Evaluating Daniel Descalso

While he only hit .243/.313/.341 during his time in St. Louis, Daniel Descalso will always be remembered by Cardinals fans as a player who could deliver in big October moments. His tenth-inning single in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series started off a rally that would bring the Cardinals back in a game they would eventually win off of David Freese‘s eleventh-inning home run. And after the Cards trailed the Nationals 6-0 in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, Descalso finished the historic comeback going 3-for-5 with a home run, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI; 2 of which were a result of a 2-out base-hit in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. 

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Now the question is: Should the Yankees bring in a player like Daniel Descalso?

I think they should, and I’ll tell you why. While he doesn’t post very impressive offensive numbers, Descalso is a lefty bat that the Yankees can bring in for under $1.6 million per year. But more importantly, he’s a solid infielder that they could probably use right now.

With the questions looming over the future of Chase Headley and the season-long durability of Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees could use another guy that can play third base. Descalso is a player that you could plug into any infield spot, and he can field the position with the best of them.

That’s what attracts me to Descalso. While Chase Headley currently leads active third baseman in fielding percentage at .967, Descalso fields at .960 over 200 career games at third. And his .984 fielding percentage at second is right on pace with guys like Robinson Cano and Jose Altuve (.986).

The Yanks went out and spent money on the bats last winter. Sure, they got hurt and really underperformed last season, but all you can do is expect guys like Teixeira, McCann, Beltran, and Ellsbury to deliver on their big contracts. This is not going to be an offseason where the Yankees chase big bats, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t add an experienced infielder who won’t cost them very much money. And hey, the fact that he’s proven to come through in October doesn’t hurt either.