Monday, October 19, 2009

Twins Get Seanz' Replacement

In the last A/B signing before Spring Training, Minnesota got its successor to the ballyhooed Jolbert Saenz, the well-traveled Dickie Hodges (2 years, $4.9MM). Hodges has had stints in Cincinnati (2), Kansas City and Baltimore during his 8-year Kinsella career, racking up a .266 career BA with 106 HR's. He also won a Gold Glove for his work with the Reds in Season 6 (which is, interestingly, 1 more Player Award than his predecessor won).

Hodges is a mild plus offensively for a C, at least against lefties. He's a capable, if not superlative pitch-caller and has a better-than adequate throwing arm. His most remarkable trait, though, is his iron-man durability - he's very capable of catching all 162 games without tiring (a feat he has pulled off 3 times). For the price, the Twins have made a great deal. Grade: A

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