Can we please see Brandon Allen now?

Since Mark Grace hung up his cleats, the D-Backs have marched a parade of different players to play first, and most of them have been converted from other positions. Others were part time players only.

First there was Lyle Overbay, who was a natural first baseman. But he only got 86 games to prove it in 2003, and then was shipped to Milwaukee in the Richie Sexson deal. For those of you who may have dozed off during the 2004 season, Richie Sexson was a Diamondback. For 23 games. Then he left for Seattle. And just think, the D-Backs only had to give up 6 players to get him! During Sexson’s injury, the club tried Shea Hillenbrand, who was a third baseman by trade, at first base. In ‘05 it was another third baseman, Chad Tracy, who split time with journeyman Tony Clark. In ‘06 and ‘07, Conor Jackson (outfielder) got a crack at first. In ‘08, Jackson and Tracy split time.

This season, it’s been first baseman by committee again, and unfortunately, nobody seems to want the job on a full-time basis. The platoon of Chad Tracy, Josh Whitesell, Mark Reynolds, Tony Clark and Conor Jackson have produced 13 home runs, 67 rbis and a .230 batting average this season while playing first base. If you take Reynolds out of that equation, D-Backs’ first basemen have hit 7 homers, driven in only 47 runs and a hit at a woeful .202 clip. That’s not going to cut it.

This brings me to my point. The Diamondbacks have a first baseman that they consider the future of the position currently playing at Triple-A Reno. His name is Brandon Allen. And not only is Allen playing in Reno, he’s killing it. In 37 games with the Aces since being acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, Allen is hitting .331 with 12 home runs and 32 runs batted in. He’s a big, powerful left handed hitter who is also murdering left handed pitching (.366).

So really what I really want to know is…why don’t the Diamondbacks just call this guy up now? Why wait until September? At least now, Allen would get eight or nine days of seeing big league pitching before it’s watered down by other teams’ September call-ups. I know its only the difference of a week or so, but damn it, I want to see the future now!

And it’s not like calling him up immediately would hamper the Diamondbacks’ or the Aces’ runs to the playoffs. The Snakes trail by 14.5 games in the National League Wild Card chase, and Reno is 14.5 games out of first in the PCL Pacific South division.

Who would he be taking playing time from? I’d be willing to bet Chad Tracy and Josh Whitesell will not be part of this organization in 2010. And let me again reiterate that this season’s first base platoon is hitting .202! That’s only 38 points higher than the top four pitchers in the Arizona rotation are hitting.

For further proof, I’ll submit the Yankees, Tigers, Angels, Red Sox, Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers and Rockies. What do those teams have in common you may ask? If the season were to end today, those would be the eight teams in the playoffs. What else do they have in common? They all have steady, productive, every-day first baseman. In fact, all 8 teams have first basemen who have driven in 65 runs, and all of them, except Ryan Howard of the Phillies (who is 3rd in the majors with 98 rbis), is hitting .277 or above.

What else is there to look forward to in 2009? Brandon Webb isn’t coming back this season. Dan Haren is no longer a strong candidate for the NL Cy Young Award. Outside of Mark Reynolds chase for 50 homers and 30 steals and the Rodger Clyne and the Peacemakers concert after the game on September 19th, this is all D-Backs’ fans have.

I know we probably won’t see Allen in Sedona red until September 1st. And maybe I’m just coming off as impatient.

Or maybe I’m just tired of watching what I’ve seen at first base this season. And I know I’m not alone in that category.

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