Hot Stove Coal: How Would David DeJesus Look In Pinstripes?

Since we've been vetting almost every left field candidate for candidacy in the Bronx, I thought it best to look through the credentials of one of the more underrated left fielders out there, David DeJesus. With the recent signing of Rick Ankiel, adding to a crowded OF, DeJesus may be available from the Royals. DeJesus is nothing spectacular as a hitter: his career splits are .286/.358/.425 and his career wOBA is .340. But on a second-look, those numbers are comparable to Damon's at the same point in his career and would seemingly be better than Brett Gardner's. As you can see from the graph below from FanGraphs, the two Kansas City OF compare favorably in wOBA through age 29 (and I've added Reed Johnson to this graph just for comparison's sake):

Amazingly, all three OF had down years at Age 27. Since that age, Damon and DeJesus have been almost identical. But there are a few reasons why DeJesus would be better than Johnson/Damon. DeJesus will only turn 30 next season, making him the youngest of the group by quite a few years (well, other than Gardner). DeJesus* was born in Brooklyn, went to high school at Manalapan High School in Englishtown, New Jersey, and then went to college at Rutgers University--so he's definitely a local boy.

*Side Note: It was radio host Don Imus who first brought DeJesus to national fame when he talked on his show about the ballplayer and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Michelle Salvatore, who did the "Scum Report" on his show. Supposedly she dumped him when he got demoted to Triple-A Omaha but got back together when he got back with the Royals. Sort of a true story.

But the big thing that sets DeJesus apart from his peers is his defense. In 4,121.2 innings in CF, DeJesus has a UZR of 16.4 and in 2,263.2 innings in LF, he has an UZR of 35.0. That's some good defensive production. This has helped DeJesus consistently put up really good WAR numbers since he's become a regular in 2005 (4.2, 3.8, 2.6, 2.6, 3.2).

The problem is that I don't think DeJesus fits on this team for a few reasons. One, I'm not sure the Royals are really trying to get rid of him. He's the best OF they have right now even after acquiring Scott Podsednick and Rick Ankiel this off-season to go along with the disappointing--but unmovable--Jose Guillen. Just because they have three other OF, doesn't mean they're going to trade one. Second, DeJesus doesn't hit lefties well (.276/.339/.377), which really has to be one of the requirements of acquiring a LF. Lastly, I'm not sure the Royals would give him up for cheap, but even if they would, he still makes $4.7 M this season with a $6 M club option or $0.5 M buyout next season. If their budget is truly $2 M, this wouldn't work for the Yankees.

The Yankees could make this work, especially if they're truly not sold on Brett Garnder as as starter. A trade of Chad Gaudin ($2.95 M), Gardner and a minor leaguer for DeJesus would seem to almost make it work player- and salary-wise, but I'm not sure if it truly makes the Yankees a better team. I just think it's another name to throw out there into the mix as the Yankees look to fill one of their final roster spots.
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