Ryan Doumit cost the Pirates a win last night with more terrible defense. While it wasn't the first time the Pirates suffered a loss because of Doumit's defense, this one was of a different variety. Doumit was penciled in the lineup at first base, for reasons no one really understood. He cost the Pirates 2 runs in the 7th inning by not catching a fairly easy ball thrown at him by Evan Meek. The throw got past him and skipped quite a ways away, scoring runners from second and third to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The Pirates would go on to lose the game 4-3.
The reason why is what confusing that Doumit was at first was because it just seems to make too much sense to have him at DH. The Pirates don't have many chances to use the DH being in the National League, and Doumit is the obvious choice to play there when needed. He has one of the better bats on the team, and he is probably the worst defensive player on the team. If the Pirates were playing solely to win the game, there is no way that Doumit would be at first base in that situation. Therefore, there has to be another reason for the lineup choice, right?
The Pirates have recently made comments saying that they won't be sellers at this years trade deadline, but that doesn't mean they won't still shop a player or two. They have been trying to gage interest for Doumit since last year, and they actually had some talks with some AL teams over the offseason. The return never got near what they wanted, so no deal was ever seriously talked about. However, recent events have got me convinced that maybe there are some more serious interests in Doumit, and management might be looking to pull the trigger and get rid of him at the deadline.
The reason they played him at first base the last two nights, in my opinion, is to make a statement to the rest of the league. That move shows three things. One, that the Ryan Doumit is not only a catcher, he can find his way into the lineup while playing first base. Two, Ryan Doumit is healthy and able to stay on the field for an entire season. And three, the Pirates have confidence in Doumit and believe he has a game-changing bat that needs to be in the lineup regardless of where he has to play.
Now, if Doumit is traded, it will almost surely be to an American League team without an established designated hitter. Doumit has optimal value when in the DH position; he is probably one of the worst defensive catchers in the big leagues. The reason that he has stayed as a valued commodity in the league is because his offense. There aren't many catchers in the league with 15+ home run power who can hit for good average. Two seasons ago Doumit his .318 in 116 games (he missed some time with injuries) and hit 15 bombs in that time. If he would have stretched that production into an entire year, he would have been a top 5 offensive catcher. Any offense a team can get from a catcher has a ton of value, and Doumit would give a team that.
However, if Doumit is playing DH, his bat doesn't look as good. Hitting .290 with 15-20 home runs is incredible from the catching position, but not nearly as valuable from the DH. Those numbers would have a little more value with Doumit because he has the ability to play catcher, and now first base (both with extreme mediocrity, but still). I can definitely see Doumit having some value for a handful of American League teams, so it is not hard for me to believe that some teams would want to add him to their teams at the trade deadline this year.
While losing Doumit would be a pretty big hit for the Pirates in the near future, I won't complain about a trade if they get a good return for him. The Pirates have Tony Sanchez playing great baseball in Bradenton, and he will be in AA sooner rather than later. His big league ETA is around this time next year if he keeps up his current production. There's a good chance that he could be held down until the beginning of the 2012 season. However, if the Pirates are competitive next year (which they could be), Sanchez might be called up earlier to help out. Jason Jaramillo and Erik Kratz would have to bridge the gap between Doumit and Sanchez, and that might be ugly offensively. Jaramillo is a pretty solid defensive catcher, but he really can't hit.
I'm not sold that the Pirates are going to trade Doumit, but there is no doubt in my mind that they will still be seriously listening to offers. I don't think they will pull the trigger on anything that isn't a major win for the Pirates, so there is probably a better chance than not that Doumit will finish the 2010 season in a Pirates uniform. If they do trade him though, I think we will all be pleased with the return. Let's hope I'm not wrong.
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