Where is my pitchfork…

He seems like he would project as a below average but well above replacement 2B. In 2008, the average AL 2B hit 282/339/410 (749 OPS). The suggested 270/350/380 line above would make him about league average with the bat, as it is almost exactly what Aki Iwamura hit (274/349/380), which was good for a .338 wOBA and 1.1 BRAA (706 PA). His defensive reputation is below average for a 2B, so if that means -5 runs below average, you could live with it, but if that means more than -10 runs below average, it cancels out most of his bat. He had a huge platoon split this year (543 v. LHP, 987 v. RHP), but his career minor league split is not as drastic (745 v. LHP, 830 v. RHP). And at least it is the more favorable side of the platoon.

Overall, assuming his defense is merely below average and not lousy, he sounds like more of a platoon or heavily-used bench player than a full-time starter.

He might take over Bloomquist’s role on the team, but he would not be the next Willie Bloomquist.

… that he was effectively swapped for Asdrubal Cabrera + Shin-Soo Choo. But I think that grates on some fans,. I alsothink that many of us fear that somehow the Mariners will try to project Hulett as a front-line player in an attempt to feel as if they salvaged something from those ill-conceived trades.

that the M’s have Jose Lopez – who has more offensive potential – and Luis Valbuena behind him. Valbuena could develop into a hitter with a higher true-talent OBP and comparable power. He’s also a better defender at 2B.

Tug’s value was that he could play a not-vomitous shortstop. As a 2B, he’s far enough down the depth chart that it doesn’t really matter. I like Hulett; he’s fun to watch, he plays both MI positions, he’s got decent gap power. I’m just not really sure how he contributes unless it’s as a stop-gap utility infielder or 2b assuming Lopez gets traded in the off-season.