Sticking Points 2047.4: Rockville Brings Po-Sin Shi Back

[aaronweiner]

The Rockville Pikemen traded for Po-sin Shi as a trial of sorts. Suffering from a serious lack of defense and a need for a lefty hitting centerfielder, Rockville was pleasantly surprised to see Shi put up a .372 OBP last season in 39 games for the Pikemen last year after acquiring him from Nashville for a minor league arm, much higher than his stints in Las Vegas and Nashville. With that kind of success in tow, Rockville wasted no time this offseason signing the veteran outfielder to a three year deal with a fourth-year team option to hold down the centerfield position.

"I'm thrilled to be back in Rockville," said Shi. "They gave me a chance on a contending team when it seemed like everyone else had given up on me."

Rockville GM Aaron Weiner appeared thrilled with the move.

"We were very excited to get a player like Po-sin, and we were pleased he signed right away when we came with a competitive offer," said Rockville GM Aaron Weiner. "He's going to fill multiple needs for us."

Shi's final numbers against righties are starter level, and it is extremely likely that the centerfielder will play only against righthanded pitching. That's fine with the Pikemen.

"We know he's at a point in his career that he's not going to play against lefties, and that's fine with us," said Rockville manager Denny Dooley. "We know how valuable he is, and he's going to be a great defensive presence for us at the 8."

With Shi playing only against righties, he will have a chance to improve even on the solid numbers he posted with the Pikemen. Shi hit just .244 with Rockville and slugged just .311 with the team, and he could easily improve on both of those numbers this season. Along with those numbers and his defense, Shi also posted almost a full win above replacement in 39 games, meaning there's a realistic possibility he might return to his 4-WAR ways with Sacramento/California.

"If you look at Po-sin's numbers with that franchise when he was one of the best outfielders in baseball, you'll notice that he never had 500 at bats in a season," said Weiner. "We're not expecting him to hit 20 homers, but we think he can put up outstanding numbers against righty pitching."

Shi's contract is heavily frontloaded; he will count just $5.5 million against the cap in 2048 and 2049 with a team option for 2050, which fits in with the Rockville cap during that time and provides a relatively easy escape for the Pikemen if he doesn't work out. The Shi deal means that this is almost surely the last season in a Rockville uniform for Gilberto Falchonelli, who is expected to start in left field this year.

Shi believes that he can make a difference for Rockville.

"Rockville came strong and came with the sort of deal I wanted," said Shi. "It's nice to have a franchise that believes in you. I definitely believe in myself, and I'm going to prove my critics wrong."

[Dington]

Good luck. Hope he repeats that success for you. Maybe it’s something in The water there.

[aaronweiner]

Good luck. Hope he repeats that success for you. Maybe it’s something in The water there.

No idea. But he ought to outperform Luis Jimenez.