I always enjoy looking at the transactions column in early September. Given that teams are allowed to go beyond the usual 25-man roster, it’s always interesting to see how it plays out. Which contenders will add a few spare parts for the stretch run? Which hot prospects will get a look?
Among the latter, Tampa outfielder Desmond Jennings got the call and just made his major league debut. With the Rays still battling the Yankees for first, he may not see regular action, but he is definitely a player you’ll want to see.
With Carl Crawford rumored to be moving on after this season, Crawford is his heir apparent. That may sound like a tall order, but Jennings certainly has the tools to make the comparison a fairly reasonable one.
By next season, Carl Crawford may give way to Desmond Jennings in the Tampa lineup.
Jennings is a pure speed demon. In AAA, this season, he stole 37 bases, getting caught only four times. Over the course of four years of minor league ball, the Alabama native has a total of 173 stolen bases in 420 games, and he has been caught only 33 times.
As impressive as that is, Jennings is not a one-trick pony. There have been any number of speedsters who have zero power. Jennings might not match Crawford on that front, but he does have a respectable 27 dingers over his four-year professional career. Even more importantly for a future leadoff batter, Jennings draws a healthy number of walks. Last year, he hit .318, but his 67 walks gave him an on base percentage of just over .400. This year his AAA batting average was .278, while his OBP was .362.
The one thing that Jennings may truly lack in comparison to Crawford is durability. He missed almost all of 2008 with a shoulder injury, and he seems to spend at least some time on the disabled list each season. If he can overcome that issue, the Rays may have yet another young superstar in the making.
