Maybe Rondell White is going to snap out of his slump in spectacular fashion any day now and reward the confidence Ron Gardenhire has shown in him by writing his name in the clean-up spot night after night.
This is a guy, after all, with a career .289 batting average, who’s never hit lower than .270 in a season. In his abbreviated season last year with Detroit, White hit .313 in 374 at bats.
Maybe he really has been discombobulated by the designated hitter role, even though he’s done a bit of DH duty over the last few years and knew coming into the season that that was going to be his primary responsibility with the Twins.
Still, holy shit, White’s 2006 start has been absolutely brutal on so many levels, and truly painful to watch. It’s been even worse, of course, precisely because he has been the DH, and isn’t contributing in any other way.
The numbers are really something to behold: Four hits in 47 at bats. One extra base hit (a double). Sixteen strikouts and zero walks. An .085 batting average, and .100 on base percentage.
And, sorry, but you can’t avoid this number, either: $2,500,000.
I know that 47 at bats aren’t a fair barometer, but they sure seem to be enough to have messed with Rondell’s head in a big way. What do you think the chances are at this point that White will end up making a significant contribution to this team? And can the Twins still have a competitive season if they get nothing from him?
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