He just got DFA'd by the Red Sox. He's been seeking a trade all season, because he wants a chance to be a starting outfielder. he's been a 5th outfielder/rare pinch-hitter type for the Red Sox.
high point of his career, he hit .302 with 28 HR and 89 RBI for *gasp* Colorado a couple years ago.
last year, injuries screwed up his season with the Padres, but he went on a TEAR in September.
and in Boston he was the odd man out.
Scouting Report:
Scouting Report
2004 Season
The Padres signed Jay Payton for two years thinking they had a center fielder who could cover lots of ground and hit 20 homers a season. Payton was unable to do either. He strained his right hamstring in spring training and never showed the range the Padres had hoped for. As for his hitting, from June through August he batted .186. He did manage to hit .354 with power in September, but that was not enough to salvage the season.
Hitting, Baserunning & Defense
While Payton did show increased patience last year, it came at the expense of what he does well, which is make contact. For much of the season, he took pitches for the sake of taking them, rather than swinging at ones he would normally try to drive. His good speed serves him well in the outfield, but inefficient routes made a number of flyballs unnecessarily exciting. His arm is both strong and accurate, but mental lapses often gave the opposition additional opportunities.
2005 Outlook
Payton showed the kind of player he can be in September, and the Padres are hoping for a similar but more lengthy performance in 2005. He's only 32, so he still could have a couple of prime seasons left in the tank.
Relevant stats:
2003 Colorado Splits:
Total: .302/.354/.512, 28 HR, 89 RBI, .866 OPS
Home: .322/.377/.540, 13 HR, 50 RBI, .917 OPS
Road: .281/.330/.483, 15 HR, 39 RBI, .813 OPS
2004 Season, September(remember, the Scouting report said he was hurt most of the season and struggled, and he showed flashes of what he COULD be in September):
.354/.418/.512, 3 HR, 13, .930
now I don't know if this guy is really worth looking into, and I don't know what his issues are.
but what I can tell from looking at his Colorado Splits is that his power is NOT fluky. BUT there's a reason why he is a backup. it could be just lots of depth in Boston, who knows. he hasn't been able to show that he's fully recovered from whatever injuries he had in 2004, and he's been unhappy in Boston all season. perhaps a change of scenery will do him some good, and he'll start to show what he had in 2003.
