It will never be seen if this is why the corner outfielders are performing like they are, but the signing of Gary Sheffield might be the best motivator ever.
Through five games, here are how the starting corner outfielders are performing:
- Daniel Murphy: 8/23 (.348), 2 BB, .400 OBP, 2 RBIs, 7 runs
- Ryan Church: 10/19 (.526), 3 BB, 0 K, .591 OBP, 5 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 runs.
Not too shabby. Sheffield, on the other hand, is 0-1 with a walk and a strikeout in two plate appearances. Sheffield will not play in the field until Wednesday, when he will get the start at Citi Field with Oliver Perez on the mound.
Again, it cannot be known if these players are performing like they are because they don’t want Sheffield to creep up behind them and swipe their roster spot, but it’s entirely possibly and plausible.