My intention isn't to slag Troy Glaus. He's a nice enough chap, even if he didn't exactly raise his profile after performance-enhancing accusations surfaced last year. Instead, let me applaud J.P. Ricciardi for the trade that brought Scott Rolen to Toronto.
Glaus was the only cost in a deal that involved two teams eager to unload third basemen. Offensively, Glaus is doing well in St. Louis, driving in a bunch of runs on the strength of only two home runs as of Wednesday.
That said, give me Rolen any day.
Even when he's not doing the kind of things that show up in the box-score, there is a contribution. Take Tuesday's at-bat in the sixth inning, when Rolen wore out Kevin Slowey to the tune of 15 pitches before grounding out. Slowey must have been gassed; he hung a change-up to the next hitter, and Matt Stairs hit it into the upper deck.
Big hits, most of them for extra bases, and solid defense has become common-place since Rolen came off the disabled list on April 25.
So what are we missing here? This, supposedly, is a man who infuriated Tony LaRussa while in St. Louis, and was enough of a conflict for Larry Bowa in 2002, the manager asked then-GM Ed Wade to trade him away.
During the first few months of the season, I have found Rolen to be friendly and easy-going with a wonderful sense of humour. Watch him as the pitcher warms up before each inning; Rolen stands close to the mound as if to say 'I've got your back.'
What do you think? Do you like the new third baseman or prefer the old? Let me know below.
