Helms Acquisition Aids Marlins

On Saturday the Florida Marlins aquired 3rd and 1st base specialist Wes Helms marking his second stint with the team. Now, I'm not going to make a predition as to how good he'll be stastically because ASponge has already done so. However, I think in his return to the Marlins, Helms will be a tremendous asset for three reasons.


1. Wes is a veteran guy.

The Marlins are a team of up-start young players who could learn a lot from Helms. In 2006 all of the Marlin starts like Hanley, Uggla, Willingham, Jacobs... were in their rookie seasons. Helms was there too. I'm not suggesting that he was the reason that Florida exceeded expectations that year and remained in the playoff hunt through September. But I do believe his solid play was a major contribution to the team as well as his leadership abilities off the field. Helms is known to be one of the greatest guys in the clubhouse.


2. Helms is a strong presence in the position of back-up 1st and 3rd baseman.

Everyone knows that Mike Jacobs is a very good baseball player at 1st, but I would hardly expect that kind of opinion from most fans about Jorge Cantu at 3rd. In a game against the Mets this year, Manager Fredi Gonzalez decided to move Alfredo Amezaga to third base and put Jorge Cantu at 1st. Not that Cantu can't play 1st, but wouldn't you like to see another guy come in for that role? With Helms on the bench, there is always a sense of security. He can come in for Cantu or Jacobs at anytime. This concept probably pushes Cantu to try even harder because he knows he could receive less playing time if he doesn't provide at the plate.


3. It doesn't hurt to have another good pinch-hitter.

Over the years, Wes Helms has shown a remarkable ability to come through when needed in the pinch-hitting role. It's always nice to have that extra guy available (it was Aaron Boone last year). Not that I'm at all upset with the contributions of Robert Andino or Jason Wood (who was sent down with Helms joining the team) in that role, but Helms is more mature and we've seen what he can do.

All in all, Helms could be a major difference in the play of the Marlins this season. His swing may be slowing down, but they said the same thing about our buddy Lenny Harris.