Continuing the rather “ho-hum” offseason here in Boston, the Red Sox have agreed to terms with OF/1B Brad Wilkerson.  The 31-year-old was signed to a minor league deal.

Once upon a time, Wilkerson used to be a decent all-around player.  He had excellent plate discipline, could hit for power, and run the bases, in addition to playing all 3 outfield positions and the occasional first base.  The 25-year-old version of Brad would be exactly what the Red Sox need on the bench.  Alas, Wilkerson’s performance has been gradually declining for the past few years, and last year was his worst (.220/.308/.326).

While normally I wouldn’t bat an eye at a minor league depth signing like this one, I have to ask: where the hell will this guy play?

Pawtucket has the following probable starters for 2009 (courtesy of Soxprospects.com):

DH: Chris Carter
1B: Jeff Bailey
LF: Paul McAnulty
CF: Jon Van Every
RF: Chip Ambres

There is no way that Wilkerson will supplant Bailey, Carter, or Van Every (Pawtucket’s three best hitters, all of whom are better players than Wilkerson at this point).  Wilkerson is best suited for LF at this point in his career, but McAnulty crushed the ball in AAA last year, and performed better than Wilkerson in a brief stint in the majors.  Since they are both left handed, a platoon isn’t ideal.

Barring a trade, the odd man out is probably Chip Ambres.  He’s a few years younger than Wilkerson and has been hitting relatively well in the minors, but has been overmatched during brief MLB trials.  He can’t really play 1B, so his lack of versatility will make him expendable.  Wilkerson is a notable veteran and a reputable clubhouse presence, and the Sox will use him to shepherd some of the other big bats in AAA.

He won’t move ahead of the likes of Bailey & Carter on the OF/1B depth chart (or, if he does, it will be the wrong decision, in my opinion).

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