MORGAN ENSBERG, INF
STATS
Jerry Crasnick has the skinny:
Free-agent infielder Morgan Ensberg has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the New York Yankees, and will join the competition for the team’s first base job in spring training.
“I’m extremely excited about it,” Ensberg said Thursday. “It’s a great team and a great lineup. Most importantly, it’s a team that’s consistently playing for a World Series. After you’ve been in the league for a few years, you really start valuing that pursuit.”
Terms of the contract weren’t immediately available. Ensberg signed a minor-league deal, with an invitation to major league camp. The Yankees’ 40-man roster is currently full, but three spots are expected to open when Carl Pavano, Humberto Sanchez and Andrew Brackman are transferred to the 60-day disabled list in March.
I always thought Ensberg might be an option for the Yankees after he was non-tendered by the Padres in December. He’s still only 32, but has never fully recovered from a shoulder injury that sidelined him during the 2006 season. I also thought Ensberg would have a bounce back season in 2007 and return to his 2005 numbers when he hit .283 with 36 home runs and 101 RBI. Instead, he regressed even more in ‘07 hitting only 231/.320/.404 for the Astros and Padres.
He now joins Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit, Chris Duncan and Jason Lane as players who can man first base. I would love to see Ensberg have a bounce back year, but I think it’s wishful thinking.