Braves sign 1B Overbay as September bench piece
Washington - The Braves signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a minor league contract Monday, with plans to add him to their bench when rosters expand on Sept. 1. He’ll report to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday’s off day and get into game action Thursday against Syracuse.
Overbay was designated for assignment by Arizona on July 30 after the Diamondbacks traded for Houston’s Chris Johnson. Overbay was hitting .292 (28-for-96) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 45 games for Arizona. He had been 2-for-his-past-23.
“We feel like he’s a nice addition,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “He gives us another veteran guy that can give you professional at-bats off the bench.”
Overbay, 35, is in his 12th season in the majors, having played for the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Blue Jays and Pirates. He averaged 17 home runs per season from 2004 to 2010.
He is 6-for-22 (.273) with one double and two RBIs as a pinch hitter this season. He’s hit .305 (25-for-82) against right-handed pitchers.
Wren said Overbay has taken his time holding out hope that he could sign somewhere as an every-day player but has remained in contact with the Braves throughout the process.
“He’s had interest all along, but I think he wanted to take his time and make sure he made the right decision,” Wren said. “We’ve been talking about once a week since then, just checking in. There wasn’t a great deal of urgency on either side. He does need to start playing and we need to have him in the organization prior to Sept. 1.”
By virtue of being in the Braves organization before Sept. 1, Overbay would be eligible to make a potential postseason roster. He could be added in place of someone who’s on the disabled list. Overbay played in the National League Division Series last year with Arizona, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in two games against his former Brewers team.
Overbay would fill a similar role as Eric Hinske, who is also a left-handed hitting first baseman. But Hinske is hitting only 7-for-45 as a pinch hitter (.156).
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33 comments Add your comment
eskippy
August 20th, 2012
6:10 pm
1
bostonbravo
August 20th, 2012
6:16 pm
see ya Hinske
beone
August 20th, 2012
6:18 pm
Nice Move
Brave Decisions
August 20th, 2012
6:23 pm
My thoughts on the move from Brave Decisions. http://wp.me/p2lqJ1-cJ
Myke hawk
August 20th, 2012
6:24 pm
Terrible.
Give mejia a shot instead of this bum
Peter
August 20th, 2012
6:26 pm
Wow where are the right handed batters…….when a lefty pitches we cannot hit a lick !
Biff Pocoroba
August 20th, 2012
6:27 pm
Good addtion. We can use all the help we can get!!!
Trey
August 20th, 2012
6:32 pm
Not sure how good this decision is, really. Only time will tell.
JWOOD
August 20th, 2012
6:33 pm
It’s a replacement for Matt Diaz, right? So…he doesn’t have to do that much to be considered a success…
Michael Revira
August 20th, 2012
6:35 pm
Please, please someone tell manager Gonzales to remove Heyward in the No. 3 spot. Games that should have been won were lost when he’s batting 3rd. At best he should be in the No. 6 slot. Next 3 games with the Nats are crucial, 2 out of 3 if not a sweep! Go Braves!
bostonbravo
August 20th, 2012
6:41 pm
next position…is there a 2nd baseman anywhere??? forget the majors…how about the minors…Uggla needs a long, long rest.
Biff Pocoroba
August 20th, 2012
6:43 pm
Let’s not point fingers at one player. One man does not win or lose the games!!!!
Sunny K
August 20th, 2012
6:45 pm
Michael Revira
August 20th, 2012
6:35 pm
“Please, please someone tell manager Gonzales to remove Heyward in the No. 3 spot. Games that should have been won were lost when he’s batting 3rd. At best he should be in the No. 6 slot. Next 3 games with the Nats are crucial, 2 out of 3 if not a sweep! Go Braves!”
If Heyward wasn’t hitting 3rd Friday night we probably would have been swept by the Dodgers, you do remember his 2 out game tying RBI single in the Bottom of the 8th right?
Rick C
August 20th, 2012
6:46 pm
JWOOD, no Reed Johnson was really Diaz’s replacement. They both kill lefties. Overbay gives them another LH option besides Hinske, who has been terrible the last two years.
raleighbravefan
August 20th, 2012
7:00 pm
Myke – You do realize Mejia leads the league in strike outs, right? Also, he would have to be added to the 40 man roster. ST is soon enough to give Mejia his chance.
Langston
August 20th, 2012
7:01 pm
Wow Michael Revira is dumb.
raleighbravefan
August 20th, 2012
7:03 pm
Man, you folks on this blog know even less than those on the main blog.
JWOOD
August 20th, 2012
7:21 pm
@ Rick C: I guess it makes sense for Overbay to be a sort of replacement for Hinske at first base and all, but Hinske is still on the team. Seems redundant.
Hammond
August 20th, 2012
7:32 pm
Michael Revira is dumb and dumber
Rick C
August 20th, 2012
7:32 pm
JWOOD, Overbay isn’t on the ML team yet, so it really isn’t redundant at this point. When rosters expand it will be good to have another LH option and evaluate who is best for the postseason roster.
steve brown
August 20th, 2012
7:34 pm
Enter your comments here
steve brown
August 20th, 2012
7:36 pm
Someone tell me please why Mejia never gets a chance? 3.07 with 24 HRS.
GB's Hamburgers
August 20th, 2012
7:53 pm
292 average. Let’s turn him into a second baseman.
Braves 2012
August 20th, 2012
7:59 pm
Overbay is a good add, especially since we did not have to give anything up.
Chipper's ACL
August 20th, 2012
7:59 pm
Great move for the late season push. Another club house positive vet that will spell Hinske in late inning pinch hitting situations.
jsu1244n
August 20th, 2012
8:07 pm
Well, I see we signed yet another person from the Old Folks home has been signed!! I hear Rodger Clemons is trying to come back!!
bostonbravo
August 20th, 2012
8:54 pm
Pocoroba to read “say nothing ill of Uggla”..probably the worst starting 2B man in last 20 yrs. OK…God Bless Danny Uggla.
Bravo Fan
August 20th, 2012
9:20 pm
Appears the 3 day slaughter has begun up in D. C.
It's over now
August 20th, 2012
9:22 pm
bostonbravo – spot on. Yes, one man doesn’t win/lose game but a .212 2B with maybe average fielding skill, is an area for improvement.
It's over now
August 20th, 2012
9:30 pm
Dan Uggla = Rally Killer.
Casey
August 20th, 2012
10:38 pm
If Uggla is an average fielder, who would you say is bad? I have NEVER seen anything like his fielding.
Michelle Maylene
August 21st, 2012
4:11 am
Great pickup for the Braves!!!
billy bob baseball
August 21st, 2012
1:27 pm
I used to buy lottery tickets because I just knew for sure, this would be the week I win. Never mind all the other times I was disappointed, this time was the charm. I just knew it. Finally, after having my bubble burst time after time after time, I came to the realization, it aint gonna happen. Watching the Braves the last two years, just knowing this was the year, this time it’s gonna happen, we’re gonna be back in the big time, I now realize it aint gonna happen. We have a $12 Million 2nd baseman giving us a $12 performance, and old man at third who can hit a ball traveling 90 mph, but he can only watch as one traveling that fast is hit to him. We have a great catcher so banged up he is hitting 40 points below his average, and a manager who won’t bench him because said catcher will throw a hissy fit and hurt his feelings. Said manager is so clueless that he thinks our $12 second baseman is ‘in a slump’ and will come out of it any day now, never mind that the ’slump’ has been continuous for 2 years now.
I am especially tired of the rah rah optimists on these blogs chastised the realists for ‘being negative.’ Word up, the Yankees have not won dozens of championships because their fans accepted mediocrity. They put a winning team on the field year after year because their fans demand no less, and we should be no different.