Was moving Billy Hamilton off SS a mistake in hindsight?

I understand why it was done, so no major criticism here. But it appears that having Billy at SS would've been far more optimal to this team. Ervin could be a fast mover and might be one of the best hitters in the Reds minor leagues in the near future, and his value is the highest as a CF.

Also, it's kind of looking like Cozart is turning into something of a black hole at SS. Having Billy near as a SS could've been a big boost to the team.

Maybe the team thought he had already played himself off of SS, I don't know. But it kind of looks like unless that was the case, he should've played there for a while longer.

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Originally Posted by Wonderful Monds

I understand why it was done, so no major criticism here. But it appears that having Billy at SS would've been far more optimal to this team. Ervin could be a fast mover and might be one of the best hitters in the Reds minor leagues in the near future, and his value is the highest as a CF.

Also, it's kind of looking like Cozart is turning into something of a black hole at SS. Having Billy near as a SS could've been a big boost to the team.

Maybe the team thought he had already played himself off of SS, I don't know. But it kind of looks like unless that was the case, he should've played there for a while longer.

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I don't think Billy Hamilton would be an upgrade at all considering he isn't hitting and would be much worse than Cozart in the field. Cozart isn't really a problem if he's hitting 8th.

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Originally Posted by Cedric

I don't think Billy Hamilton would be an upgrade at all considering he isn't hitting and would be much worse than Cozart in the field. Cozart isn't really a problem if he's hitting 8th.

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I agree, I don't think Billy is an upgrade to anyone at the moment. But when he's ready, he definitely could be.

The deal with Billy at short was two things, he didn't have elite hands or the instinct for the ball. The other was he had a problem of dropping down and throwing the ball sidearm which resulted in multiple errors, he was unable to overcome this.

I am always in favor of trying to let guys stick where there bat would be most valuable, but I don't think they moved Hamilton because of anything to do with Cozart.

They wouldn't have moved him from SS if they thought he could play SS.

So, no.

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Originally Posted by bellhead

The deal with Billy at short was two things, he didn't have elite hands or the instinct for the ball. The other was he had a problem of dropping down and throwing the ball sidearm which resulted in multiple errors, he was unable to overcome this.

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It was the arm-angle thing that persuaded me that a move was in order. I thought maybe a move to 2nd would have worked.

One thing you don't want to do is force talent into a need hole. With a tweener like Frazier, that's fine, but not someone like BH who could be a catalyst.

It's even more imperative with Hamilton because his big tool is one that doesn't last long, need to get him to the bigs and tearing up the basepaths pronto.

I can't believe Cozart has a .267 obp in the past calendar year. He is turning into Brendan Ryan but not as good defensively.

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Originally Posted by Wonderful Monds

I understand why it was done, so no major criticism here. But it appears that having Billy at SS would've been far more optimal to this team. Ervin could be a fast mover and might be one of the best hitters in the Reds minor leagues in the near future, and his value is the highest as a CF.

Also, it's kind of looking like Cozart is turning into something of a black hole at SS. Having Billy near as a SS could've been a big boost to the team.

Maybe the team thought he had already played himself off of SS, I don't know. But it kind of looks like unless that was the case, he should've played there for a while longer.

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To be honest he's a much better CF than SS. The right thing was done with Hamilton. His fielding is great. Now, if he can only learn to hit at the Majors level.

The Reds need to be using a win now philosophy. I do not see why BH can't be called up to spot start and gain the necessary experience to help this team in the future. We have glaring holes at LF and SS which are both positions he knows how to play. Also, he could give Choo a break in CF here and there.

I know he is not tearing it up in the minors, but some guys appear to perform better on the big stage. Look at Lutz earlier this season, he was batting close to .220 before getting called up and he did well out of the gate before being sent back down. Also, look at Puig. I know he will likely cool off, but he batted .313 in 40 games in AA and right now he is batting .404 in 32 games in the majors.

The current makeup of our team will not last. We will have a hard time keeping our rotation, Choo, and possibly our coaches all intact next year. So why not bring up someone who could give this team a jolt? Besides the 13 run anomaly on Saturday, we are averaging 3.8 runs a game and likely will be going down with a tough West Coast road trip at the end of the month.

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Originally Posted by RedTeamGo!

I can't believe Cozart has a .267 obp in the past calendar year. He is turning into Brendan Ryan but not as good defensively.

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Brendan Ryan only dreams of the power that Cozart has.

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Originally Posted by BungleBengals

The Reds need to be using a win now philosophy. I do not see why BH can't be called up to spot start and gain the necessary experience to help this team in the future. We have glaring holes at LF and SS which are both positions he knows how to play. Also, he could give Choo a break in CF here and there.

I know he is not tearing it up in the minors, but some guys appear to perform better on the big stage. Look at Lutz earlier this season, he was batting close to .220 before getting called up and he did well out of the gate before being sent back down. Also, look at Puig. I know he will likely cool off, but he batted .313 in 40 games in AA and right now he is batting .404 in 32 games in the majors.

The current makeup of our team will not last. We will have a hard time keeping our rotation, Choo, and possibly our coaches all intact next year. So why not bring up someone who could give this team a jolt? Besides the 13 run anomaly on Saturday, we are averaging 3.8 runs a game and likely will be going down with a tough West Coast road trip at the end of the month.

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Where to even start with this. First, Billy Hamilton isn't a shortstop. He was moved off of it because he couldn't play it well and his skills were more suited in center. He had a serious throwing problem from shortstop that they tried for several years to correct and couldn't get it done. Also, he has never played an inning n left field. So shortstop and left field aren't going to be options for him.

Donald Lutz didn't start hot out of the gate. He never got hot at any point and was overmatched while with the Reds. I don't blame him, he was in a position where he had very little chance to succeed. He should have been in AA learning things he needed to work on, but due to injuries he was in the Majors not playing much against competition much better than he was prepared to play against.

Yasiel Puig, unlike Hamilton or Lutz, was actually hitting the cover off of the ball in the minor leagues when he got called up. He has ridden an insanely hot streak to start his career boosted by an unsustainable batting average on balls in play, but you know, at least he was ripping the minor leagues apart when he was called up.

The Reds need some help. Billy Hamilton isn't the answer right now.

There just isn't an in house player to come up. The changes that need to be made will have to be made to the coaching staff until we get closer to the trade deadline.