Monday, June 21, 2004
More on Knott
Posted by Vinay KumarYesterday, Matthew lamented the Padres' demotion of Knott, pointing out that they didn't even give him a chance (14 AB). I watch nearly every Padre game, and I have been wondering why Bruce Bochy would not use him more. He has consistently shown a preference for Kerry Robinson, Jeff Cirillo and Miguel Ojeda off the bench, even in relatively low-leverage situations. But given that Bochy would not use Knott, he's better off playing every day and mashing at AAA Portland than glued to the bench in San Diego.
The move wasn't really Knott-for-Stone, though. The previous day, the Padres demoted Dennis Tankersley and activated Ramon Vazquez from the DL. The moves make more sense if you look at them as Tankersley/Stone and Knott/Vazquez. The Padres decided to skip Tankersley's spot in the rotation with their June 24 off-day and instead start him at Portland. When he comes back up for his June 29 start, they'll probably send down Brian Sweeney or Blaine Neal. And the team really needs Vazquez on the big-league roster, as currently there is no backup middle infielder (unless you count Jeff Cirillo).