Jays Release Shannon Stewart

by Tom Dakers on Aug 11, 2008 2:36 PM EDT in News Comment 4 comments

Thanks to Jevant for pointing this out. We all know that the Jays decided to keep Shannon Stewart over Reed Johnson this spring and we know it didn't turn out well:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Shannon Stewart	52	175	14	42	4	2	1	14	22	18	3	1	.240	.325	.303

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Reed Johnson	77	243	42	73	17	0	6	41	16	43	5	5	.300	.364	.444

I have no idea why JP thought Stewart would be a better choice for 4th outfielder. Shannon hasn't been an average major league outfielder in years. He has put up some decent batting averages but with no power, no on base and no speed, so in a corner outfield spot he's a waste.

Reed had a lost season last year because of back injuries but the season before Reed hit .319/.390/.479. When was the last time Shannon had numbers that could match that? Well in 2000 Stewart hit .319/.363/.518 so that would be that last season he could have matched those numbers and the only time he could match those numbers in his career.

Reed was also a fan favorite for his hustle. Add in that Johnson can play all the outfield positions well and Stewart can only play left and very poorly at that, really the only reason to pick Stewart was financial. And when you are telling your fans that this is our season, we are going to compete, making an outfield choice on which player is a little cheaper is, what's the word, oh right, STUPID. I don't think anyone will miss Stewart.

0 recs | Comment 4 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I totally agree

I remember bashing this move when it was made and discussing it here on the site and also with Jon over at Mockingbird (great site by the way). Obviously, having Reeder over Stew wouldn’t have made the difference between a successful and unsuccessful season. There were a ton of other factors, many more important and some arguably beyond the Jays’ control. But that doesn’t change the fact that this decision was very much within JP’s control and he made a poor choice. I liked Stew a lot when he came up with the Jays and I still like him, but this was just a dumb move. And beyond Sparky’s better offense, his versatility in the outfield would’ve been a big help to the team this season, considering some of the outfields we’ve thrown out there.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Aug 11, 2008 3:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs