With Josh Hamilton signing a monster deal with the Angels today (good luck with that), Mike Napoli‘s signing growing an ever-hairier question mark and Boston in need of another lefty bat in the lineup and possible first baseman Nick Swisher is looking more attractive by the day.
Oct 16, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher before game three of the 2012 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
The emotional child/fan in me loathes any Yankee funk coming to Boston. The baseball intellectual in me says hey, if Youk can become a Yankee, why not Swish becoming a Sawks. Swisher is decidedly left of the center in New York and just may be more comfortable in a Boston uniform. In Swisher I sense an inner idiot thirsting to be free; a Johnny Damon wanna be looking to let his freak flag fly.
"Swisher is a multi-position player that solves a number of problems for the Red Sox. Even if Mike Napoli passes his physical and is signed, Napoli’s track record of missing about 40 games per year on average makes Swisher a solid backup first baseman. Is he great? No. Will he hurt you over the long haul? No."
Swisher is also a much needed lefty in what has become a right-handed dominant batting lineup. He can DH should Papi go down. More importantly, he can platoon with Jonny Gomes who, let’s face it, is never going to be an every day guy. And the Swish swagger might just play big in Beantown.
Swisher is 32. You know pretty much what you get with him. He’s a career .256 hitter with a little pop (23 to 29 home runs in each of the last five seasons) who’s got a decent eye, although he’ll never be a threat to make pitchers nervous, having stolen just 12 bases total in nine MLB seasons. I’m 54 and I’m pretty sure I could still steal 1.2 bases per year until I was 62. As the Jimmy Fund tagline says I can dream can’t I?”
I almost cut my hair, it was happened just the other day.
It was gettin’ kinda long, I could’ve said it was in my way.
But I didn’t and I wonder why, I feel like letting my freak flag fly,
And I feel like I owe it to someone.
– Almost Cut My Hair, David Crosby – Crosby, Still and Nash