HensonWatch 2003: ESPN Insider - "Yanks Grooming E. Almonte for 3B Instead of Henson"

Football could be in Henson's future

By Darrell Trimble
NFL Insider

Will Drew Henson forsake his dream of playing third base for the New York Yankees and decide instead to play professional football? The question has been asked ad nauseum and Henson's reply is always the same, "No." In a recent interview he mentioned the question is getting old, but recent developments in the Yankee organization are sure to give the query new life.

Shortstop prospect Erick Almonte, who earlier in the season replaced the injured Derek Jeter, is now being groomed for a move to third, while Henson might be shifted to the outfield. The timing of such a move signals the team's displeasure with Henson's progress with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

Current third baseman Robin Ventura's average has dropped 40 points over the last month, and he has a history of getting worse after the All-Star break. And given the fact that he's a free agent next year that most likely will not be re-signed, this would be the perfect opportunity for Henson to establish himself as the future keeper of the hot corner in Yankee Stadium.

But one Yankee official feels the Almonte move has less to do with Ventura's struggling bat and more to do with Henson's. Through 89 games this season with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, Henson was hitting .218 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs. He struck out 86 times while walking 17, the worst ratio on the team.

"(Almonte) playing third base has nothing to do with what's going on in New York," a Yankee official told the Bergen (N.J.) Record. "It has everything to do with Drew Henson."

As for moving to the outfield, Henson's agent, Casey Close told the Detroit Free Press: "We haven't heard anything from any Yankees officials, nor has Drew. Nothing has been discussed."

But it's obvious that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who sank $17 million into Henson, is not pleased with his return on investment.

"We've tried to do whatever we can with Drew Henson," Steinbrenner told the New York Times. "Drew Henson was drafted and I was assured for two years in a row . . . that he would be our third baseman, and he has not been ready."

To be fair to Henson, he hasn't focused on baseball solely since 2001. Still, he's had more minor-league at-bats than Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen or Eric Chavez, three other highly touted third basemen drafted out of high school.

Another factor that makes Henson's future in pinstripes murky are the rumors the Yanks could possibly look at signing free agent-to-be Mike Lowell of the Florida Marlins, a former Yankee, at the end of the year.

One person not disappointed to hear about Henson's troubles is Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly. With Henson's progress at a standstill and the organization's confidence in his abilities on the wane, perhaps he might re-think his stance about not wanting to join the Texans, who selected him in the sixth round of April's draft.

The Texans have a roster full of quarterbacks, with Davis Carr, Tony Banks, Mike Quinn and Dave Ragone. The team would like to keep Banks as veteran insurance, but if they were able to get Henson to play football, they would have decisions to make. They could release Quinn, but then they would have to keep four quarterbacks for the season, two of which were rookies. There's no way either Ragone or Henson would clear waivers to make it onto the Texans practice squad.

Another scenario would be the Texans would try to trade Henson to a team for draft picks. Several teams would love to have Henson on their roster to groom for the future.