The Los Angeles Dodgers granted the release of veteran first basemen Doug Mientkiewicz, who was informed last weekend that he would not be making the team. Mientkiewicz, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last December in hopes of making the team as a backup first basemen. There was a chance that Mientkiewicz could have made the team, only if Garrett Anderson would have gotten injured during spring training play.
Last year, Mientkiewicz suffered from a dislocated shoulder, which limited him to only playing in 20 games for the Dodgers last year. In 2008, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit .277/.374/.379 while hitting 2 home runs and driving in 30 runs. For his career, he is a .271/.360/.405 hitter.
In 12 years of service in the majors, Mientkiewicz has been part of 8 different teams, including the world champion Red Sox in 2004. If he can prove that he is healthy, he could be a good addition to a team in need of a quality backup first baseman. While he may not be able to provide much offensive production, he has reputation for being a good fielding first basemen.