Dodgers Blue Heaven: It's Official. Welcome to the Blue, Skip "the Squirrel" Schumaker!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

It's Official. Welcome to the Blue, Skip "the Squirrel" Schumaker!

As has been discussed widely throughout the 'net, Skip Schumaker has been traded to the Dodgers for infield prospect Jake Lemmerman. This deal is all about depth. Skip can play a bit of 2nd base and the outfield while providing a good bat from the left side; especially against right-handed pitchers. See his splits from 2012 below from Baseball Reference.

Another thing I wanted to note is that we should all call him "the squirrel." Why's that, you ask?

Well, Skip's one claim to cardboard fame is that he was once shared a Baseball card with a squirrel. See it below.

If I remember correctly, during the 2011 NLDS match against the Phillies a squirrel came scurrying across the field towards Skip Schumaker, who was in the batter box. Right at that moment, Roy Oswalt delivered a pitch, and the little squirrel ran across home plate. Soon, that little guy would be called the "Rally Squirrel," and it quickly became a good luck charm for the Cardinals as they won their 11th World Series title.

Below is the press release announcing the trade below:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired infielder/outfielder Skip Schumaker from St. Louis in exchange for minor league infielder Jake Lemmerman. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.

The eight-year Major League veteran had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, compiling a .288 batting average with 23 home runs and 211 RBI in 810 big league games from 2005-2012. Schumaker, who bats left-handed, has a .305 career batting average against right-handed pitchers and has hit well in the clutch, batting .295 with runners in scoring position and hitting .359 with the bases loaded.

Schumaker has primarily split time between second base (412 games) and the outfield (389 games) in his career, appearing at all three outfield positions. Last season, he played 61 games at second base (.984 fielding percentage), 15 games in center field (1.000 fielding percentage), 10 games in right field (1.000 fielding percentage) and one game in left field (1.000 fielding percentage).

Schumaker has appeared in 22 career postseason games, batting .278 with three doubles and six RBI, and played for the Cardinals' World Series winning clubs in 2006 and 2011.
In 2012, the 32-year-old batted .276 with a homer and 28 RBI in 107 games, including a .295 batting average against right-handers and a .300 mark with runners in scoring position (21-for-70).

Schumaker, who was born in Torrance, attended Aliso Niguel High School (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and the University of California, Santa Barbara before being selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. He and his wife, Lindsey, have a son, Brody, and a daughter, Presley.

Lemmerman, 23, batted .233 with seven home runs and 46 RBI in 116 games with Double-A Chattanooga last season. The Newport Beach, CA native was originally selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Duke University.