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July 2, 2008
On the Lookout For A Position Player
The Bluefish landed the starting pitching help they had been seeking when they signed left-hander Mike Connolly. He is expected to make his first start Saturday at Long Island.
With the second half set to begin next Tuesday, they are now looking to bolster their depth by acquiring another versatile position player. Manager Tommy John does not want to play the waiting game again in the second half like he did with utility infielder Wilson Batista in the first half.
Batista was definitively set to join the team at various points this season only to have his arrival continuously delayed by a visa problem in the Dominican Republic. With Batista’s issues and a wrist injury that forced Jay Caligiuri to miss the first 57 games, John was forced to utilize third baseman Luis Lopez (64 games), second baseman Henry Mateo (63) and shortstop Alex Prieto (62) extensively through first 66 games.
``We’re looking for somebody that can play all over so that you don’t run into playing the same guys because I think that was the one thing that killed us here,’’ John said. ``If Batista had been here when he was supposed to we wouldn’t have been as tired. But I think the guys got worn down. I really do.’’
The Bluefish had thought that they had reached a deal with former big leaguer Shea Hillenbrand two weeks ago. However, he signed with York this week to be their every-day third baseman.
General manager Todd Marlin said that Director of Player Procurement Mike Church has recently made contact with Patrick Dobson. Dobson, the 27-year-old son of actor Kevin Dobson, was in camp with the San Francisco Giants this spring before being released March 23.
He hit .223 with 21 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs in 104 games for Connecticut in the Class AA Eastern League last season. He played 28 games at first base, 13 at second base, three at third base and 48 in the outfield for the Defenders.
``It’s still in the ground work,’’ Marlin said. ``I guess he just really kind of decided that he wanted to keep playing.’’
Rich
Posted by Elliott on July 2, 2008 9:31 PM
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