Adam Rubin is reporting that Matt den Dekker is on his way to Las Vegas for the Monday evening game. Den Dekker suffered a fracture in his right wrist fracture late in Spring Training, around March 24th.
In 14 games with the Florida State League club since returning from the fracture, den Dekker hit .276 (16-for-58) with two doubles, four RBIs, three walks and a stolen base. He started off rough but picked it up recently, so now he faces the challenge of adjusting to AAA pitching. He struggled in AAA last year, with a .220 average in 295 at-bats.
If den Dekker can do that much, he may see time with the MLB team sooner rather than later. He’s no offensive force, but he is perhaps the best defensive outfielder we currently have in the organization. That’s no offense to Juan Lagares, who is equally talented defensively. Den Dekker and Lagares have a lot in common, outside of den Dekker being lefty and Lagares being righty.
At worse, we’ll probably see him get a stint on the MLB team in September with the callups at least as a defensive replacement. If I remember correctly, den Dekker isn’t on the 40-man, but that can be easily changed if need be.
Double D was an electrifying centerfielder during the first half of 2012 in Binghamton. He was a highlight reel defensive machine, although I’ve always maintained Juan Lagares glides when tracking down a ball in the outfield so smoothly he makes difficult plays look almost routine.
Double D has great speed, is an excellent baserunner and his pop in his bat. I hope he can cut down on the strikeouts. If he can, we have a good outfield piece.