Paul Lo Duca, Dallas McPherson Wandering Desert

There's nothing better to awaken a hitter like wandering in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, if former major leaguers Paul Lo Duca and Dallas McPherson are any indication.

No sooner than being cut by the Nationals for lack of productivity, the one-time Dodgers star catcher arrived at Triple A Albuquerque with a flourish, knocking out 11 hits in his first 26 at-bats for a .423 average. If Lo Duca keeps it up, he should gain some attention from Marlins front office executives, who are carrying him as a deep reserve during the ongoing pennant race.

But not necessarily.

The Marlins have been content to let McPherson -- the former Angels third baseman of the future -- waste away in the minors all season; this despite his 40 homers, three triples, 17 doubles, 70 walks and 91 RBI in just 399 at-bats.

Run production in the Pacific Coast League must be somewhat discounted, as the desert air tends to inflate offensive numbers. Moreover, McPherson also has been held back because he is playing behind Jorge Cantu, who is in the midst of a career year playing third base with the parent club.

Playing in Albuquerque, McPherson labors under the terms of a minor league contract, a distinct discount from what he would be paid if called to the majors. The team, however, reportedly has denied that money is a consideration, despite the fact that McPherson might have come in handy from time to time throughout the year, most notably when a designated hitter was needed during interleague play.

Dallas McPherson Passed Over Despite 23 Homers

If ever there was a golden opportunity to give slugger Dallas McPherson even a momentary return to the majors, it would have been when the Marlins were in need of a designated hitter while visiting Oakland for interleague play.

Yet McPherson -- switched from the outfield back to third base for Triple A Albuquerque -- was rejected again, despite his hitting another pair of home runs during the past week to lead the Pacific Coast League with 23, with an outstanding .300 batting average.

The Marlins continue to look at McPherson and other callup candidates, if for no other reason than to find players who can help reduce the team's .976 fielding percentage, worst in the majors, and number of errors, now at 65, second only to Texas.

Ironically, McPherson's primary rival is corner infielder Jorge Cantu, who has a hot bat but leads the team with 14 errors. Cantu's fielding alone would seem to be enough of a reason to give McPherson a shot, but McPherson has 11 errors for Albuquerque, though the total may be misleading as those miscues came when McPherson was learning a new position in left field.

It will be interesting to see whether McPherson's number of errors are more tolerable now that he has moved back to third base, and whether the move will raise his value. If not, indications are McPherson will continue to labor in obscurity until an injury or the September roster expansion changes his outlook.