Yesterday, the Yanks sent infielder Mitch Hilligross to Texas for Greg Golson. Golson is speedy, and a defensive whiz (a la Brett Gardner), but has struggled at the plate. He’ll add depth to the roster, likely playing at triple-A, and could end up in the Bronx late in the year, as Freddy Guzman did last fall.
Today, the big left field news hit: Randy Winn has signed with the Yanks for $2mm-ish. The 35 year old switch hitter hit .262/.318/.353 in ’09, which makes it seem like Brett Gardner will still be the everyday leftfielder (or, if the Yanks care about defense, the everyday centerfielder). Here’s what I don’t like:
Winn as a right-handed hitter v. left handed pitching in ’09: .158/.184/.200 in 125 plate appearances.
Winn as a left-handed hitter v. right handed pitching in ’09: .292/.354/.397 in 472 plate appearances.
Is it just me, or weren’t we supposed to get someone who hits well against lefties? .200 slugging isn’t impressive. Gardner can hit just as well (if not better) and doesn’t cost that additional $2mm. The Yanks are going to have trouble against lefties if both Winn and Curtis Granderson are in the lineup. This just doesn’t seem like a smart move at the moment, but we’ll see I suppose.
