(Yes, I know that pun is grammatically incorrect. Ask not.)
Taiwanese Dodger fans wept yesterday as Chin-Lung Hu was dealt to the New York Mets for minor-league pitcher Michael Antonini:
Antonini, a 25-year-old left-hander from Pennsylvania, has a 25-26 minor league record with a 4.04 earned-run average in 96 games, including 84 starts.
Hu, 26, has spent most of his career in the minor leagues after signing with the Dodgers in 2003. He was the Dodgers' minor league player of the year in 2007.
Hu appeared in 96 games with the the Dodgers over the last four seasons, including 14 games during two stints in 2010. He has a career batting average of .191 at the major league level.The Dodgers on Monday traded middle infielder Chin-lung Hu to the New York Mets for minor league pitcher Michael Antonini.
It's too bad for Hu, who kept trying to break through with the Dodgers but couldn't hit worth a lick in the Show. As Jon Weisman noted:
Ultimately, Hu was out of options and there were doubts he'd make the Opening Day roster, so this is a way of salvaging something for him, given the odds against him.
Hu leaves Los Angeles with the most plate appearances (191) of any Taiwan-born player in major-league history, ahead of Hong-Chih Kuo (36) and Chin-Feng Chen (25). Hu hasn't shown any potential with the bat since 2007, when he had an on-base percentage of .364 and slugging percentage of .507 in Double-A and Triple-A combined. In his major-league career, Hu has a .241 OBP and .283 slugging over 191 plate appearances. Nonetheless, he could be Juan Castro for some team, and I always thought the Dodgers could be that team.
It's interesting that Weisman brings up Castro, alluding to Ned Colletti's penchant for picking up aged veterans with declining skills batting around the .200 level. If not Castro--whom we did pick up this offseason--why not Hu? Perhaps in 10 years, we'll pick him up again anyway.
18 comments:
Good call on Castro. I don't see how that makes any sense in hindsight.
Castro didn't make any sense at the time either.
So there's that....
Well, I already knew he sucked. It's merely a question of why Ned would want a shitty old guy over a shitty young guy.
The problem was that Hu was out of options, so he would have had to be on the 25-man roster at the season's start.
@Dusty
Isn't the pass where one does one's heading-off?
@MLASC
Right, but that still doesn't make any sense. Whether it's Castro or Hu that can't make the team out of spring training, it's cut or trade time anyway.
Castro's got a minor league deal. The Dodgers don't have to call him up, put him on the 40-man roster, or anything like that. He's somewhere around 33rd on the infield depth chart (hopefully).
The Dodgers could either trade Hu, give him a spot on the 25-man, or place him on waivers. It sucks that the team keeps Castro over Hu, but they were never going to keep Hu anyway.
Ah, that's something at least. Didn't realize it was a minor league deal, not an NRI. Castro can ride the ABQ express all season as needed. Not that I totally agree, but it's something.
^pass
(iPad error)
I respect how you headed me off at the pass with that recognition that the title was grammatically incorrect. You saw me in your rear view mirror!
@Dusty 4:50p: objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Plus, that pun was too sweet to abandon.
Agreed, Sax.
Plus, Josh would have punched you if you would have gone with a "Hu's on First" reference.
Hu's Better, Hu's Best
(Last call for Hu puns! Final call!)
Anyone seen Josh S. lately, btw?
Josh tweeted earlier today that he's been very sick over the last few days. Not Marvin Monroe-sick, but y'know, pretty ill.
Get well son, Josh S.! And keep the heck away from Lucas until you're well!
Feel better, Josh!
What's that old saying?
Tweet a cold, starve a fever? Or is it the other way around?
Seems Josh is running himself ragged dragging Lucas around for the Xmas holidays. Watch yourselves out there, folks! Need everyone healthy for the heart of the bowl watching, SoSG bowl thread commenting season!
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