Bucky Jacobsen, the 28-year-old Triple-A DH/1B in the Mariners organization, had his third multi-homer game of the season yesterday. He's now hitting .314/.400/.645 with 17 2B, 13 HR, and 49 RBI in 44 games. Meanwhile, big-league DH Edgar Martinez is hitting just .253/.333/.397, and 1B John Olerud is at .267/.382/.360. Outside of pinch-hitter Dave Hansen, the Mariners don't have any good bats off the bench either. Jacobsen's earned himself a chance... I just hope he gets it.
Another of my favorites, Ramon Castro (the A's infielder), has done well after missing most of the month of May. He's got a .293/.402/.453 line right now, and has spent most of his time at shortstop. And he's still only 24 years old.
Matthew Namee cofounded The Hardball Times in 2004, when he was working as the assistant to baseball author and Red Sox executive Bill James. Matthew still lives in Kansas, where he is currently pursuing a law degree. He can be reached at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.
