"40 in 40" - McDonald, Darnell

Darnell McDonald - #54 (OF)

Bats: Right, Throws: Right

Age: 32, Size: 5'11" 205 lbs

Acquired: Signed as a FA on November 24th, 2009

Contract: Pre-Arb (0.148 Service Time)

Comments: McDonald, the former first round pick of the Orioles, has bounced through 6 organizations prior to being signed by Boston for outield depth prior to the 2010 season. No one would have ever predicted that Darnell would end up in 117 games with the major league club, logging 393 PAs. McDonald put up some solid numbers with the bat in his replacement role with a 0.760 OPS (0.342 wOBA). His fielding left a lot to be desired but again, McDonald did oh so much more than anticipated. Darnell knows the minor leagues very well as he has logged 5699 PAs over his career with a 0.737 OPS.

Career Stats:

PA: 519

BA: 0.258

OBP: 0.318

SLG: 0.399

OPS: 0.717

wOBA: 321

wRC+: 96

WAR: 0.6

Unique Stats/Facts: McDonald was ranked as the #21 prospect in baseball by BA in 1998. McDonald in his last season at AAA for the Reds, put up a 0.386 wOBA in 304 PAs.

Analysis: McDonald and Daniel Nava are slotted to battle it out for what likely is the 5th outfielder slot on the 25-man roster. Look for Darnell to beat out Nava, primarily due to he experience and what he did last year for the club. 300+ PAs are out of the question barring another slew of injures to the outfield.

Projection (James): 0.271/0.327/0.417/0.744 - 0.328 wOBA 

Tomorrow:  Daniel Nava