DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ

6/19/74; '95 5th (Minnesota); Florida State Univ.
L/R; 6-2, 193

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
1995 A+ (Minn)	.245	.357	.345	110	6	1	1	18	19	2	2
1996 A+ (Minn)	.291	.374	.411	492	36	4	5	66	47	12	2
1997 AA (Minn)	.255	.390	.420	467	28	2	15	98	67	21	8
1998 AL (Minn)	.200	.310	.240	25	1	0	0	4	3	1	1
1998 AA (Minn)	.323	.432	.508	502	45	0	16	96	58	11	4
1999 AL (Minn)	.229	.324	.330	327	21	3	2	43	51	1	1
2000 AL (Minn)	.429	.400	.429	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2000 AAA (Minn)	.334	.406	.524	485	32	3	18	61	68	9	5
2001 AL (Minn)	.306	.387	.464	543	39	1	15	67	92	2	6
2002 AL (Minn)	.261	.365	.392	467	29	1	10	74	69	1	2
2003 AL (Minn)	.300	.393	.450	487	38	1	11	74	55	4	1
2004 AL (Minn)	.246	.340	.363	284	18	0	5	38	38	2	2
2004 AL (Bos)	.215	.286	.318	107	6	1	1	10	18	0	1
2005 NL (NYM)	.240	.322	.407	275	13	0	11	32	39	0	1
2005 A+ (NYM)	.259	.412	.407	27	4	0	0	7	7	0	0
2005 R (NYM)	.500	.643	.900	10	1	0	1	4	1	0	0
2006 AL (KC)	.283	.359	.411	314	24	2	4	35	50	3	0
2007 AL (NYY)	.277	.349	.440	166	12	0	5	16	23	0	0
2007 AAA (NYY)	.381	.391	.667	21	3	0	1	1	2	0	0
2007 A+ (NYY)	.429	.529	.643	14	3	0	0	3	1	0	0
2008 NL	.277	.374	.379	285	19	2	2	44	28	0	0

Mientkiewicz is a poor man's Mark Grace. He's a good defensive first baseman-he won the Gold Glove in 2001 and might have won others if the voters actually looked at defense rather than hitting-who hits for average and has good plate discipline, but lacks the power expected from the position. His hitting has been up and down throughout his career, even in his prime years in Minnesota. He seemed to be washed up in 2004-05, but he rebounded enough in 2006-07 to be a useful bench player. Even so, his on-base skills have dropped off enough that they don't compensate for his lack of power, so his days as even a semi-regular should be long gone. He's best suited for the role he played with the Yankees, primarily as a pinch-hitter and defensive sub. He missed much of the 2007 season due to a broken wrist that he suffered in early June, an injury that kept him out until September.

The Pirates signed Mientkiewicz to a minor league contract for 2008. He maintains that he still considers himself a regular, but as a firstbaseman with little power, that's not realistic. When no other team offered him a starting job, he signed a minor league deal with the Pirates with the idea that he'd try to become a utility player. He was expected to play 2B, 3B and the outfield corners in the spring. As it turned out, he platooned at 3B for brief periods when Jose Bautista was struggling and otherwise played mainly as a backup at 1B. He saw a little action in RF as well. He handled RF okay, but 3B was a struggle, primarily the throws, which is understandable. He hit as expected, making good contact and posting a decent average and very good OBP without much power.

The Pittsburgh media and many fans lionized Mientkiewicz for his hustle, hard-nosed attitude, frequently offered advice to younger players and general aura of veteranosity. His clubhouse presence was often cited as a reason for the team's good offensive showing in the first four months and there's a lot of sentiment for re-signing him. Bringing him back would be a good idea, but because he's a good player, not because of the intangibles. It's not that easy to find a utility guy who can come off the bench and get on base, play gold glove defense at 1B and happily give it the ol' college try at unfamiliar positions when needed. If the Pirates had needed an emergency catcher, Mientkiewicz�who was a catcher at one time�undoubtedly would have volunteered. His value in the clubhouse, however, should be apparent from the team's complete collapse after Jason Bay and Xavier Nady were traded, a collapse that included numerous instances where players�not including Mientkiewicz�seemed less than involved in the game. If the Pirates want to start winning, they're going to have to do it with better players, not better clubhouse presences. This isn't to say that Mientkiewicz was in any way responsible for the collapse, only that veteranosity can't substitute for talent. The Pirates clearly would like him back, but whether or not he returns will probably turn on money and on his willingness to resume a bench role on a struggling team.

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