Brad Wilkerson Can't Hit:

OK

So, I'm up at 1:00 in the morning. And, what comes to mind? The 25th spot on the Red Sox roster, of course. No one applauded the Sox bringing back Mark Kotsay more than I did. He fills several roles and fills them all well. Sean Casey is on the MLB Network now and he's informative, witty and looks like he might have a decent second career as a TV guy. However, he was about the worst bench player the Sox have ever had. He had no power, could not run and could not field. Not too many years earlier, he could do 2 of the 3 here. I saw him perform quite well in the 2006 World Series for Detroit. Something happened to Mr. Casey before he came here, though. Basically, to be kind, it looks like he swallowed a beach ball and he lost whatever mobility he had in the field.

This is likely why the Sox went after Mark Kotsay last year. Kotsay is a pretty good player. He's an above average outfielder who can play all 3 outfield positions. He has a bit of power, runs pretty well and has been a starting player for the better part of a decade. This was a great pickup for the Sox down the stretch last year. They had determined that Casey could no longer bend over in the field and Kotsay ended up playing a significant role in the playoffs last year when Mike Lowell's hip no longer allowed him to play. Kotsay played first base, a position he had rarely if ever played. He looked like a seasoned vet in the field and though he hit in tough luck, he was an important part of an almost World Series team.

During the off-season, I figured Kotsay would be shooting to get a starting job somewhere. He's likely still productive enough to start on a small market team. I was thrilled that the Red Sox were able to bring him back in January. He gives them huge protection at 5 positions and with the injury concerns of David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and Rocco Baldelli, he was that perfect fit. Of course, bad health intervened and he's likely to miss at least the first month of the season with a back injury.

So, I've digressed badly here. Brad Wilkerson is in the title and I should be getting around to talking about him. There is obviously a spot on this roster for an extra outfield/first base type at least until Kotsay comes back. Not 24-36 hours after the Kotsay injury was announced, Wilkerson was brought on board on a minor league deal. Wilkerson has bounced around the league for several years, bringing a versatile glove, a lefty power bat and a lot of strikeouts with him. When they signed Casey last year, it was rumored that Wilkerson was really the guy they wanted, but got more money elsewhere. Anyway, so this is a nice opportunity for Wilkerson and surely he has the upperhand because he can play all 3 outfield positions as well as first base.

I don't really want to get into Wilkerson's supposed ability to play CF. I haven't seen any evidence of this skill, he's below average in the corners and a plodder to boot. It's in someone's scouting report that he can play CF, so we'll run with that. Anyway, I hope the Sox are considering Chris Carter or Jeff Bailey for this spot instead. Wilkerson has struck out in exactly half of his at bats this spring and shows no signs that he can hit any type of major league fastball. Carter and Bailey, though extremely limited with their gloves, have major league bats and both seem to have the desire to hustle through their limitations. My goal is to see Wilkerson pack his bags soon and give one of these career minor leaguers a shot with the big club. We'll see how it plays out.