Yankees hire former MLB outfielder Brad Wilkerson as assistant hitting coach

For the Love of the Game…..

 

Tough break for Jacksonville to lose a coach less than 3 weeks before the season starts.

 

Can also be a pitching coach.

 

Gator Goat?

 

Hard to find a better Gator player than Zunino. You can make a case for Alanso or David Eckstein.

 

herbert perry, matt laporta

 

Brad Wilkerson had a career OBP of .531. Even in the gorilla ball era that's a ridiculous number. He was also the Friday night starter for an Omaha team and was a good enough outfielder to occasionally play center.

Zunino and LaPorta were awesome, but without the versatility they just aren't there. Eckstein and Alonso shouldn't even be in the conversation.

 

This times a thousand. One of the best collegiate players I’ve had the privilege of watching.

 

Wilkie the greatest Gator

 

When I watched Wilkerson play at Perry Field I thought he was a no-miss all-star MLB player and maybe HOF player. He had all the skills. He could throw, he could hit, he could hit for power, he was fast and he not only could field the ball in the outfield he knew where to throw it after he got it. Maybe that is 5.5 or 6 tools player with knowing what to do with the ball once you catch it being a skill that is underrated but so important.

For some reason it never translated to MLB. Kind of like Billy Beane if you have seen Moneyball.

 

Brad played nearly 1,000 games in the majors and was an every day player for 5 years. He had the 12th highest career WAR of anyone in his draft class despite being drafted 33rd. His career was a success by any reasonable measure.

Billy Beane had 315 career plate appearances.

 

But I expected so much more and I am sure that he and everyone else did.