Aubrey Huff: Still not a winner

When they were traded to contenders this summer, former Orioles Aubrey Huff and George Sherrill looked like they were shoe-ins for a playoff appearance. 

But as Sherrill prepares to don a Dodgers uniform for a divisional series game against the Cardinals, Aubrey Huff is headed home to watch the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.

Huff was traded this August for pitching prospect Brett Jacobson.  The 32-year old vet hit just .189 in 40 games with the Tigers.  The Tigers hoped Huff would bring left-handed power to the lineup, penciling Huff into the 5 spot as the designated hitter.  But as his season-long slump continued in Motor City, his playing time decreased.

Huff didn’t start Tuesday night’s tiebreaker against the Minnesota Twins.  He made a pinch hit appearance in the late innings, earning a walk when a low pitch barely brushed his shoe laces.  After trotting to first base, Huff was lifted for a pinch runner. 

To date, this is the closest to playoff experience Huff has ever been.  Huff has 1391 hits and 203 career homers in 10 seasons but has spent most of his time in the middle of a cellar-dweller’s lineup. 

After 6 full seasons with Tampa Bay, Huff was traded to Houston in August 2006.  Houston missed the playoffs that year and Huff watched as his former teammates went to the 2008 World Series.

After 2 ½ seasons in Baltimore, Huff praised the young prospects in the Orioles organization but said he was looking forward to playing for a winner.

He’ll have to look long and hard to find a winner to play for next year.  After hitting .304 with 32 home runs in 2008, Huff hit a paltry .241 with 15 dingers in 2009, fading badly when the Tigers needed him late in the year.

It would be unfair to blame a late-season pickup for the Tigers woes.  This is a club, after all, that has been in-fighting with the season on the line.  But when the team needed wins to keep the Twins from nipping at their heals, Huff was 3-26 with no doubles or homers. 

A free agent this offseason, Huff will probably have to sign a relatively small and short-term deal.  As for playing for a winning franchise, he had that chance in 2009, and he couldn’t uphold his end of the deal. 



(examiner.com)