On Tuesday, the White Sox traded for outfielder Juan Pierre. Inevitably, someone will soon write a story about this is a great move for Chicago, because he’s one of those “scrappy” players and insist he should bat lead-off (despite his career .348 OBP). I’ve really never understood this phenomenon -- the only explanation I have is that it’s because he’s pretty fast and wears his cap underneath his helmet (this is a topic FJM covered often). This is not lost on SB Nation’s South Side Sox.
White Sox Get Pierre, ‘Someone Who Isn’t Very Good At Baseball’
[Pierre] shouldn't play CF anymore and, with Alex Rios in the fold, hopefully Ozzie won't get any ideas. He can still cover ground in LF and his arm that makes 12 year old girls laugh isn't as much of an issue there. He's probably a slightly above average defender if used properly. Unfortunately, he gives up any gain there on offense. He's projected for a wOBA of about .310 next season by Bill James, well below the league average benchmark of .330. That's almost 10 runs below average. Of course, one can point to his .338 last season and, except for 2008, recent numbers higher than .310 to argue that projection is a little low. On the other hand, he's 32 and certainly in his decline, a particularly dangerous place for a slap hitter who relies on speed, and his last five seasons look like this: .338, .308, .317, .319, and .309. Throw out that outlier 2009 and that .310 looks about right.
So, yeah, like they said: “[The White Sox] get someone who isn’t very good at major league baseball.” But, there is still some silver lining in this deal.
All that said, the overall price, both in terms of dollars and players, is low. Even if Pierre hits that low projection, he’ll probably be worth the salary he’s being paid (and whatever value you want to ascribe to the fringe prospects). And, while based on actual offensive acumen he should be about the second to last player to be considered for the Leadoff Position (thanks Omar!), his mere presence will at least prevent the usual hand-wringing over that perceived void.
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