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You've got to be kidding me

By Jeff Sackmann

I figure we'll be spending a lot of this month talking Menchkins.  Here's Adam, getting us started:

Jenkins had another solid game Friday, when a Brewers split-squad throttled the Giants, 21-2, at Scottsdale Stadium. He went 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, including a single off Giants left-hander Ryan Meaux in a six-run Brewers third inning. In Thursday's win over the A's, Jenkins went 2-for-3, including an opposite-field RBI single off lefty Erasmo Ramirez.

Oooh...Ryan Meaux and Erasmo Ramirez.  I say Jenkins is headed toward an MVP season!

Quick, show of hands: how many of you have ever heard of Erasmo Ramirez before today?

Ryan Meaux?

That's what I thought.  Setting aside the irrelevance of spring training stats, I really don't care how well Jenkins hits against a couple of guys who will probably spend the year in Triple-A.  His performance against Ryan Meaux tells us absolutely nothing about how he'll do against Zach Duke and Ted Lilly.  I've got an idea about that though, and it involves embarassing strikeouts.

Jenkins, of course, was all smiles after the game:

"It's early in camp, but I'm just trying to do good against everybody," said a typically mellow Jenkins. "They've got a plan, and it's all good and we're on track. Everybody's happy."

Glad to hear it, Geoff.  I hope you enjoy these at-bats against lefties, because you won't get many of them during the season.  Hernan Iribarren is "trying to do good against everybody" too, and he's just about as likely to be a league-average hitter against MLB lefties this year as you are.

And, oh, by the way, Iribarren--we're talking about a guy who hit two home runs in single-A last year--out-hit you.  

Now, the only way I would even begin to accept the possibility that Jenkins deserves 600 at-bats this year is if I believed he really was changing his approach.  That means no swinging from your ankles and committing to a home-run cut as soon as the ball leaves good ol' Erasmo Ramirez's hand.  Here's what our new hitting coach has to say:

"He got to two strikes and just let his hands do the work, and we've talked so much in camp about two-strike approach," Skaalen said. "That's what shows me he has the ability. Mench has the same ability. Billy [Hall] has the same ability. Now it's just trusting that and not over-swinging."

Sounds good, right?  If I thought Jenkins would listen to Skaalen all year, I might just get excited about that.  On the other hand, Jenkins is likely to have the right right two-strike approach until about April 11th, the first day Ned puts him in the lineup against a lefty.  After that...bombs away, dude.

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