I loved Hideki Matsui’s World Series performance. I would love to have a hitter like Hideki Matsui in my lineup. If I did, though, he’d be way down low in the order, just like the Angels are doing with him now:
Hideki Matsui was dropped from the cleanup spot to the fifth spot on May 3, from fifth to sixth on May 14, and from sixth to seventh Monday night. If the designated hitter doesn’t snap out of his monthlong slump, he might be in danger of being dropped from the lineup altogether.
The problem is a simple one: dude is batting just .229 with a .302 on-base percentage. That doesn’t get the job done even at his relatively reasonable contract.
But hey, at least Yankees fans can stop beating themselves up over the Nick Johnson signing, right?