Much to my (and I’d imagine just about every other Royals blogger’s) delight, Scott Podsednik has been shipped to the Dodgers in exchange for catcher Lucas May and right-handed pitcher Elisaul Pimentel.
With a hopeful trade of Jose Guillen right behind it, this could mean that it might finally be Kila Ka’aihue’s time to shine (or at least play) in the Majors.
The prospects the Royals got are by most reports fringe prospects, with Lucas May putting up what appear to be solid numbers for the Albuquerque Isotopes and Elisaul Pimentel pitching quite well as a 22-year-old in low-A ball.
Now I say that May has put up numbers that appear to be solid because his .296/.352/.496 triple-slash is actually slightly below average, as the entire team is hitting .303/.356/.485.
Yes, it’s nice that he is a catcher that can hit, but the extremely hitter-friendly confines that he has called home for much of this season certainly contribute to his ratios.
May is also a catcher after having been converted from short. As he has not always been a catcher, some of the reviews are mixed on his defensive game.
As for Pimentel, he is exactly the same age as Keaton Hayenga, but unlike the disappointing Hayenga, he has compiled a 9.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 2.77 K/BB, and 1.173 WHIP in the Midwest League.
On his career between two-and-a-half rookie ball seasons and this season in low-A, Pimentel has thrown together an 8.1 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 2.85 K/BB, and 1.228 WHIP. While he may seem slightly old for the level, he has certainly been solid thus far.
Now, what Scott Podsednik’s departure means at the Major League level is that Alex Gordon will slide over to left, where the Royals apparently prefer him to play. This should mean he will get to settle into the daily lineup.
Bob Dutton tweeted that it appears as though RHP Greg Holland will get the call to fill the open roster spot on the 25-man roster.
Why they would go back to a 13-man pitching staff is beyond me, but even with the recent return of Rick Ankiel, one would have to think this move could crack the door open just a little more for Kila Ka’aihue.
If Guillen is shipped to San Francisco, as the smoke is hopefully indicating, then The Kila Monster shouldn’t just get the call, he should get to start nearly every day.
Even if Guillen isn’t shipped out, the Royals willingness to throw Guillen out in right regularly should slam that door open for Ka’aihue, although logic does not seem to factor in to what the Royals have done with him thus far in his career.
As for Podsednik, he got hot at the right time, and this time Dayton Moore pulled the trigger, having possibly learned his lesson from the Ron Mahay Hesitation of 2008.
Podsednik wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought he’d be, but his place on this roster blocked younger players that should have been getting their shot.
The thing that will be most missed about Scott Podsednik will of course be his Playmate wife. They’ve surely ordered up their PODS and have a crew packing their shit as a I type this. We’ll miss you, Lisa.
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