Not sure what changed, because the Dodgers had no interest in this guy earlier in the winter because of concerns about his offensive shortcomings, and defense at 2B didn't seem to be a major priority because they have Furcal at SS and Loney at 1B, both of whom are superb glove men who cover a lot of ground. But the Dodgers do have an open 40-man spot. Ned was quick to say that this doesn't mean the organization has doubts about Blake DeWitt's ability as an everyday second baseman. But Hudson does have three Gold Gloves, he has a decent (.346) career OBP and he has enough gap power that he hits a lot of doubles. It sounds like the Dodgers are pretty serious about him, and he is another of those still-unsigned free agents.
For an organization so committed to the youth movement, the signing of Orlando Hudson would block the development of, quite possibly, their second baseman of the future. While Blake DeWitt has yet to prove himself at the major league level, he only has a partial year under his belt. And in that partial year he posted numbers extremely comparable to the O-Dog.
2008 Season
DeWitt: 368 AB’s/ .344 OBP/ 9 HR’s/ 52 RBI’s/ 45 BB/ 68 K’s
Hudson: 407 AB’s/ .367 OBP/ 8 HR’s/ 41 RBI’s/ 40 BB/ 62 K’s
Honestly, what’s the difference between the two players? Hudson’s three Gold Gloves? Seems like DeWitt holds his own in that department too.
2008 Season
DeWitt: .981 fielding percentage at 2B
Hudson: .982 fielding percentage at 2B
Not only is Orlando Hudson going to cost the Dodgers their first round draft pick, he’s also going to cost more in salary in ’09. The Dodgers can have DeWitt on the cheap for two more seasons, and shouldn’t burn one of those years with renting Orlando Hudson. If Hudson gets anything longer than a single year you can wave goodbye to Blake DeWitt.
Unless management has ZERO faith in DeWitt they should pass on Orland Hudson. DeWitt will no doubt have growing pains, but isn’t that why Colletti signed Mark Loretta this off-season?
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1 comment:
Well the deal just went through. I like it, but didn't realize the numbers were so close. Dewitt went through a BRUTAL slump last year, going back to the minors for a time. O-dog gives experience and lessens the weight of the season on younger players. Dodgers lose a draft pick, but how many make it to the majors ...
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