Outfielder Johnny Damon has taken more than 6,000 at-bats at the leadoff spot. He has taken nearly 1,000 more in the second spot .
Alas, Damon can’t fill the Tigers’ vacancies at both spots in their order. But he can fill one.
If the Tigers succeed in signing Damon as a free agent, he could divide his time between the first and second spots. (Maybe Damon bats second in general but moves up to leadoff if Brandon Inge moves up to second against some left-handers?)
While the Tigers and other teams might be waiting for Damon to lower his asking price, he has time to wait for teams to raise theirs. The 36-year-old has plenty of time to sign and be ready for the season – infielders and outfielders don’t report to spring training for two weeks. Beyond that, it’s widely acknowledged that spring training is too long for hitters; it’s the pitchers who need the month’s worth of exhibitions.
The Atlanta Braves have made Damon a one-year offer, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday. The paper also said that the Braves had star third baseman Chipper Jones call Damon with a recruiting pitch.
Until this past season, Damon had been a full-time leadoff hitter for six straight seasons: three with Boston, three with the Yankees. Yankees manager Joe Girardi flip-flopped Damon and Derek Jeter late in spring training last year, with Damon at No. 2 and Jeter at leadoff.
Jeter had one of his best seasons. Damon matched his career high with 24 homers. New York led the majors with 915 runs scored and then won its first title in nine years.