No other current Dodger player has been with the club longer than Jason Repko. Think about that for a second. The 29-year old outfielder has a .297 career on base percentage, and has amassed all of 27 major league plate appearances in the last three seasons, but has outlasted everybody. Back in January, I took a look at Repko's longevity:
In the last 25 years, just eight Dodgers drafted or signed as an amateur have spent as many as ten consecutive years in the organization.
Player Date Signed Date Left Years Jason Repko 6/3/99 --- 10+ Eric Gagne 7/26/95 left after 2006 11 Adrian Beltre 7/7/94 left after 2004 10 Darren Dreifort 6/3/93 retired after 2005 12 Paul LoDuca 6/3/93 7/30/04 11 Eric Karros 6/17/88 12/4/02 14 Raul Mondesi 6/6/88 11/8/99 11 Dave Hansen 6/5/86 left after 1996 10
I mistakenly left Hong-Chih Kuo off the list, as he signed with the Dodgers just two weeks after Repko.
Amazingly, after 11 years in the organization, Repko still has an option year left. As such, he provides insurance in case one of the outfielders get hurt, and can be essentially stashed in the minors in the meantime. As a consolation, with over three years of service time, Repko gets paid a major league salary -- $500,000 this season, just like last year -- whether he is in Los Angeles or Albuquerque.
Repko had a golden opportunity to get some major league experience in 2009, but he was hurt during Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension and never got his chance, at least not until his September call up.
Repko's value lies in his defense. He has a rocket arm, and has a reputation for being versatile enough to play all three outfield spots well. His career UZR/150 in left field is well below average, at negative 24.9, but the 195 career innings suggest a small sample size. His UZR/150 in center field is +19.7 in 598 innings, so I would think with enough innings, Repko's defense in left field would be good as well.
Repko, a right-handed batter, is on the wrong side of the platoon advantage, with so relatively few left-handed pitchers to face. He has hit southpaws well in the minors in the last two seasons (per MinorLeagueSplits.com):
| Repko vs LHP in AAA | |||||
| Year | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2008 | 142 | .341 | .430 | .602 | 1.032 |
| 2009 | 125 | .305 | .344 | .585 | .929 |
Contract Status
Repko signed a one-year deal for $500,000 for 2010. He can earn up to $137,500 in incentives, based on plate appearances.
2010 Outlook
| Year | Age | 2B | HR | Runs | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 2008 (AAA) | 27 | 26 | 12 | 89 | 50 | .283 | .373 | .449 | .365 |
| 2008 (MLB) | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .250 | .222 | .235 |
| 2009 (AAA) | 28 | 20 | 16 | 70 | 47 | .277 | .329 | .471 | .354 |
| 2009 (MLB) | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .143 | .000 | .140 |
| 2010 Projections - Age 29 Season | |||||||||
| CHONE | 17 | 8 | 50 | 31 | .227 | .298 | .359 | .293 | |
| Marcel | 10 | 5 | 24 | 23 | .251 | .322 | .399 | .319 | |
| Baseball HQ | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | .221 | .263 | .364 | ||
| ZiPS | 17 | 9 | 54 | 42 | .233 | .298 | .360 | ||
Repko is next in line should one of the outfielders get hurt. If Garret Anderson beats out Doug Mientkiewicz for a bench spot, I don't expect him to play very much outfield, but he would play just enough to move Repko a little bit further down the depth chart. I'll guess .245/.309/.367 in 58 PA for Repko, who will spend most of his season with the Isotopes.
What are your predictions for Jason Repko (BA/OBP/SLG)? Be sure to also guess the number of plate appearances, too.