As they say when they’re introducing the cast, hold your applause until the end on the Jason Kendall trade.
Kendall, acquired by the Cubs on Monday night from Oakland, has a great pedigree, impressive career numbers and more name recognition than Koyie Hill, Rob Bowen and Geovany Soto. But he also has a .226 batting average, a .261 on-base percentage and a 20 percent ratio throwing out base stealers.
Kendall will not be confused for a display at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, but he is 33, which makes him close to early retirement in catching years. Put it all together and this is a dubious acquisition for a contender. At least it’s likely to be billed that way by the statistical analysts and the Rotisserie League guys.
But I say the Cubs will be a better team Tuesday night, with Kendall in uniform, than they were Monday night, when they rallied in the eighth inning to win for the 16th time in their last 20 games. That’s because I trust the opinion of their scouts, Gary Hughes in particular.
Hughes was working for the New York Yankees when he recommended a strong-armed outfielder from Stanford named John Elway (he still thinks Elway could have been a great big-leaguer). He went to Montreal and helped build an amazing stockpile of talent, then moved on to Florida, where his decisions helped Jim Leyland win a World Series.
Hughes lives south of San Francisco and spends a lot of time at the Bay Area ballparks.
“You know from Gary Hughes’ reputation, his access to major-league clubhouses, the rapport he has with everyone in the game, he’s gotten to know quite a lot about Jason Kendall since he became an Oakland A,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “When I called Gary [last week] and mentioned Kendall, it was, ‘My God, go get him! He’s what every club needs.'”
Based on the recommendations of their scouts, the Cubs took three-year risks on Jason Marquis and Mark DeRosa last winter. Those deals are working out well, with DeRosa, who had driven in 50-plus runs in his career only once, second on the team with 49 RBIs and Marquis at 6-5 after taking every turn in the rotation.
Don’t be surprised if Kendall also delivers more than his 2007 stats suggest he will.
