Brent Mayne

The Best Acquisitions of the Year

As we wind down the last couple weeks of spring training and prepare for the regular season, I think I should throw out my choices for the best moves of this off-season. Better late than never, right?

If you remember, last year I picked Raul Ibanez. Let’s hope my choices for this season do just as well. So here goes…I’ve got a tie for my first pick this year between Adrian Beltre and Hideki Matsui. They’re closely followed by Edwin Jackson.

ADRIAN BELTRE

It’s tough to beat this guy’s act. He’s solid. I’m not sure that he’ll ever reach his Dodger offensive numbers, but he’ll definitely fare better in Fenway than SafeCo. Defensively he’s the best. But his intangibles are his most interesting quality for me. He’s a gamer, a leader without even trying, and he’s Latin. When you’ve got a Latin guy who goes about his business the way Adrian does, you’ve really got something special. Something that money can’t buy. All the other guys just fall in line. It’s like having another coach or something. Beltre is going to make a nice impact in Boston.

HIDEKI MATSUI

Well, I think when you hear Derek Jeter cite Matsui as the best teammate he’s ever had, that’s saying something. First of all the guy can flat out hit. And this is good because he’s not great defensively. Despite the prowess of Torii Hunter, if you put him in the same outfield as Rivera, you’ve got the worst defensive outfield in baseball. That being said, did I say he can hit? Professional, clutch, and a really tough out. It’s going to be fun watching him and Abreu in the same line-up. The thing I really like about Matsui though is his demeanor. Just like Beltre, I anticipate his intangibles being a big factor and adding an interesting facet to an already good Angel team.

I hope Matsui keeps doing that goofy face after he scores. Love it.

EDWIN JACKSON

I played with Edwin in LA in 2004. What I see in him is a battler with outstanding stuff. This is a guy who has taken some lumps and persevered to become an excellent big league player. He has made the turn from a thrower to a pitcher, but the exciting thing for me is he’s just making the turn. In my opinion, Jackson has his best days in front of him and I anticipate him having a breakout year. He’s a good guy, a hard worker, got a good approach to the game, and a great pick up for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So that’s it. Hat’s off to the Angels, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks for making some great moves. We’ll soon see if they pay off.