One of the more controversial moves that the Phillies made this season was when they opted to call up Juan Pierre as opposed to Scott Podsednik. Of course, โcontroversialโ is a subjective term and is based entirely on which camp you found yourself in.
On Wednesday, we talked about Juan Pierre, and whether or not he has any real value on this Phillies team. While that is debatable, one thing is not. The man who was passed over in favor of Pierre is tearing it up for the Boston Red Sox.
Not too long after being demoted to Triple A Lehigh Valley, the veteran outfielder was traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations, in exchange for cash. Since then, Podsednik has done nothing except for hit to the tune of a .387 with the Sawx.
As if things couldn't get any worse for the Phillies, right? Not only are their hitters and pitchers dropping like flies, but the guys that they trade โ for quite literally nothing โ are flourishing in their new surroundings. It's just not their year.
Of course, Podsednik is benefiting from a really small sample size โ 11 games โ so it is not at all likely that he will keep that going for the rest of the year. And even if he did continue to rake for the Red Sox, and let's say he finished the year with a .364 average or so, can you really blame the Phillies for trading him for so very little?
Think about it: Had the Red Sox traded, say, Kevin Youkilis for Podsednik, they'd have been ridiculed without end. After all, Pods is a 36-year-old with little power who probably can't be counted on to start games on a consistent basis anymore. It would have been great if Ruben Amaro could have pulled the wool over their eyes, but wildly unlikely.
At any rate, Scott Podsednik is another example of why I am convinced that the 2012 Phillies are cursed.