Brad Eldred

Rotoworld reports:

Brad Eldred doubled twice and drove in five runs today for the Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. Eldred is in something of a no-win situation in Arizona. If he tears up the league, well, he should tear up the league. If he doesn't, it'll give the Pirates even more reason to use what funds they'll have available to pursue a first baseman this winter. He's currently 4-for-13 with a homer and seven RBI in four games. Oct. 17 - 8:27 pm

Brad Eldred's situation is a bit different than this. He has proven that he can hit for (tremendous) power. He has proven that he can heat up and smoke the ball consistently in AA.

What he has not shown is an ability to get on base at the major-league level. I don't care about the strikeouts. I don't care about the batting average. He can strike out every other at-bat, he can hit .211.

High strikeouts and low batting average are fine provided that the player still contributes a reasonably competent on-base percentage. Think Adam Dunn. If you are going to hit .211, you better draw a lot of walks. Eldred does not do this.

A player with an OBP of .300 has limited value, even if he slugs .450, .500, or .550 to go with it. A .300 OBP is a serious millstone for anyone aspiring to hit fourth, fifth, or sixth.

The Pirates need consistent hitters. I'm all for sticking Eldred in for another 500 at-bats, but if we do that, the Bucs have to find that consistent Jason Bay-ish production at another position. The Bucs desperately need another Jason Bay or a Brian Giles to stack with Bay in the three and four holes. That's how I see it. There are no in-house options. No one on the roster is even close to qualified to hit third on a big-league team -- no one except Jason Bay.

I was going to compare Eldred to Adam Dunn, a guy I think he could imitate. What was Dunn doing at 25? I asked myself. Then I looked it up and saw duh, Dunn is 25 right now. Only eight months separate Adam Dunn and Brad Eldred.