Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Sophie's Choice (Baseball Edition)

From Ken Gurnick's latest "Mailbag" at Dodgers.com:

If they had to give up one of these two prospects, who would the Dodgers give up in a trade for a proven power hitter, James Loney or Matt Kemp?
-- Alejandro C., Boyle Heights, Calif.

I can't speak for the club, but if I had to bet, I'd bet it would be Kemp. Generally, when position prospects are the subject, power is the most precious commodity, and Kemp's seven home runs in his first 18 games gave a glimpse of what he's capable of. Loney also is the closest the Dodgers have to a five-tool player, someone who can handle all aspects of the game -- from average and power to fielding and throwing and running speed. Loney appears to be the more polished hitter, and he looks more comfortable at first base than Kemp does in the outfield. The fact that manager Grady Little compares Kemp to Chipper Jones is a clear indication of where he stands in the debate.

Gurnick also notes, "The Dodgers...have about a gazillion starting pitchers reporting to Florida."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you pointing out this mailbag response because of the fact that the answer doesn't make sense? The question is who would you rather give up for a proven power hitter, i.e. who would you rather not keep. Gurnick names Kemp and then gives reasons for why he would rather keep Kemp.

Orel said...

Good catch. I was more interested in the dilemma of choosing between Kemp and Loney. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Steve Sax said...

Anonymous, you're right (albeit anonymous). Re-reading the Gurnick quote makes me think poor Alejandro is talking to Yoda. What the hell is the point there?