Free Agent Profile: Kenny Lofton OF
-Dexter Sports
8:56 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox
Kenny Lofton could again become one of the best pickups for a team near the trade deadline. This time, he will be looking to come back to a game that he has seen nearly a 1/3 of a season pass by. There is no doubt that Lofton could be used. At 40 years of age, (we will be nice Kenny, We know your birthday is tomorrow) Lofton still has speed, the intangibles and great clutch hitting that has many teams interested in his services. Let's look deeper.
Lofton's career was given life again last season, as the Indians, yet again called on his services to help their team in a playoff run. Lofton, then with Texas, wasn't struggling at the dish, but it seemed that the highest active stolen base leader and 4 time gold glover's career was about to end. Then the Indians gave him a chance to fill in for the injured David Dellucci. After seeing him perform in clutch at bats, teams with injuries or in need of a boost are looking to Lofton to help them get over the hump.
Lofton is a career .299 hitter with a .372 OBP. Everyone knows that he can run, field, hit and scrap in any way to get on base. Soon enough someone will give Lofton a chance. Here are a list of teams that should do it as soon as possible.
Detroit Tigers: Why not? The Tigers let go of Jacque Jones and have now platooned youngsters Matt Joyce and Clete Thomas alongside slugger Marcus Thames. I think that bringing in Lofton in left could be a spark that this team needs. Considering Curtis Granderson has a hard time getting on at the lead off spot, Lofton could be that one hitter that gets on base and creates havoc at the top of the order.
Colorado Rockies: Though Clint Hurdle feels that Wily Taveras is producing with speed and getting on base, in all reality it is quite the opposite. Taveras is hitting a lowly .245 and though he has 20 stolen bases, it wouldn't hurt to platoon Lofton to get on base a bit more.With Brad Hawpe on the DL, Lofton could fill in for now.
Houston Astros: Michael Bourn has been fun to watch and he is a stealing machine, but Bourn is clearly not taking the first step to the stolen base; getting to first. Bourn has a .276 OBP, which is nothing to brag about. Lofton could come in and get on base a bit more, and though he might not steal a base every time he is on, Lofton can still hold his own on the base paths. It will take Ed Wade admitting that Bourn wasn't as ready for the bigs as he thought in November. Just imagine the offensive production that we could see from Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada if they had someone on base in front of them.
Cleveland Indians: The organization made the decision after their playoff run not to bring back Lofton, but now they might be who they call on to help spark their offense. The sexy option is to go after Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, but this seems a bit more realistic. If David Dellucci continues to stink it up or Ben Fransisco slows down his hot start, The Indians could be calling real soon.
New York Mets: With Moises Alou unable to stay away from the DL, the Mets might be forced to bring in someone that can fill the void in left field. Though Ryan Church has been a pleasant surprise and Angel Pagan looked good in spring training, it is time for the Mets to do something. Everyone is talking about firing Willie Randolph. How about picking up for the slacking Jose Reyes and oft-injured Luis Castillo by signing Kenny Lofton.
8:56 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox
Kenny Lofton could again become one of the best pickups for a team near the trade deadline. This time, he will be looking to come back to a game that he has seen nearly a 1/3 of a season pass by. There is no doubt that Lofton could be used. At 40 years of age, (we will be nice Kenny, We know your birthday is tomorrow) Lofton still has speed, the intangibles and great clutch hitting that has many teams interested in his services. Let's look deeper.
Lofton's career was given life again last season, as the Indians, yet again called on his services to help their team in a playoff run. Lofton, then with Texas, wasn't struggling at the dish, but it seemed that the highest active stolen base leader and 4 time gold glover's career was about to end. Then the Indians gave him a chance to fill in for the injured David Dellucci. After seeing him perform in clutch at bats, teams with injuries or in need of a boost are looking to Lofton to help them get over the hump.
Lofton is a career .299 hitter with a .372 OBP. Everyone knows that he can run, field, hit and scrap in any way to get on base. Soon enough someone will give Lofton a chance. Here are a list of teams that should do it as soon as possible.
Detroit Tigers: Why not? The Tigers let go of Jacque Jones and have now platooned youngsters Matt Joyce and Clete Thomas alongside slugger Marcus Thames. I think that bringing in Lofton in left could be a spark that this team needs. Considering Curtis Granderson has a hard time getting on at the lead off spot, Lofton could be that one hitter that gets on base and creates havoc at the top of the order.
Colorado Rockies: Though Clint Hurdle feels that Wily Taveras is producing with speed and getting on base, in all reality it is quite the opposite. Taveras is hitting a lowly .245 and though he has 20 stolen bases, it wouldn't hurt to platoon Lofton to get on base a bit more.With Brad Hawpe on the DL, Lofton could fill in for now.
Houston Astros: Michael Bourn has been fun to watch and he is a stealing machine, but Bourn is clearly not taking the first step to the stolen base; getting to first. Bourn has a .276 OBP, which is nothing to brag about. Lofton could come in and get on base a bit more, and though he might not steal a base every time he is on, Lofton can still hold his own on the base paths. It will take Ed Wade admitting that Bourn wasn't as ready for the bigs as he thought in November. Just imagine the offensive production that we could see from Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada if they had someone on base in front of them.
Cleveland Indians: The organization made the decision after their playoff run not to bring back Lofton, but now they might be who they call on to help spark their offense. The sexy option is to go after Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, but this seems a bit more realistic. If David Dellucci continues to stink it up or Ben Fransisco slows down his hot start, The Indians could be calling real soon.
New York Mets: With Moises Alou unable to stay away from the DL, the Mets might be forced to bring in someone that can fill the void in left field. Though Ryan Church has been a pleasant surprise and Angel Pagan looked good in spring training, it is time for the Mets to do something. Everyone is talking about firing Willie Randolph. How about picking up for the slacking Jose Reyes and oft-injured Luis Castillo by signing Kenny Lofton.
