March 18, 2008
BASEBALL: Curtains Approach
Jose Valentin may be at the end of the line due to a pinched nerve in his neck.
He had a nice career. Terrible shortstop, but a big enough bat to compensate on a team dedicated to bloop, bloop, blast, like the early ought ChiSox.
Although Castillo isn't quite the gloveman anymore that his reputation suggests, he's good enough that I'm not too concerned about Valentin. I'm convinced his hot bat from May-July '06 was fluky, but it was his amazing fielding at 2B that mattered.
Anyhow, Omar's love for old guys remains his one serious flaw as a GM. It can't be a surprise when guys like Valentin or Alou get hurt or when guys like Delgado or LoDuca slump.