Cubbies Designate DeWitt

He doesn't exactly light the world on fire, but isn't dead on his feet either. Wouldn't mind him off the bench with the possibility to step in if the situations with Pedro or Presley/Tabata get hairy.

Dodgers designated Russ Mitchell as well.

4 months ago Nate Wilder 23 comments 0 recs |

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I’ve wanted the Pirates to obtain Dewitt all winter, so I’m obviously hoping Neal picks him up.

Dewitt is former No. 1 pick, he has a pretty swing, he’s a good fit for PNC, he’s just about to enter his prime and he has held his own in the big leagues for several years. This is precisely the type of player a small-market GM should acquire. I believe he could be Pittsburgh’s second-best hitter if given a real chance.

by bolton on Feb 6, 2012 6:15 PM EST reply actions

DeWitt is interesting. I’d be curious to hear Vlad’s take.

Mitchell not so much. His MiL #s look Albuquerque-inflated. Plus, he’s 6-7 years older than DeWitt, who should still have a little upside.

Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!

by WTM on Feb 6, 2012 6:27 PM EST reply actions

I'd much rather see DeWitt for sure.

I just threw Mitchell in there as more of a note than anything.

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
-Earl Weaver

by Nate Wilder on Feb 6, 2012 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

I was surprised to see DeWitt dfa’d. He’s still 25 or 26 and doesn’t strike me as a 40th-guy-on-the-roster sort of talent. It’s like I’m missing something.

Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!

by WTM on Feb 6, 2012 6:47 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe they have a couple trade suitors already lined up and needed the immediate space? Maybe we can get DeWitt and call “tradebacks” on Veras

by Mr. E on Feb 6, 2012 7:06 PM EST up reply actions

i think

i’d rather have McGehee than DeWitt… assuming that’s where you were going…

by BurgherKing on Feb 6, 2012 7:14 PM EST up reply actions

What's wrong with DeWitt and McGehee?

If McLouth plays up to par and out backup catcher is solid then that’s a starting caliber bench for pretty cheap, minus the backup SS

by Nate Wilder on Feb 6, 2012 7:26 PM EST up reply actions

nothing's wrong?

I said that between DeWitt and McGehee, I prefer McGehee. I’d rather see more power in the other spot than DeWitt, although he’s not a bad choice at all.

fwiw, i doubt McLouth plays up to par, but that’s a diff story

by BurgherKing on Feb 6, 2012 7:31 PM EST up reply actions

I'm knocking on wood as I type this...

He can’t be any worse than Matt Diaz or Ryan Church.

by Nate Wilder on Feb 6, 2012 8:24 PM EST up reply actions

i m hoping for Nick Evans

however, if the FO decides Dewitt might have a longer term role, thts fine too

by BurgherKing on Feb 6, 2012 10:04 PM EST up reply actions

I'm pretty big on Evans.

I honestly feel like he’s the best long term first base option. I’d wager he has an out clause too.

First base has a lot of guys lining up for it:

Jones, McGehee, Clement, Hague, Evans, Fox.

One’s bound to work out…right? Right?

by Nate Wilder on Feb 6, 2012 11:19 PM EST up reply actions

i'm real big on Evans

i hope he has a killer spring training and locks up 1B.

by Mingy on Feb 7, 2012 2:30 PM EST up reply actions

Well, it’s DeWitt AND Veras. Mcgehee could be another Ludwick who already peaked while Blake is entering his prime, is a much better and more versatile defender, is cheaper and has an extra year of control.

by Mr. E on Feb 6, 2012 8:38 PM EST up reply actions

I’d be curious to hear Vlad’s take.

Hmm.

He can play third pretty well, and can sort-of play second and corner outfield, so he’s got reasonable tactical value. He’s a decent hitter, and it’s always nice to have decent hitters on the bench. On the downside, adding him to the roster would probably bump off Evans/Fox, which leaves us without a decent RHB on the bench on days when McGehee is starting at first (Jones and McLouth are lefties, and Fort and Nunez are pretty marginal with the bat – though we could mitigate that somewhat by keeping Mercer rather than Nunez as the backup SS). He’s also into his arb years already, so he’d probably be a strictly short-term acquisition, since his price will catch up to his value added pretty quickly.

Dunno. I could go either way on that one. Kind of depends what you expect to get our of the roster spot in his absence.

by Vlad on Feb 7, 2012 10:50 AM EST up reply actions

i used to like dewitt a lot

back when he debuted with the dodgers. He seems like a candidate for the KellyJohnsonAward, 2012.

Frankly, the chances of him ever being better than a 730 OPS guy are rapidly decreasing. Add in the fact that he can’t play SS, and I don’t think we give anything up for him.

by BurgherKing on Feb 6, 2012 7:06 PM EST reply actions

The bench situation is pretty crowded as it is, especially if McGehee doesn’t start at 3B. I wouldn’t mind DeWitt as a reserve, but not at the expense of Navarro.

www.drstrangeglove.com

by nycbucsfan on Feb 6, 2012 8:37 PM EST up reply actions

Dewitt...

was one (along with Casey Blake) that made Andy LaRoche totally expendable for the Dodgers. Wonder what would have happened if Neal had asked for Dewitt instead of LaRoche?

by Thunder on Feb 6, 2012 7:18 PM EST reply actions

Neil would've been groomed as a first baseman most likely.

by Nate Wilder on Feb 6, 2012 7:27 PM EST up reply actions

Neil would’ve gotten lynched, because DeWitt wasn’t a particularly good prospect.

by Vlad on Feb 7, 2012 10:51 AM EST up reply actions

Remember

At this stage we’ve got to give something up for him, which is really no different than the case yesterday.

My overall opinion is that even if he is in his prime – da prime ain’t too good…

by God Loves on Feb 7, 2012 6:41 AM EST reply actions

lets see if he falls to us

the cubs would have to pick up some of his cost.

by karreemofwheat on Feb 7, 2012 10:38 AM EST up reply actions

His prime doesn’t look good right now, but I see him as a stealth breakout candidate. We often talk about talent evaluation (or lack thereof) on this site. To me, that’s not saying whether a GM likes Edwin Jackson, Clint Barmes or some other established player. We know who those players are and how they are likely to perform in 2012. Rather, it’s whether a GM and his scouts can find the diamond in the rough.

Neal and his scouts know much, much, much more about baseball than I do, and I’m sure they’ve done their due diligence on Dewitt. Perhaps he is nothing more than a fringe major leaguer, or has some off-the-field issue. But, if not Dewitt specificially, this is the general type of buried treasure Neal and his scouts need to unearth to make the plan work in Pittsburgh. I’ve seen Dewitt play and I believe there’s potential for a jump in performance, perhaps to an .800 OPS.

I would love for some team to give him 500 ABs — just to see if I’m right or wrong.

by bolton on Feb 7, 2012 11:27 AM EST up reply actions

and what’s nice about DeWitt, even if he just maintains his performance and doesn’t break out, he’s still a useful piece, unlike former acquisitions like Clement and Wood.

by Mr. E on Feb 7, 2012 3:39 PM EST up reply actions