamondbacks will be hard pressed to replace Hudson's glove or his .305 / .367 / .450 line. As they have no choice but to try, let's consider some of the options on the table.
Reports suggest the team will rely on Augie Ojeda to log the bulk of the playing time at 2B in Hudson's absence. Facing Braves lefty starter Mike Hampton in the first game post-ODog, the switch-hitting Ojeda batted second and went 1-for-4 with a single and two strikeouts. Thrust into a starting gig in September and October last season, Ojeda batted .327 / .426 / .388 over 49 AB -- a creditable showing, but not something we can expect from a 33-year old utility man whose career marks are .237 / .317 / .319. Ojeda's 2007 stretch run demonstrates that even a player with limited offensive ability can get hot over short period of time.
If Ojeda cannot repeat his 2007 performance, perhaps Chris Burke can rise to the occaision during regular season's last seven weeks. Neither his 2008 numbers (.190 / .302 / .234) nor his major league career statistics (.242 / .317 / .360) give much cause for optimism. There are, however, some reasons to be hopeful about the 28-year old Burke. While he hasn't done much in what has been primarily a bench role in the bigs, he put up .294 / .359 / .422 career minor league numbers. In 366 AB as a semi-regular for the Astros in 2006, Burke produced at a .276 / .347 / .418 clip. Players sometimes perform better when given regular at-bats, so it would not be entirely surprising if Burke became a starter and outperformed the lowly expectations he has set in his time as a reserve.
Looking beyond Ojeda and Burke, we can consider a couple of players who might have taken over for Hudson.
Emilio Bonifacio would surely have gotten a crack at the 2B job had he not been shipped to Washington for powerful right-handed reliever Jon Rauch. It's doubtful the Diamondbacks brass would want to undo that deal, even with Hudson done for the year. Rauch has been the surest option in an otherwise shaky bullpen since his acquisition on July 22.
Had Hudson's injury occurred a week earlier, Arizona might have made a play for Nationals' cast-off Felipe Lopez, who signed with the Cardinals on Tuesday. Washington, unsuccessful in efforts to trade Lopez, released him following the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. With Cesar Izturis at SS, Adam Kennedy at 2B, and some passable alternatives for the bench (Aaron Miles, Brendan Ryan), St. Louis still might be prevailed upon to sneak Lopez through waivers and ship him for a prospect not on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster. But given that the Cardinals stand only 3 games back of Milwaukee for the Wild Card lead entering play on Monday, they may not wish to aid a National League rival and potential playoff opponent.
The remaining options for the Diamondbacks are few. They could (1) seek to sign a veteran infielder on the free agent market; (2) call up a 2B from the minor leagues; or (3) attempt a trade for a player on a major league roster who has cleared waivers.
Because no one better than Ojeda or Burke is likely to be available in free agency, the first option really isn't.
On the farm, 28-year old organizational player Don Kelly has taken over 2B duties for the Sidewinders, but has managed only .249 / .308 / .349 rates despite AAA Tucson's offensive environment. In a pinch, SS Jesus Merchan, a 27-year old Venezuelan batting .339 / .375 / .426 on the season at Tucson, might be a better choice. The only other player in the the high minors who might help is 2B Rusty Ryal, a 25-year old Oklahoma State product batting .273 / .336 / .445 with 16 HR in 400 AB for AA Mobile. None of these farmhands is on the 40-man roster, so the front office guys would have to do some juggling if they decide any can fill the immediate need.
Without knowing who may have cleared waivers, we can only guess at the trade possibilities. Mark Grudzielanek of the Royals was a trade candidate, but he recently suffered an injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Padres have little use for free-agent-to-be Tadahito Iguchi -- tho neither would the Diamondbacks, as Iguchi is just 1-for-20 since returning from a two-month DL stint.
A player who might both clear waivers and provide a viable alternative to Ojeda/Burke is Juan Uribe of the White Sox. Uribe is not a good hitter, as evidenced by his failure to exceed a .712 OPS since the 2004 season. To his credit, Uribe has legitimate power, having slugged 20 HR or more in 2004 2006 and 2007. Given his experience playing both 2B and SS at the major league level and his serious pop, Uribe looks like the most attractive of the hypothetical trade targets.
Chicago would like to give a look to recently promoted Chris Getz (.306 / .367 / .455 at AAA Charlotte), a 24-year old 2B who has also played 3B and OF. Moving the out-of-favor Uribe would enable the White Sox to do so and would free them of the remainder of his $4.5M salary for 2008. At that price and considering he is suffering from a mysterious injury characterized as "back tightness," Uribe may already have cleared waivers. Since the purported injury is almost certainly a result of sitting his ass on Ozzie Guillen's bench, a new team and regular playing time should do wonders for Uribe's health.
Like Hudson, Uribe will be a free agent after the season. A shot at career redemption and an opportunity to showcase his talents during a playoff run could spur Uribe to play his best. He's not likely to command the $10M+ annual salary ODog is rumored to desire, so Uribe may also be a 2009 stop-gap at 2B if the Diamondbacks cannot agree to terms on an extension with Hudson. Age 30 and coming off his second consecutive season cut short by injury, Hudson is not a good investment at his asking price, although he cannot be faulted for cashing in with what should be the last long term contract of his career.
Rather, we should salute Hudson and appreciate what he has given the Diamondbacks since they dealt for him in the winter of 2005. If Hudson has played his last game for Arizona, fans should remember him for his energy and enthusiasm, his motor mouth, three seasons of .800+ OPS from a middle-infield position, and as good a 2B glove as we're likely to see for a long, long time.
Thanks, ODog. Woof!
1 responses to this Post, with 1 unique participants
Our depth will be tested
ODog going down is going to test the exceptional depth that the Dbacks have possessed most of the year. With Burke and Ojeda able to log time at 2nd base, Melvin should have some flexibility to make sure that the 2B bat produces. While Hudson was consistent and ended this year over the .300 mark, his RBI production was sub-par. Right now we need runs to cross the plate and a .300 average alone clearly wasn't getting it done. Where we will really be hit is on the defensive side, where everyone agrees that Hudson's glove is both vital to the club and second to none.