Washington reels in Marlon

11/18/2005
In a move to strengthen their bench, the Nationals signed free agent infielder Marlon Anderson to a two-year, $1.85 million contract on Friday.
The left-handed-hitting Anderson played for the Mets last season and hit .264 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. But it was his work off the bench that stood out. A career .308 (45-for-146) hitter with seven home runs in the pinch, Anderson went 18-for-56 (.321) with one home run and six RBIs off the bench last season for the Mets.
Anderson, 31, ranked among National League leaders in both pinch-hits and pinch-hit batting average. He also hit .351 (13-for-37) with one home run and three RBIs against the Nationals.
"I consider Marlon like Lenny Harris," general manager Jim Bowden said. "He has adjusted from being an everyday player to a guy coming off the bench. He also has good makeup."
Anderson, who was an everyday player with the Phillies and Devil Rays, said he was able to adjust to the role as a pinch-hitter starting in 2004 because of Mitchell Page, who is now the Nationals' Minor League hitting coordinator. Anderson and Page worked together in 2004 when they were with the Cardinals.
"It's the mental adjustments," Anderson said. "It's accepting the role. After not playing every day, I could have easily given up and jeopardized my career. Mitch is a hard-working guy. He will do whatever you need and he is positive. You can't beat that. He was a guy that was willing to work with everybody from me to Albert Pujols."
The Anderson signing was made in part because Washington didn't have a pinch-hitter who could hit for power and drive in runs off the bench. Anderson can play first base, second base and the outfield, and a player of his caliber was needed this past season when second baseman Jose Vidro and first baseman Nick Johnson went on the disabled list.
The Nationals had to use Jamey Carroll to replace Vidro and Carlos Baerga to play in Johnson's spot. Neither Carroll nor Baerga had the consistency that Anderson provided for the Mets. Washington even tried to use Ryan Church as one of its main pinch-hitters, but he had a tough time adjusting to the role.
The Anderson signing also means that the Nationals have a plethora of backup infielders, including Carroll, Damian Jackson, Bernie Castro, Junior Spivey, Brendan Harris, Rick Short and Tony Blanco. This gives Washington the leverage to trade some of these backup infielders. Carroll and Spivey are the two players most likely to be dealt before the start of Spring Training.
Carroll, a Frank Robinson favorite, said he realizes he is in for some stiff competition if he isn't dealt.
"It makes it tougher to find a spot and see where I fit on this team," Carroll said. "We signed a couple of infielders. For the team, it strengthens the club. Anderson is a good role player. He has done a great job wherever he has been."
Anderson said he signed with the Nationals because the team showed interest in him the moment he filed for free agency.
"They let it be known that they had interest in me. Things with New York didn't pan out the way I thought," Anderson said. "The Nationals gave me an offer. With the things that I do [off the bench], I thought it was a fair deal. It was more than anybody else was offering."
"We made a good attempt to sign him," Mets GM Omar Minaya said. "We brought him in last year as a non-roster guy and he was a guy who did a good job for us. Washington went to two years with him and we felt that for that kind of role, we'd like to stay with one year."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/