Who will play DH for D-backs this week?
Jun 20, 2011, 5:46 PM | Updated: 6:56 pm
With the Arizona Diamondbacks packing their bags and heading on a six-game road trip to American League ballparks they’ll need a designated hitter. (You know the position that Crash Davis and baseball traditionalists lament about?)
On Saturday the club cut infielder Sean Burroughs to make room for a player from the minor leagues who could feasibly fit that role over the next week.
One name that comes to mind is Wily Mo Pena who has been stuck in Reno since spring training. He’s made the most of his time in Triple-A hitting .363 with 21 home runs and 63 RBI in just 237 at bats.
The numbers are impressive, but the fact that Pena struggles in the field defensively has prevented him from finding his way onto the D-backs 25-man roster sooner.
If Kirk Gibson’s club is looking for a younger option at DH they could turn to uber-prospect 23-year-old Paul Goldschmidt. The infielder is putting up similarly impressive numbers as Pena with the Double-A Mobile BayBears. In 250 at bats he’s hitting .328 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI.
Both players could provide the D-backs with the extra pop as their interleague adventure travels through Kansas City and Detroit but is it better to give a young guy his first taste of the bigs or give a veteran one last shot to make an impact? We’ll find out Kevin Towers’ opinion soon enough.
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