Juan Pierre: Has He Hit Himself Into The Dodgers Lineup For Good?

by Ray Guilfoyle on May 28, 2009 12:15 PM EDT in Baseball

I was checking over some stats on my NL-only non-keeper league team yesterday at lunch, and I was shocked at the stats of two of the players on my roster:

AB HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG

Player A 109 0 18 9 .395 .463 .532

Player B 92 6 20 0 .348 .492 .641

Player A is a light-hitting speedster, who recently received a starting outfield role. Player B is one of the best hitters in baseball, currently "on holiday" in Florida.

Player A is Juan Pierre, Player B is Manny Ramirez.

Are you as shocked as I am with how similar their stats are, especially considering Pierre is not know for getting on base, or driving in runs? Beside the HR numbers, Pierre with a SLG over .500 is almost unheard of.

That is solid production out of the LF spot in LA. And Pierre went 3 for 5 with 2 more RBI on Wednesday.

In his chat yesterday afternoon, A.J. Mass had this to say about Juan Pierre, which I had never thought of before yesterday:

Juan Pierre (Los Angeles, CA): What happens to my value once Manny returns? Should my owners be trading me now?

AJ Mass: I think Juan continues to play. Torre always favors veterans and if Ethier continues to struggle, he'll be the odd man out once Manny returns.

Is AJ off his rocker like he usually is, or does Pierre continue to get playing time once Manny returns?

If Rafael Furcal is still hurting come July 3rd, when Manny returns, I can see Pierre leading off for the Dodgers. In addition, LA could use one of Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier as trade bait for another starting pitcher (think Jake Peavy) for a playoff run. To be honest, Ethier and Kemp probably won't be traded. And, in this market, Peavy can be had for pitching prospects like Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow. But, should Furcal continue to not hit, Pierre could be the leadoff hitter come mid-July.

Poll

Will Juan Pierre continue to get playing time once Manny Ramirez returns?

No, the outfield of Manny-Kemp-Ethier is solid. AJ is "the mush" in roto/fantasy baseball.

34 votes

Yes, if Furcal is hurt, the Dodgers will need a leadoff hitter.

70 votes

104 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Ethier has fallen off the cliff…since Manny left. We might assume that he picks it back up again when Manny returns. Hopefully, he will sooner. Also, there’s there’s a good chance that Pierre comes back to earth eventually and before Manny returns.

Bonds stands alone.

Proud adopted parent of future big league slugger Thomas Neal
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants

by nostocksjustbonds on May 28, 2009 3:58 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Ethier has started to hit of late, and Pierre has shown no signs of stopping. He has hit in several clutch situations and is hitting well with RISP. But, he will slow down for sure.

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on May 28, 2009 4:05 PM EDT reply actions