Former fan favorite Endy Chavez is making the most of his opportunity to play in Seattle, batting .405 with 15 hits and 3 stolen bases in the first nine games of the season.
He’s hitting at the top of the order — in the #2 spot behind Ichiro Suzuki — and igniting the offense for the surging Mariners, who sit atop the AL West with a 7-2 record.
Here’s to Endy, and hoping he can keep it up over a full season!
After starting the season 4-for-24 (.167) with 10 strikeouts as the Nationals’ leadoff batter, former Met Lastings Milledge was optioned to AAA.
“He is still a work-in-progress as a leadoff man,” assistant general manager Mike Rizzo said during a conference call.
“This is certainly a message that we need for players to perform,” Rizzo said. “We need for players to adapt to the major leagues, and we need players to succeed.”
Elijah Dukes, hitting a blistering .381, will take over as the everyday centerfielder for the Nats.
For those who missed LMillz’s spring training comments, I provide some of them here again for your entertainment:
“You know, there’s always a thing where, Oh, rookies have to be here 2-1/2 or three hours before stretch. No. I’m not gonna be here three hours before stretch. If you’re here and you get your work in, it shouldn’t matter how early you’re at the field. You know what you need to do. That’s fine. You don’t have to be at the park three, four hours before the park if you don’t want. You don’t see nobody clocking in three or four hours before they have to show up to work. So, I mean, some people feel like they have to get here to read the newspaper or do crossword puzzles or get their mind ready. I feel like I come to the park, I have 45 minutes of stuff I have to do to get prepared for practice and get ready for the game. Five minutes might be watching videos. Fifteen minutes might be going in the cage. And then getting whatever other work I need.”
Be sure to read the entire article here.
