Card #58 - Juan PierreBorn: August 14, 1977
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre came to the White Sox through a trade with the Dodgers. Two top pitching prospects went to Los Angeles, while Pierre came to Chicago in the December 2009 trade.
Juan was the answer to the Scott Podsednik problem after the 2009 season. Pierre is a clear upgrade defensively from Podsednik, but Juan doesn't have the same arm that he once had. In Pierre, the Sox have a true leadoff hitter, who is not a liability on the bases.
The longer Juan plays with the Sox, the better he becomes. As the games play on, Pierre has found better ways to get on base and more ways to steal bases, once he's at first. If he continues this path, the Sox will be in a much better position at the All-Star break.
That arm of his will always be his weakness.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers did get the better end of that deal so far. John Ely
seems to be a stud.
Enjoy John Ely. He was hard to part with, but a left field defense and leadoff upgrade was more important to the Sox than holding onto pitching prospects. Pierre's arm is a shame, but the rest seem to outweigh that the majority of the time.
ReplyDeleteI understand. The White Sox met their needs. The Dodgers did what they had to do.
ReplyDelete