Friday, April 24, 2015

Guerrero’s hot bat may force Mattingly’s hand

Alex Guerrero is a man without a position.

But if the 28-year old Cuban import from Las Tunas keeps hitting the way he has lately, Dodger skipper Don Mattingly will have to find a place for him in the lineup.

Guerrero hit two homers in the series against the Giants and is hitting at a .474 clip in limited playing time this year. Guerrero is 9-for-19 with four homers and 12 RBI. His slugging percentage is a crazy 1.211.

The knock on Guerrero is his defense and limited range. He was an All-Star shortstop in Cuba but does not seem destined to play that position for the Dodgers. Conventional wisdom says 36-year-old Jimmy Rollins is a stopgap measure at short until Cory Seager is ready to come up from the minors. Guerrero’s most likely position is at third base where 37-year-old Juan Uribe is entrenched as the starter and Justin Turner is the backup.

Uribe has been the mainstay for the Dodgers at the hot corner for years but has started slow (.250) with the bat this season. If Guerrero’s bat stays hot, Mattingly will have to find more frequent plate appearances for him.

Guerrero went yard against Madison Bumgarner in Wednesday’s loss and then went yard Thursday in LA’s 3-2 loss to San Francisco. 

Guerrero defected from Cuba in 2013, then established residency in Haiti in order to become a free agent. He signed a four-year, $28 million deal to play for the Dodgers. 



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