German staying hot this winter
01/06/2006
KANSAS CITY -- Esteban German had a brief stand as the Royals' starting second baseman. It lasted about 10 days this winter.
In the hubbub of the Winter Meetings, German was obtained from the Texas Rangers in a trade stemming from the Rule 5 Draft. The Royals used their No. 1 pick for pitcher Fabio Castro (Chicago White Sox) and dealt him to the Rangers for German.
The move put German in the lineup as Kansas City's second baseman -- until the Royals signed free agent Mark Grudzielanek. German went to the back burner, and now he'll have to compete for a backup infield role in Spring Training.
So far, playing for Azucareros in the Dominican Winter League, he's made a favorable impression.
After playing in 47 games, German was second in the league's batting race at .331 (60-for-181) with 19 RBIs.
He led the league in two categories -- on-base percentage at .442 (he drew 36 walks) and stolen bases with 30. He had twice as many steals as his closest pursuer, Aguilas' Bernie Castro.
"You can't get away from the numbers by Esteban German," general manager Allard Baird said. "He's been pretty dominating down there this year. But you have to be pretty careful about numbers in winter ball. That and September callups and Spring Training are three times of the year in which you don't put much stock, but I like what he's done there."
German batted .313 and stole 43 bases, leading the Pacific Coast League, last summer for Triple-A Oklahoma. He matched the RedHawks' club record with 153 hits although he played just 117 games.
He was the starting shortstop for the PCL in the Triple-A All-Star Game. In September, he played in five games for the Rangers and had hits in his first three at-bats.
German, 28, previously played in parts of three seasons with the Oakland A's. His Major League average is .252 (26-for-103).
His competitors for an infield reserve job will include Joe McEwing, Chris Clapinski, Wilson Valdez and Mike Coolbaugh, all non-roster invitees to spring camp.
The Royals want to get more Minor League time for such youngsters as Andres Blanco, hitting just .208 in the Venezuelan League, and Ruben Gotay, batting .266 in Puerto Rico.
Source: http://royals.mlb.com/
KANSAS CITY -- Esteban German had a brief stand as the Royals' starting second baseman. It lasted about 10 days this winter.
In the hubbub of the Winter Meetings, German was obtained from the Texas Rangers in a trade stemming from the Rule 5 Draft. The Royals used their No. 1 pick for pitcher Fabio Castro (Chicago White Sox) and dealt him to the Rangers for German.
The move put German in the lineup as Kansas City's second baseman -- until the Royals signed free agent Mark Grudzielanek. German went to the back burner, and now he'll have to compete for a backup infield role in Spring Training.
So far, playing for Azucareros in the Dominican Winter League, he's made a favorable impression.
After playing in 47 games, German was second in the league's batting race at .331 (60-for-181) with 19 RBIs.
He led the league in two categories -- on-base percentage at .442 (he drew 36 walks) and stolen bases with 30. He had twice as many steals as his closest pursuer, Aguilas' Bernie Castro.
"You can't get away from the numbers by Esteban German," general manager Allard Baird said. "He's been pretty dominating down there this year. But you have to be pretty careful about numbers in winter ball. That and September callups and Spring Training are three times of the year in which you don't put much stock, but I like what he's done there."
German batted .313 and stole 43 bases, leading the Pacific Coast League, last summer for Triple-A Oklahoma. He matched the RedHawks' club record with 153 hits although he played just 117 games.
He was the starting shortstop for the PCL in the Triple-A All-Star Game. In September, he played in five games for the Rangers and had hits in his first three at-bats.
German, 28, previously played in parts of three seasons with the Oakland A's. His Major League average is .252 (26-for-103).
His competitors for an infield reserve job will include Joe McEwing, Chris Clapinski, Wilson Valdez and Mike Coolbaugh, all non-roster invitees to spring camp.
The Royals want to get more Minor League time for such youngsters as Andres Blanco, hitting just .208 in the Venezuelan League, and Ruben Gotay, batting .266 in Puerto Rico.
Source: http://royals.mlb.com/
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