Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Release Finley?

Since returning from the DL, which most Angels fans hoped would spark his offense, Steve Finley is hitting .255 AVG. Although that's better than his .225 before the break, he now has lost any pop to speak of, slugging .291.
Josh from Pearly Gates and Rev from Halos Heavenare already calling for the "Appier approach", dumping Finley and eating his salary. Although one certainly can't be happy with Finley's performance, I don't think releasing someone is a good idea unless he's stinking up (is that a word?) the clubhouse or you desperately need a roster spot. None of this seems to be the case, so I think the Angels try another approach. I don't know if a 40-year-old would approve going down to the minor leagues to work on his swing, but even if Finley stays on the big league roster, he can be of value. Of course, Figgins should be the everyday centerfielder, with Finley getting a start once in a while to rest Figgins or let him play another position if he needs to. But these starts should come in day games, where Finley is somewhat decent (.263, .306, .450 to .219, .280, .363 in night games - maybe there's something wrong with his eyes?). Also, Finley is still hitting lefthanders fairly well (.281, .333, .494), so should be used as a pinchhitter against southpaws late in the game. So while paying 8 millions for a utility outfielder/pinchhitter isn't excactly a bargain, it's still better than getting nothing at all for your money.
(Sorry for the poor grammar)

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