Derrek Lee, 1B
The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2011 offseason with first base in their sights as a position that needed to be addressed for the upcoming season. After failing to lure Victor Martinez to Baltimore, the Orioles quickly took no chances and locked up first base by signing veteran first baseman Derrek Lee.
The Orioles failure to sign Martinez could pay great dividends as Baltimore avoided being tied down to a ridiculous contract with an aging Martinez. Also, with Baltimore’s new first baseman, the Orioles can still look to upgrade at first whether before the trading deadline in July or when next year’s free agency rolls around and potential free agents Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols hit the market.
But with the 2011 season in focus, Derrek Lee gives Baltimore its first complete first baseman since Rafael Palmeiro during the ’90s.
Lee, 35 year-old, the long-time Florida Marlin and Chicago Cub’s will help bring a winning mentality to the Orioles lineup and help secure the “3” spot in the Orioles lineup, which has been almost as much of a mystery for the Orioles as the cleanup spot has been.
In 2010, Derrek Lee was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Atlanta Braves. The trade never panned out for Lee or the Braves, as Derrek Lee was unable to produce at the plate for power.
Although, Derrek Lee only hit three home runs with the Braves before hitting 16 with the Cubs in 109 games, Lee did hit .287/.384/.465 in 39 games with the Braves compared to 251/.335/ .416 with the Cubs in 2010.
Lee has hit .282/.367/.498 with 312 home runs and 1,019 RBI.
Although Lee has shown that he can produce consistent numbers in the National League, Lee has yet to play in the American League East and will have to deal with some of the American League’s top-tier pitchers.
However, with that said Lee will most likely not be pitched around as much as he was while in the NL. Playing in the American League, Lee will benefit from having an extra bat and with a more balanced lineup in 2011; Baltimore will not have to worry about its best players being pitched around as much.
Pin-pointing Lee’s exact statistics could become tough because of what is noted above, but with a more balanced top-to-bottom lineup, Lee will not be relied upon to carry the load as he has in past. With all that said my predictions for Derrek Lee in 2011 are:
Prediction: .279 AVG/ 25 HR/ 88 RBI
On Deck: Vladimir Guerrero
In the Hole: Luke Scott
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