Clement's ceiling too high to ride the bench
"We're not going to carry Jeff Clement as an extra catcher, or as a pinch-hitter," manager John McLaren said. "He's going to have to be an everyday player at a position. I'm not saying he can't make this ballclub, but we're not going to have him as a third catcher or as a backup catcher. He has too high a ceiling and he needs to play. If he's a starter, he'll be on the club. If not, he'll be in [Triple-A] Tacoma."
The only two positions available to Clement are catcher and designated hitter and there are no plans to give him playing time at first base or in the outfield.
And neither looks promising.
"I'm looking at [Jose] Vidro as our DH and Kenji [Johjima] as our catcher," McLaren said. "We're pretty well set with those two guys."
Clement is just doing his job.
Clement is making progress behind the plate, but still needs more work to become Major League-ready.
"Obviously, my goal is to play in the big leagues and help the team win," he said. "That's what I want to do, but at the same time, if I don't make the team this spring, if I don't and have to go back to Triple-A and catch there, I'll show up and work hard."
No comments:
Post a Comment