Redundant Lamb gets sent packing again

By Jim Callis
March 25, 2004

When Aaron Boone blew out his knee playing basketball, leaving the Yankees without any promising options at third base, their first move was to make a Feb. 4 trade with the Rangers for Mike Lamb. Twelve days later they pulled off a bigger deal with Texas, picking up Alex Rodriguez and eliminating their need for Lamb. So on Thursday Lamb found himself on the move again, heading to the Astros for minor league righthander Juan DeLeon.

Lamb, 28, started at third base for the Rangers as a rookie in 2000 but found playing time scarce with the emergence of Hank Blalock. He spent most of 2003 at Triple-A Oklahoma, where he batted .288/.383/.485 with nine homers and 46 RBIs in 73 games. With Texas, he went just 5-for-38 (.132) in 28 contests. Lamb is a line-drive hitter who can hit for average, but his power and on-base ability aren't enough for him to keep an everyday job. He's not much of a runner or defender, either. He's expected to play a reserve role in Houston, pinch-hitting and backing up the corner infield spots. In 357 career games, Lamb has hit .282/.336/.385 with 19 homers and 117 RBIs.

DeLeon, 22, signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2001. He's undersized at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, but he has two plus pitches with a 92-95 mph fastball and a changeup that he uses to get lefthanders out. He also throws a below-average curveball. In 26 games at low Class A Lexington last year, DeLeon went 2-0, 1.83 with two saves. In 39 innings, he had a 45-22 strikeout-walk ratio and limited hitters to a .180 average with three homers.

Donovan Osborne took Lamb's spot on the Yankees' 40-man roster. Osborne is expected to begin the season as their fifth starter in place of the injured Jon Lieber.