Placed OF-L Jeremy Hermida on the 15-day DL (hip flexor), retroactive to 4/12; placed RHP Carlos Martinez (strained elbow) on the 15-day DL (elbow); purchased the contract of OF-L Matt Cepicky and recalled RHP Randy Messenger from Albuquerque (Triple-A). [4/17]

 

Where Matt "Not Scott" Cepicky is concerned, he's certainly in the right place to stick, even after Hermida comes back off of the DL. Surprising nobody but the most devoted of Grapefruit League fantasists, Reggie Abercrombie ain't hitting, nor is Eric Reed. Not even Chris Aguila of "Jack McKeon once said he liked me" fame is. That's all as it should be, because nobody really expects any of these three to hit, ever, and no small sample size caveats need apply. That is not to say that the franchise shouldn't stick to the commitment to make Miguel Cabrera its starting third baseman once and for all, however tempting it might be to get Wes Helms into the lineup a little more often at the expense of the Abercrombie-Aguila-Reed trinity of stick-waving turpitude. Hermida will be back, Josh Willingham seems to be making the best out of splitting his time between catching and left, and the two things this team could really use are a second baseman and a center fielder. Which brings us to the call-up: Cepicky can't play center any more than he can hit well enough to be a regular corner outfielder, but he doesn't have to do either of those things to be good enough to play outfield for the Fish.

 

I'm not quire sure what to make of Martinez' departure for an MRI and an uncertain future. Pitching in six of the team's first dozen games, and three of their last four before last night, seems like a pretty demanding pace for someone only months removed from the Florida State League, and with previous career highs in games of 50 (set last year) and 68 IP. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious, as well as not being an indication that Girardi isn't given to asking too much of some people in his pen. If there was a Chicago manager I don't want to see Joltless Joe wind up resembling, it would be Terry Bevington. Messenger needs to be reviewed anyway, if for little more reason than to see if his good-but-not great fastball is going to merit keeping on the 40-man roster after the year.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4982

trinity of stick waving turpitude.

 

god, i love baseball prospectus

pretty good article except I think it's quite unfair to Aguila to be lumped into the dynamic duo of tweedle dee and tweedle dum.