A Brief Argument for Russell Branyan

The Yankees do not appear to have a need for a designated hitter - particularly a lefty with fairly pronounced platoon splits. They are also unlikely to have more than four players on the bench at any given time, all but negating the possibility of carrying a player with no positional flexibility. However, I cannot help but relish the thought of Russell the Muscle suiting up for the Yankees. Consider the following spray chart:

I am not sure that there is another player in Major League Baseball whose swing is more well-suited for Yankee Stadium than Branyan. His prodigious power to right field is well-known to many Yankee fans, on the strength of his upper deck blast last season. Digging a bit deeper, Branyan boasts a .556 SLG for his career in Yankee Stadium, including nine home runs in only eighty-nine at-bats. Consider the right field corner in Branyan's spray chart, move the fence in about twenty feet, and imagine the possibilities.

In the end, this is nothing more than a pipe dream in the midst of a slow news cycle ... but it's a pleasant dream.