Jason Pridie Signs With A’s

By Unknown author
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Scratch that whole Triple-A bound idea. Jason Pridie is off to greener pastures–Oakland Athletics’ green, to be exact. The Mets outright the outfielder to Triple-A last week, but Pridie had the right to reject the assignment, and opt for free agency.

The 27 year-old career-Minor Leaguer spent most of 2010 with the Mets’ Triple-A team, owning a collective .286/.330/.384 line with 3 homeruns, 19 RBI, 20 runs, and 9 stolen bases. While the former Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins farmhand had once exhibited good speed (he stole 25-plus bases in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2009), his mere 9 bags in 2010 with the Mets more or less sealed his fate as a journeyman.

But then Angel Pagan got injured in late-April, changing Pridie’s destiny. Pridie made his Mets Major League debut on April 22, and essentially became the starting center fielder through May. As a starter for the Mets, Pridie posted a .239/.316/.420 line with 3 homeruns, 11 RBI, 11 runs, and 4 stolen bases in 100 plate appearances. The outfielder also provided some decent defense in center, owning a -1.7 UZR/150 in 312.6 innings there, and a 5.5 UZR/150 in 84.6 innings in right field.

However, upon Pagan’s return in late-May, Pridie’s playing time disappeared–and so did the already minimal production he provided. From May 29 onward, Pridie owned a .225/.304/.333 line with 1 homerun, 9 RBI, 17 runs, and 3 stolen bases in 136 plate appearances. In total, Pridie owned a .231/.309/.370 line with 4 homeruns, 20 RBI, 28 runs, and 7 stolen bases. Considering the A’s only have Jai Miller, Ryan Sweeney, and Michael Taylor in their outfield currently, signing Jason Pridie as Minor League depth makes some sense. Hopefully for their sake, they sign some better depth in the off-season.

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