Before I forget, I just want to note that the Yankees signed Morgan Ensberg to a minor league contract.
Morgan Ensberg has played only one game at first base in seven major league seasons, so he does not know how hard it will be to learn that position for the Yankees this spring. But he has a theory.Darn it, I quoted it all. What the heck. What's so special here?
“I’ll just take a million ground balls,” Ensberg said Thursday. “That’s how you do it. You learn it by repetition, and that’s what I plan to do.”
The Yankees signed Ensberg to a minor league deal Thursday and invited him to spring training. A former All-Star third baseman, Ensberg will compete with Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit and his former Houston teammate Jason Lane for playing time at first base.
“When I looked at all the options available, certainly I felt like the opportunity here was the best shot at playing every day,” Ensberg said.
Ensberg, 32, hit .283 with 36 homers and 101 runs batted in for Houston in 2005. He hurt his shoulder the next June, required two cortisone shots and stayed in the lineup as the Astros struggled for runs.
Ensberg said he should have sat out for a month and recovered fully. He drew 101 walks, but his average tumbled to .235.
The Astros traded Ensberg to San Diego in July. After straining an oblique muscle in mid-August, he had only 16 at-bats after Sept. 1 and finished the year hitting .230 with 12 home runs and 39 R.B.I.
“Last year just seemed to be a continuation of the second half of ’06,” said Ensberg, who would earn $1.75 million if he makes the roster. “It was discouraging. With the Yankees, especially with that lineup, guys are in scoring position all the time. I’m really excited about the opportunity.”
Ensberg, a right-handed batter, could make an impact in a platoon role. Over 560 career at-bats against left-handers, he has a .284 average, 35 home runs, 95 R.B.I. and a .406 on-base percentage.
Well, if you cast your mind back to when A-Rod opted out, the back-up plan for 3B was Wilson Betemit plus platoon partner. The most mooted name was Morgan Ensberg who has been a solid 3B glove as well as having a solid OBP. He also mashes lefties, which basically suited the identikit of "Betemit's platoon Partner".
After A-Rod wove himself back into the fold, it seemed like a dead issue but clearly Brian Cashman thinks Ensberg still has something left in the tank and is worth the gamble.
It's interesting to note that Betemit will be candidate No.1 to play 1B with a platoon partner in either Shelley Duncan or Morgan Ensberg. Either way a healthy Ensberg would add much needed right-handed depth behind A-Rod, Posada and Duncan.
With 12 pitchers, the Yankees have 5 OFs in Abreu, Cabrera, Damon, Matsui and Duncan.
They'll have 2 catchers in Posada and Molina. That leaves 6 IF spots for Cano, Jeter, A-Rod, Giambi, Betemit, Ensberg. It's a very good signing.
It's kind of weird to be a Yankee fan and celebrate not getting Johan Santana and celebrating a minor league contract for Morgan Ensberg, but that's how it is under the current front office policies.
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