The guy certainly has fallen on hard times, but might he be worth a gamble?
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The guy certainly has fallen on hard times, but might he be worth a gamble?
I was for getting him in the off-season, but I really don't think he's an improvement on Andy Phillips at this point. Now...Javy? That it perhaps worth talking about...
I don't think Ensberg is a better option than any of the current bench options, IMO. Not at this point at least.
Well a 32 year old with a .362 career OBP vs. a 31 year old with a .294 career OBP. I'm not real high on Ensberg, but if I was picking between him and Phillips I'd easily take Ensberg.
how much would ensberg cost? we need another right handed bat with pop but only at the right cost.
We are talking about a guy with SERIOUSLY inflated numbers. Being a RH hitter in Minute Maid park is the only reason this guy is still in the majors. That and he takes pitches. There is no reason to not pitch to him anymore. His bat speed is zero and he has a huge hole in his swing. Anything outer half and he's out every single time.
He seems to fit the profile of scuffling veteran that comes to GABP and finds a second offensive life except he's actually a bit younger then the Randa/Hatteburg/Aurillia types. (Which is why I never worry much about finding decent replacement value offense at GABP -- and why a Reds GM should never pay the Corey Patersons of the world more then league minimum)
I don't want him taking AB's from Votto or EdE and he's the type that needs to play 4-5 times a week, so I'd take a pass.
Who would be the lefthanded bat off the bench? It seems replacing Javy with Ensberg would require an additional move.
I wonder why Ensberg has worn out his welcome so quickly of late. The Astros, Padres, and Yankees have all shipped him off so quickly. Perhaps there is something we don't know about. I would be inclined to pass on the guy.
I would sign the guy ASAP. The Reds need someone like Ensberg, bad.
He needs to find his old swing. If I recall correctly, his slide coincided with Gary Gaetti being fired as Astros hitting coach.
While Minute Maid park surely helped him, he did have a road OPS of .900+ in '05. He wouldn't be a bad stopgap if the Reds decided to option Encarnacion to the minors to get his head straightened out.
Minor league deal only, I don't see a AAA option on hand at the time, so he wouldn't be blocking anyone. Have him go down and work on it. His slide coincided with testing...
He's probably not worth whatever price it would take to get him in Cincinnati, but I'd rather have him pinch hit over a couple guys currently on the roster.