Written by Rich Swerbinsky

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Can someone explain to me why Aaron Boone is still starting at third base for this team each night? The Indians are out of the playoff race, and he is clearly not going to be this teams third baseman next season. Each at bat he gets robs prized prospect Andy Marte of valuable experience, and the Tribe brass of evaluation time of said prospect. It's Marte Time. Aaron Boone is a good guy.  A great teammate.  And he has a very hot wife.

(Just google 'Laura Cover')

What he is not ... is this teams starting third baseman next season.

Boonie is one of those guys you want to pull for, but it's just hard to watch him anymore.  The knee injury he suffered the off-season after dramatically killing the Red Sox (as a member of the Yankees) with his epic game seven ALCS walk off homer has stripped him of the speed that allowed him to steal 32 bases in 2002 as a member of the Reds.  The loss of speed coupled with a decline in power has morphed Boonie into a singles hitter. Boone has just 20 extra base hits on the season, and just four home runs.

Boone has also become a liability in the field.  His range continues to shrink, and his normally reliable glove is going on him as well.  Boone's 14 errors rank him third in all of major league baseball, behind just Rickie Weeks and Rafael Furcal.  His .932 fielding percentage is downright abysmal.   

Last nights three error debacle will hopefully force the hand of blood brothers Shapiro and Wedge to finally call up Andy Marte. 

Marte has been on a tear as of late in AAA Buffalo, using a June surge to raise his average to .271.  Marte also has 13 home runs, and 17 doubles ... ranking amongst the league leaders in both categories.  Marte is also known as a slick fielding thrid baseman, and even with just 66 at bats of major league experience, it's hard not to assume he would be an immediate upgrade over Boone both in the field, and at the plate.

The Tribe brass has done a good job getting some of their young prospects playing time once things started to go south.  I felt the team would continue to profess they were still in it, and continue to run the Johnsons, Graves, Motas, Boones, and Hollandsworths of the world out there on a regular basis.  I'm glad I was wrong.  It's been fun to watch Jeremy Sowers, Joe Inglett, Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez, and Edward Mujica.

But the time is now to make the move with Marte.  Enough is enough with Boone.  Every at bat he gets the rest of the way just robs our 2007 third baseman of valuable experience, and the Tribe brass of crucial evaluation time of said prospect.