The Slanch Report

For once, common sense wins out over cash! Joe Torre has announced that Andre Ethier and not Juan Pierre will be the starting left fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Considering that Pierre has some $30-odd million dollars remaining on his contract, (and 3 years, what were you thinking Ned Colletti?) this decision was not as obvious as the numbers seem to dictate.

Understandably, Pierre is pissed. He spent spring training bitching that he wasn’t getting enough at-bats. He ended spring training with the second most ABs on the team. Oh, and a robust .188 batting average. He still managed 6 stolen bases, but frankly, since that is the only value that Pierre brings to a team, that is no reason to start or play him regularly. Ethier in comparison is hitting .377 this spring, plays better defense and doesn’t have a lollipop arm. Also, Juan Pierre’s career never was the same after he shaved off the mustache. I think it was the source of his strength.

Unfortunately, while the numbers clearly showed Pierre had no place on the field, in the world of MLB, this was not a slam-dunk decision. Therefore, a well-done goes to the Dodgers for choosing to look past their incredibly foolish act of over-paying a one-dimensional player and choosing what was best for their team rather than trying to justify an exorbitant contract which can never be justified.

Instead, they give the starting job to Ethier, seen here in his normal attire after games, and he should actually help their team and help them vie for the NL West which should be awesomely competitive.

Now all that remains is for them to actually play Andy LaRoche when he comes back from injury and to send my boy Nomar to the bench, (after he comes off the DL).