The Twins have signed longtime Pirates minor-leaguer Jeff Clement to a minor-league deal, so I assume he'll be the talk of Rochester next summer. After Clement was acquired in the Ronny Cedeno / Jack Wilson / Ian Snell deal, I had hoped he'd settle into the Pirates' lineup. (Aaron Pribanic is the only player left from that deal, by the way.) Clement was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft (and I'm sure the Mariners really regret that one -- the next four picks were Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero and Troy Tulowitzki), and he'd hit well in the minors. Unfortunately, it looks like Class AAA masher may turn out to be his ceiling -- his strike-zone judgment isn't good, and all the injuries he's had haven't helped.
Filed under: