Monday, August 23, 2004

Pickering

A lot of folks (including Dan) have been asking why Calvin Pickering has not been called up to the Royals. Pickering is a first baseman/designated hitter type of player who's had a great season at AAA Omaha (1157 OPS, 34HR's).

Unfortanately, the Royals' roster is stuffed with first baseman/designated hitter type players (Sweeney, Harvey, Stairs). When Harvey went on the DL, Pickering finally got his chance in yesterday's game. He responded well to his Royals debut.

Pickering went 2 for 3 with 2 HR's and 6 RBI's and 1 walk (one HR was a grand slam). In one game, Pickering provided the kind of offensive fire power the Royals were expecting from guys like Juan Gonzalez this year.

If Pickering continues to hit, it may make sense to trade Harvey when he returns from the DL. He's an "all star" that another team may find valuable.

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