Getting Knott here is half the battle

Jon Knott has been huge since he was called up from AAA Norfolk earlier this week. In that time, Knott has gone 3-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI,
3 R, and 1 BB.

Now he needs to make it past the ominous roster move that will happen when Jay Payton comes off the DL soon. And anyone familiar with the Orioles knows that Knott is in danger of being sent back down to Norfolk so Freddie Bynum can stick around in Baltimore to bunt and play the OF in the 8th and 9th inning.

Oh, the horror.

Now compare Knott's numbers to Bynum's: 3-13 with 1 HR and 4 RBI since the beginning of the season.

Essentially, Jon Knott has equalled Bynum's production in only 5 plate appearances. But this should come as no surprise. Knott's .901 OPS in the minor leagues translates into production at the MLB level, it's just uncertain how much production that will mean. But you can be absolutely certain it will mean more production than Bynum.

And with Jay Payton coming off the DL any day now, the question remains: Who will stay and who will go?

This should be a no-brainer, but come on. This is the Orioles we're talking about.

While Bynum hasn't been as awful as expected, he is still a one-dimensional light-hitting speedster, and left-handed at that. And in a line-up that has consistently struggled against LHP and already has too many LH hitters in the line-up, Bynum just doesn't fit. He's basically a faster but worse hitting version of Corey Patterson.

Jon Knott can crush LHP and in only 5 plate appearances, he's already proven that he deserves to stay over Bynum. Knott might not be Willie Mays in the OF, but he is no worse than Jay Gibbons or Kevin Millar, who have both seen playing time in LF this season.

Bynum's speed and defense will be missed, but his weak hitting will not be. It's time we improve this team against LHP, or else we'll be hard-pressed to get above .500 for the first time in 10 years.

Are you hearing this Sam?