November 2 – Happy Birthday Wilson Betemit

I always thought Wilson Betemit could become a big league All Star. He is a switch-hitter with decent power who can play a decent third base and even an adequate shortstop in an emergency. He saw quite a bit of action with the Yankees in 2008 and the more he played the better he seemed to hit the ball. I knew he wasn’t going to see much action in the Yankee’s All Star infield that year but still, when he was traded to the White Sox, after that season I was sort of disappointed to see him go. The fact that the Yankees got Nick Swisher for him turned out to make the swap pretty much a steal for New York. Betemit signed with the Royals in 2010 and hit .295, while smacking 13 home runs and driving in 43 for KC in just 84 games. He began the 2011 season with the Royals but was traded to the Tigers that July. Detroit Manager Jim Leyland credited Betemit’s play during the second half of that year as one of the key reasons why his Tigers rallied to win the AL Central Division race. Then last season, he signed with the Orioles and became Buck Showalter’s starting third baseman. He hit a creditable .261 with 12 home runs but lost his job when the O’s brought up the very impressive 19-year-old Manny Machado in August of 2012. Wilson is still just 31 years old. Last year at this time I still believed that if you put Betemit in the right situation with a good hitting coach he would have at least one great offensive season for some lucky team before he calls it a career. But with Machado now in Baltimore, it sure won’t be as an Oriole.

Also born on this date is the only member of the Yankee’s all time roster to have been born in Aruba.