Betancourt returns to KC

The Royals have signed Yuniesky Betancourt to a one year deal as a reserve infielder. It’s pretty confusing on the face of it, I had rather assumed we made the Brewers take him as part of our compensation for Greinke. I’ve never seen any convincing evidence that when he goes out to play shortstop he actually knows what the big leather thing on his left hand is or what to do with it. Theoretically his strength is his batting, but he only hit .253 in a year and a half with us. In comparison Alcides Escobar hit .254 last year and saved countless baserunners with his glovework. I know Alcides can’t, or at least shouldn’t, play every game, but I can’t imagine that there aren’t better reserves than Betancourt. Betancourt is an ordinary hitter and a very much sub-ordinary fieldsman. Hopefully he won’t get more than a handful of games in 2012.