Lyle Overbay got one last start at first base yesterday because Derrek Lee took his time reporting after the Pirates acquired him from the Orioles.
Overbay smacked a two-run homer, going deep for just the eighth time in 352 at-bats, and today the Pirates designated the 34-year-old for assignment.
He wasn’t worth Pittsburgh’s one-year, $5 million investment after showing signs of decline in Toronto last season, but Overbay might find a place on a contender’s roster as a left-handed bench bat. After all, he’s been landing starting jobs despite mediocre production for a decade now.
In fact, Overbay is one of the least productive first basemen in decades. He has a .793 OPS in 4,836 plate appearances. The only first basemen with a lower OPS in more plate appearances during the past 20 years are J.T. Snow and Eric Karros.
