MLB: Five Starting Veterans Whose Demotions Are Long Overdue
It's happened to the best of players.
Hall-of-Fame players have had to face it at the end of their careers.
At some point, it's time to move aside for the good of the team and give way to a younger, more talented player.
For a player who has been a major league starter for years, it's a difficult thing for his ego to take.
But unless a player retires when his skills are still sharp, it's a transition that has to be made.
Some of the names will be surprising, but not if you consider the numbers.
Marco Scutaro
1 of 5
Marco Scutaro hit .275 for the Red Sox last year and hit 11 home runs. Offensively, he helped the ball club.
He's 35 years old now, though, and had fewer chances and a lower fielding percentage in 2010 than he did in 2009 when he played regularly for Toronto.
Scutaro is not the long-term solution at short for Boston.
It's time to find out if Jed Lowrie will be that guy. He hasn't proven that he can play in the big leagues full time, but the Sox need to find out if he can or if they need to accelerate Jose Iglesias, their best shortstop prospect in the minor leagues.
Lance Berkman
2 of 5
With Matt Holliday's injury, this issue gets pushed back a bit in St. Louis, but the Cardinals have several good young outfielders. To start a defensive liability like Berkman for an extended period of time would be unwise.
He no longer swings the bat well from the right side, so he should be no more than a platoon player and left-handed pinch hitter. Instead, he's starting every day.
With Colby Rasmus in center and Berkman in right, left field can be split between Jon Jay and Allen Craig.
When Holliday gets back into the lineup, Berkman should be the odd man out. With Tony LaRussa's penchant for playing veterans, he probably won't be.
Raul Ibanez
3 of 5
How old is Raul Ibanez?
I mean, really? I know he's listed as 38, but it seems like he's been playing forever.
While Ibanez drove in 83 runs last year, it's a sharp decline from his last three years in Seattle when he drove in over 100 for three consecutive years.
Also, after having his biggest power year in 2009, he fell off to 16 last year.
Dominic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. would benefit if Ibanez was benched.
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Jorge Posada
4 of 5
The last two choices will be the most unpopular because of who these two guys are and what they've meant to the game. They were World Series champions and All-Stars and have gotten all the acclaim that superstars get.
But now it's time to move on.
The first is Jorge Posada. He's already passed the catching duties to Russell Martin. Now it's time to go the whole way. He should either become a pinch hitter or retire altogether.
Sure, he's still got some pop from the left side. He showed it with a two-homer game against Detroit in the opening series. But he's 39 years old now, and he's going to wear down as the temperature gets hotter. Being hot in April has fooled many clubs into playing veterans more than they should.
The reaction to Jorge, though, is nothing compared to my next pick....
Derek Jeter
5 of 5
Yes, I said it.
The Captain should let someone else take the wheel.
Except for Omar Vizquel, how many other guys played short effectively at such an advanced age?
Heck, many have said he hasn't played shortstop effectively for years, anyway.
It's possible that moving him to a less demanding position might rejuvenate his offensive game. Brian Cashman took a lot of flack for suggesting a position change earlier in the year.
Despite the sentimental feelings toward one of the greatest Yankees ever, the statistics point to a huge decline.
Jeter had more official at-bats than any other season in the big leagues, yet had the fewest hits he's had in any other season that he played in least 120 games. He also had the lowest home run total in a full season since his second year as a starter back in 1997.
If you believe in the idea of making a change a year too early rather than a year too late, it's time to move the Captain.
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