The Rites of Spring Training: Infielders

The Reds' questions at spring training about a No. 5 starter, closer and third outfielder have overshadowed the peril that was the team's infield defense in 2006. Without significant improvement with the glove within the first 120 feet of the diamond, the Reds cannot--and will not--compete for the NL Central.

Correcting the core issue was Krivsky's major offseason move, signing shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Most fans went Saturn V on this deal because of the contract (3 years, $14M) and the Fantasy League mentality nowadays that shortstops ain't worth a hoo unless they hit 25 homers and drive in 110.

What Gonzalez brings is nearly 10 years' experience of steadiness in the field, gaining raves from his stops in Florida and Boston, and abroad. Said Reds legend Dave Concepcion: "The fans in Cincinnati are going to love Alex Gonzalez because this kid can really play, even better than me."

What worries Reds fans is the loss of offense the team suffered last year with "The Trade" and the fact Felipe Lopez is only 26 and still developing as an everyday player. But his defense was killing the pitching staff, which lost confidence in him and he sulked. Now, some scouts say Gonzalez has lost a step, plus he's a good candidate for 100 strikeouts.

Let this be clear: If Gonzalez makes the routine plays that Lopez could not, the pitching staff won't give a flip about that extra step.

So, barring injuries, the Reds will leave Sarasota with Scott Hatteberg and Jeff Conine splitting first base, Brandon Phillips at second base, Gonzalez at shortstop and Edwin Encarnacion at third.

The Reds got a whopping 25 errors by their shortstops in 2005 (14 by Lopez, 7 by Clayton) and 17 by their second basemen (16 by Phillips). Then, coupled with the 25 made by EE at third, it's clear why the Reds were 28th in total defense, 24th in double plays and 14th in unearned runs. Coupled with being 29th in homers allowed and 26th in hits allowed, how in the world did this team stay in the race as long as it did?

So, what we should like about the infield is the potential of Gonzalez and Phillips up the middle. Phillips' range is terrific and we saw him make so many dynamite plays. That most of his errors were on seemingly routine plays has the coaching staff gushing of Phillips being a potential Gold Glover.

Let's say the Reds cut those errors from shortstop and second from 41 to 25. How many runs does that save? How many games does that win? The guess: three more wins.

Now, look at EE. We see he has great hands. We also see he has troubled footwork. The notion of moving him to first is preposterous. He's only 24 and in his second full season as a starter. Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs are recent reminders of porous third basemen who turned into Gold Glovers. So let's give Eddie more than 12 minutes in the big leagues before anyone starts screaming about moving him to first like Tony Perez . . . who wasn't moved until age 30.

If Eddie cuts his errors to 15, what will that mean in terms of wins? One, two, three games? But to me, the bigger issue with EE for now is One vs. Another. With the Reds' heaviness of lefthanders in the middle of the batting order (Hatteberg, Griffey and Dunn), Eddie will likely be needed as the cleanup guy for stretches. Will the offensive burden impact his defensive progress?

The platoon of Hatteberg and Conine doesn't excite too many people because of their age and lack of mobility. But we all know they are stopgaps for Joey Votto, who one columnist has pondered: What if Votto earns a job in spring training? Good question, but it won't matter. Votto is going to Louisville this year.

The utility roles go to Ryan Freel, if he isn't traded, and Juan Castro. We all know by now that Freel can't play everyday, and given his need in the outfield, his time in the infield will likely be spotty. But, mercy, he can flat out play third and he's a solid breather for Phillips at second for a few games.

Castro generated a lot of inflamed bloggers last year. Some were upset the Reds re-acquired him from Minnesota, claiming it was a Krivsky love affair with former Twins (ridiculous). Others couldn't understand the contract extension for a backup infielder who doesn't hit much (look closer). And then, when Gonzalez was signed, the world fell apart because many believed the Reds already had a no-hit, good-field shortstop in Castro who was a lot cheaper (contemplate).

Here's what Castro is: He's the best defensive utility infielder in the game and perfect for late-inning replacements/double-switches. Or, if there is an injury, he fills in aptly.

Here's what Casto is not: An everyday player. But in his role, as defined, he's terrific.

The other infielder is Jeff Keppinger, who came from the Royals in a minor offseason deal and has a penchant for putting the bat on the ball (only 13 strikeouts in 176 ABs) and carries a little pop (5 homers). Keppinger is viewed as mostly a pinch-hitter who can play all four infield positions, and even a corner outfield slot in an emergency.

Still, if Keppinger makes the squad it likely means two very important things: Freel's time in the infield might be limited so he can platoon in the outfield, and Josh Hamilton makes the squad as the primary lefty off the bench.

Otherwise, the Keppinger deal is one of those that costs a deserving and popular young player (Ray Olmedo) his spot in the organization and fans scratch their noggings wondering, "why?"

NEXT: The Bullpen

The Rites of Spring Training: Outfielders

While everyone is talking about the competition for No. 5 starter and the closer situation as the Reds start reporting to Sarasota, I find the outfield morass more interesting. There are all these plots (moving Griffey) and subplots (leadoff, batting order, platoons, righty or lefty?) while you can never rule out a spring trade, as Krivsky has proven adept. One thing is for sure: Finding that third outfielder has been a fruitless priority thus far.

The Reds have 9 1/2 outfielders in camp. Dewayne Wise is the only non-roster invitee and has little chance of making the club. He failed in his brief times with the Reds last year and he's competing with Josh Hamilton, Bubba Crosby and Chris Dickerson as left-handed pinch-hitters or spot starting.

Anyway, we all know the two big issues of the outfield: Will Griffey move to right field? And how will the right field or center field slot be replaced?

Look at the candidates: Ryan Freel, Chris Denorfia and Norris Hopper. Do those options make anyone feel that much better? By now we know Freel simply can't play 140 games because he wears himself loose. All the minor league geeks keep harping for Denorfia, based on his minors numbers, but big league teams don't hand a starting job to a minors guy without him earning it--usually through time as a backup with spot starts tossed in.

Personally, I liked Hopper--a lot--during his September call-up. He had a good winter season, too, and he can flat out hit, which segues to the overview of the outfield situation.

1.) The Third Party--For the most part, the third outfielder needs to be righthanded because the lineup is already littered with lefties--and lefties who fit into specific slots (Hatteberg at 2, 6 or 7; Griffey at 3; Dunn at 5-6. This is no small issue.

So who bats leadoff and who bats cleanup?

The guess here is that should the outfield roster remain the same (doubtful), Freel and Hopper or Denorfia get most of the starts at leadoff. The cleanup slot goes to Edwin Encarnacion to break up the lefties.

2.) No Joshing?--The Reds need to keep Hamilton for a year or lose him to the Devil Rays. Tampa Bay wants him back and a trade is going to be relatively costly. Narron has said Hamilton will play everyday in Florida, accumulating 80-100 ABs, so they can make an honest evaluation of his work in progress. If Hamilton's skills have eroded to the point he'll never recover, it's an easy decision. But if he shows he might be serviceable in 2-3 years, the Reds have to keep him on the 25-man this year and find a way to get him some playing time during the summer.

Many bloggers have said Krivsky will hide Hamilton on the DL so they can send him to the minors for rehab. Tampa Bay is having none of that. Besides, if Hamilton gets 100 ABs in spring training it'll be hard for the Reds to quantify an "injury" so they can shuffle Hamilton to the minors.

If Hamilton has a remotely decent spring, he sticks on the 25-man as the left-handed extra outfielder.

3.) Right of Center--A lot of fans are slobbering for the move of Griffey to right field. If Junior is healthy he might remain the best option in center field. Yeah, his range has declined, his arm has petered and he has to be replaced 40 games a year regardless. But the thinking here is Griffey in center is a better option than Griffey in right, where he has never played, where his arm will require two cutoff men, and a new position usually affects a veteran player at the plate.

On a side note, I thought Narron played Griffey and Dunn to death last year. Would each be more productive or healthier if they got 2-3 games off a month?

4.) The Conine Factor--Way too many of you look at Jeff Conine's age and size, and recoil in horror at the thought of him playing the outfield. As someone who has seen Conine live more than 250 games, rest assured he can play the corner slots. And he will play them some for the Reds, maybe as much as 25 games, and perhaps even some in the 4-hole of the order.

Yes, Conine's primary duties will be right-handed 1b and pinch-hitting. But he's got a lot of B.J. Surhoff in him: always in great shape, knows where to position himself, makes very few errors, runs great routes to balls, always makes the fundamental play. There's a reason why so many championship-caliber teams want him for the postseason, and you'll see why. This was a terrific signing.

In the long run, Conine, unwitting to most fans, will be one-half an outfielder and get around 300 ABs this year.

5.) Let's Make a Deal--The Reds have too many relievers (Cormier, Belisle, Shackelford) and Freel has some market. The signing of Jeff Keppinger seems piddly on the surface. But what that move indicates is Keppinger and Castro will now handle any backup infield duties, making Freel expendable for the right trade. Would you scream at a deal of Freel and Votto for the Rockies' Matt Holliday?

Next: The Infield

Reds Sign Herman Munster to 4-Year Deal

It was snowing Eskimos and malamutes in Cincinnati when the Reds announced they had signed Aaron Harang to a four-year, $36.5 million extension. The irony of the weather should not be lost on anyone because there was no shortage of baseball insiders (and fans) who believed Harang would go home to San Diego, where it was 65 degrees and partly cloudy today, when he became a free agent in 2009.

The signing brings to close a strange offseason for Harang, whose agents, the Levinson boys, submitted a remarkably low arbitration figure of $5.5 million for a pitcher who led the NL in wins, complete games and strikeouts. The Reds countered at $4.25 mil and most everyone thought, "huh?"

Cheap bastards . . . always on the cheap in Cincinnati.

You had to figure the Levinsons would come in higher by a million or so, especially after the ludicrous contracts given Gil Meche and Jason Marquis this offseason. But what this told the Reds was Harang wanted to stay in Cincinnati, that he was content with the raise from his $2.35 mil in 2005, and Krivsky absolutely had to get him penned for the long term while the mood was right.

The signing also quiets the Krivsky bashers--momentarily--who have been screaming for this deal and a few blockbusters this offseason. If you listened to the bloggers, Krivsky is the biggest idiot this side of Stan Laurel, but the finger-pointers still fail to recognize that Krivsky works quietly, behind the scenes, and with a certain diligence. Just because he's not quoted each week in the national baseball columns doesn't mean Krivsky's got his ass in a La-Z-Boy 24/7 eating Cheetos.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Undoubtedly, Reds fans are elated with this signing, fearing Harang would bolt. But I never understood this irrational emotion because, well, the Reds still held him for two years via arbitration. But hey, four's better than two, and five is better than four if Harang continues to grow and the mutual option is picked up in 2011.

The four-year average of the deal comes out to about $9.2 mil, which is a damn bargain for a No. 1 starter in today's market. But Chris at Redleg Nation made a great point when he said the average is really just under the $12 mil a year Harang will average in the final two years because he would likely achieve his new salaries ($4.25 mil in 2007, $6.75 mil in '08) via arbitration.

So now three questions arise:

1.) Is Harang really a No. 1 starter, the guy you can count on to beat the other team's No. 1 on a regular basis? Plus, by 2009 you figure Homer Bailey to be the No. 1 starter. Harang will be making some hefty change to be No. 2 or 3 in the rotation. But perhaps $12 mil a year for a No. 2 starter will be about right by then.

2.) Is Krivsky content with his starting seven (right field: wide open) or does he turn his attention to that glaring hole in the outfield and the middle of the batting order? Think right-handed bat. Big bat.

3.) Does anyone else think Harang looks like a young Fred Gwynne of Herman Munster fame?

You know, Gwynne without the monster makeup.

Or with it.

The Rites of Spring Training: Pitchers

It's been a long time since I posted and I apologize. It was a very busy work schedule from NFL training camp to the end of the first round of NFL playoffs. But I hope to make more regular posts this season, especially as interesting storylines develop.

So I start off with the first in a series of posts about the roster heading to Sarasota. This edition? Pitchers. The Reds have 55 players in camp, including 27 pitchers, 7 catchers and 288 infielders.

The 40-man roster pitchers are: Arroyo, Belisle, Bray, Jared Burton, Coffey, Cormier, Jon Coutlangus, Phil Dumatrait, Harang, Bobby Livingston, Lohse, Majewski, Calvin Medlock, Milton, EZ, Kirk Saarloos, Shackelford, Mike Stanton and Weathers.

The non-roster invitees are: Homer Bailey, Mike Gosling, Jason Kershner, Brian Meadows, Victor Santos, Tom Shearn, Paul Wilson and Mr. Ed.

Wait, I think Mr. Ed was an outfielder.

Anyway, the obvious question is whether the Reds keep three catchers and go a man short in the bullpen. I say no way and Moeller will end up released or in the minors as insurance against injury to Ross or Valentin.

So, for argument’s sake, let’s say 12 pitchers go north. The obvious are: Harang, Arroyo, Milton, Lohse, Coffey, Stanton and Weathers.

Some of you may say what about Cormier, Bray, Majewski, Belisle and a few others? I'm not convinced Krivsky is finished tinkering with the roster and there could be trades, releases, injuries and all sorts of goodies, such as Bray and Majewski starting the season in the minors. Not likely, but if they have a bad spring . . . .

Otherwise, competition is wide (Bailey?), some deals could be made (Cormier?), some will be released (Shackelford?), someone will pitch themselves back to the minors (EZ?) and there is usually a surprise (Santos?) or two (Livingston?) to make the staff out of spring training.

What do you think will happen with the remaining five slots on the pitching staff? Who will fail, who will get traded, who is the surprise?

Next Edition: The Outfield