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