himeji jo

I'm curious why Scott Thorman's name doesn't come up more often. The majority, it seems at this point, give Nelson the upper hand in winning a backup 1b/of spot on the roster when, in fact, Thorman is at least equally capable. Really, and I don't doubt this has been discussed before here, after looking at the two it's a bit eery how similar they are. Left handed hitters, born in '82, Nelson is 6'2" 220 while Thorman is 6'3" 235, last year in AAA Nelson played 103 games at 1B 8 games at 3B and 7 games in the outfield while Thorman played 75 at 1B 13 at 3B and 8 in the OF. In 8 minor league seasons Nelson has 101 HR 524 RBI and an OPS of 786, while Thorman, in 7 minor league seasons, has 99HR 433 RBI and the exact same 786 OPS. Nelson has a good amount more experience in the outfield, but Thorman has 415 AB and 858 Innings in the majors. So is it Nelson's perceived versatility and home-grown status that gives him what I read to be a significant edge?