Approach for the 2008 Orange and Black

I see where the Pittsburgh Pirates just released Josh Phelps off of their 40-man roster. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the same Phelps who ripped Giants' pitching in the final series meeting between the two cellar dwellers.

As a Pirate, the first-baseman/outfielder batted 77 times and had 27 hits, that's a .351 batting average. Scored 13 runs, batted in 19, with 5 home runs (at least one of them came at the expense of the orange and black, an opposite field shot at AT&T, no less).

The San Francisco Giants have to approach this upcoming 2008 season with the attitude of bringing in as many non-roster invitees as possible. If some organization saw something in a player (who was claimed off of the New York Yankees roster by Pittsburgh in June of 2007) but due to a change in direction- because they now have a different manager-they no longer have that player in their plans this is just the guy the Giants should be considering. Especially since he had success in head-to-head competition with the orange and black.

Sometimes the timing isn't right with a ballplayer but that doesn't mean he will not fit in elsewhere with another ball club. A player than can hit like Josh Phelps should catch the eye of those scouts who work for clubs who are in need of some assistance. (He will be 30 in May.)

Last I looked, the Giants are one of those teams.

Kevin Marquez