Wilson Betemit has been with the Yanks now for over a month. Here's what we know so far: The organization loves him, he has some pop, he can't hit lefties, and he can play almost every position.
It was only a matter of time before the Yankees acquired Betemit. They've been in love with him for a few years now. General Manager Brian Cashman tried to acquire him at the trading deadline in 2006, but was unable to when the Braves dealt WB to the Dodgers.
This year was a different story, of course, when Scott Proctor was freed from the abusive clutches of Joe Torre and sent across the country for the versatile infielder.
Clearly, Betemit is an extreme upgrade over Miguel Cairo. (WB's career OPS is more than 100 points higher than Miguel's.) Wilson gives Torre a chance to rest his infielders while plugging in a competent bat, and with Andy Phillips out for the season, Betemit will see a good deal of action at 1st base.
So why all the interest in Betemit? For his career he sports an OPS of .777, not too bad for a reserve infielder. And he has proven to be fairly adept at getting on base throughout his career with a .335 OBP - both these figures are slightly below league average…but remember he is here to replace Cairo.
WB certainly can provide some pop off the bench, when he connects. His short Yankee career so far has been feast or famine. In his very first Yankee at bat, he
belted a homer, the first one to do that since Andy Phillips in 2005. He was also the first Yankees shortstop other than Derek Jeter to collect 4RBI in one game since Tony Fernandez accomplished the feat on July 2, 1995.
However, Betemit also suffered through a woeful 3 for 30 stretch in August and early September, with 14 Ks…clearly not what Cashman was hoping for when he finally landed his coveted prize.
Of late, Wilson has rediscovered his stroke. He is 5 for his last 12, with a HR and 5 RBIs. Perhaps most important, Betemit has an amazing 20 RBI for the Yanks on 14 hits. He certainly has made the most of each safety.
While with the Dodgers this season, Wilson hit just .231 (36-for-156), but he displayed ample power with 8 doubles, 10HR and 26RBI in 84 games. (39 of his starts were at 3B and one start at 2B-none were at 1B.)
As a pinch hitter, Betemit shined. With the Dodgers he ranked sixth in the Majors with a .320 average (8-for-25). He had 2 doubles, 3HR, 9RBI, 8BB and a lofty .485 OBP.
Despite Betemit's .226 BA with the Yanks so far, GM Brian Cashman believes in the 25 year-old Dominican native. "We just think that Wilson provides us a little more flexibility because of his age and the ability to play couple different spots."
Manager Joe Torre adds: "I view him as a guy that will give you offense if you decide that hey, I want to give Alex a day at DH or I want to give [Derek] Jeter a day at DH. This is something that offensively won't be a big drop-off because of his potential."
Perhaps the key word there is potential, since thus far Betemit has shown flashes of brilliance but most of the time has played sub-par baseball. Because he is only 25, the Yankee brass plans to show some patience. He could be wearing pinstripes for many years to come.
This is just a hunch, but I feel very strongly that Wilson Betemit will contribute key hits in tight situations for the Yanks come playoff time. Just don't entertain the idea that Betemit is "insurance" in case A-Rod doesn't come back next year. A-Rod is simply the best player in the baseball-no one can replace him-no one.
Wilson Betemit Miscellaneous Facts:
· Began pro career at age 16 with the Gulf Coast League Braves affiliate
· In 2001, was named the Atlanta Braves top prospect by Baseball America for the 2nd straight year.
· Named the Braves' top hitting prospect by Baseball Weekly
· Made Major League debut at age 19 on September 18, 2001
· First big league hit against Houston's Roy Oswalt
· First big league HR against Mets' Tom Glavine
· Never played 1B before joining the Yankees
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