Yankees Sign Mientkiewicz
January 9, 2007 by Geoff Young
Filed under Hot Stove
The New York Yankees have inked first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to a 1-year, $1.5 million deal. The left-handed hitting Mientkiewicz, who turns 33 in June, batted .283/.359/.411 in 360 plate appearances for the Kansas City Royals in 2006.
Although Mientkiewicz has a stellar defensive reputation, he’s won only Gold Glove award. That came in 2001, when he enjoyed his best overall season, batting .306/.387/.464 for the Minnesota Twins.
Over parts of nine seasons, Mientkiewicz has hit .270/.359/.405. That is substandard production at first base, but the Yankees aren’t exactly hurting on offense so they can afford to take a bit of a loss there. With this signing, Jason Giambi becomes the team’s full-time DH.
