After hitting .149 in 105 plate appearances, Mike Cameron was designated for assignment by the Red Sox. At 38 years old, his career might be over. I hope not, and I'm guessing some team will give him a chance to see if he can still hit left-handed pitching.

Maybe the Mariners -- where he had his best days -- will give him a shot. They're desperate for a right-handed bat who can play left field or DH. He's only hitting .143 against lefties in 63 at-bats this year, so I wouldn't hold out hope, but he did hit .357 and slug .690 in limited action last season against lefties (42 at-bats).

I'm biased since Cameron was one of my favorite Mariners, but I always felt he was one of the most underrated players of the past decade. He didn't hit for high averages, but he drew walks, had good power, played superb defense and ran the bases well. He came over from the Reds as the centerpiece in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade, and Mariners fans of course howled in disgust about a guy they knew little about. But the fans quickly fell in love with his big smile and energetic game. His first year in Seattle, in 2000, he hit .267, but scored 96 runs, drove in 78 and outshone Griffey in center field. The dude simply ran down everything. The next season, Cameron drove in 110 runs, made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove during the Mariners' dream 116-win season. In 2002, he hit four home runs in a game and just missed a fifth.

One of my favorite memories of 2001 was a game against the Giants right after the All-Star break. Cammy was on second base in extra innings of a tie game. The batter hit a grounder up the middle that the San Francisco shortstop made a diving stop on. Cammy kept on churning around third base; before the shortstop realized what was happening, it was too late. That play summed up that season: A team that was collectively greater than the sum of its parts. It did do all the little things right.

His $15.5 million, two-year deal with the Red Sox proved a colossal disaster for Boston, as it got only 81 games and less than 300 PAs of poor production. He became a baseball vagabond after leaving the Mariners, going to the Mets, Padres, Brewers and Red Sox, and his clean image was affected by a positive test for a banned stimulant (not a steroid) after the 2007 season.

But he had a nice career -- 272 home runs, 950 RBIs, more than 1,000 runs scored, three Gold Gloves. If he's done, he can walk away with that smile of his.

And thanks for 2001.

Follow David on Twitter @dschoenfield.