Outfield musical chairs

Last year the Brewers suffered major injuries in the infield and Rickie Weeks had a case of the dropsies, so management found themselves scrambling for infielders. By the time we were ready to talk Spring Training, the team found itself needing to clear some room.

Now we’re looking at a cadre of above average outfielders and not enough spots to play them in. With the emergence of Tony Gwynn, Jr., it’s obvious that there will be some wheeling and dealing on the way to empty out our outfield.

Right off the bat, I’d like to say my vote for first man off the island is Geoff Jenkins. Now I’m not shy about publicly disliking the guy, but in this case, I pick Jenkins for the following reasons:

I’m sick of the sentimentality factor. Sure, the guy’s been around here awhile and he’s put up with some lean times. But that’s not a reason to keep him around. He’s one of the few remaining holdovers and I think it’s time to stop looking back and talking about how bad we were and instead “live in the now.” This team is a lot better than anything we’ve put on the field in a long time. Which leads me to…

I’m afraid that the obvious choice to go is Gwynn and I think that would be a shame. I understand that Tony will have more stock on the open market and bring us more bang for the buck, but I hate to see his homegrown talent go elsewhere. We had a stellar class of guys that we drafted and brought through our farm system. Gwynn’s the only one of those guys not currently in regular rotation. He’s proven that he deserves the chance. He’s got the speed and the bat and the few times he’s gotten in this season, he’s proven that he has a comparable arm to Jenkins.

Two years or so ago, guys like Jenkins were necessary as leaders on a team of youngsters. They were the face of the team, the recognizable names and they were the guys that showed the rookies the ropes. But we’re not in that position anymore. Prince, Bill, Rickie, Cappy, Ben – they’ve all stepped up and now they each could be termed a leader. The older veterans had a purpose when this was a bunch of new guys fresh off the farm, but that’s not the case anymore. It’s time to let these guys take the leadership.

Jenkins has, and always will be, streaky at best. He is not someone we can count on to be solid and consistent. That being said..

Jenkins has had a strong showing and has yet to hit the slump we all know is coming and we all are dreading. His stock isn’t going to get any higher than it is now. I say we shop him around now, before he starts whiffing and showing exactly why we’d like to pawn him off on someone else.

Jenkins is the king of the ineffectual, completely inconsequential “hot bat.” The man has hit more one-run homers when we’re down by 4 or more runs than anyone else on that team. And he’s consistently swinging for the fences. He’s clearly not a power hitter. This is his 10th season in the league and he just hit 200 HRs. I really wish he’d stop trying to make the highlight reel and instead start a rally and get on base.

My most personal of pet peeves about him is his little league swing. Anyone will tell you that you cannot, should not, will not lift your front foot when at the plate. Yet Jenks is absolutely known for it. The more he lifts that damn leg, the less accurate he is. And it drives me nuts. If they were able to break Bill Hall of flipping the ball from his glove to his throwing hand in a little more than a season, I don’t see why Jenkins cannot unlearn this Mickey Mouse swing.


But really, my ideal outfield is Hart, Hall and Gwynn, so the rest of the guys are superfluous as far as I'm concerned. Poor Gabe Gross is going to have a career of riding the pine and pinch hitting and filling in. He seems content with it and he certainly steps up when he needs to, but I say lose the platoon and send both Mench and Jenkins packing.