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Thread: Edwin on his Defense

  1. #1
    Member reds44's Avatar
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    Edwin on his Defense

    From Trent
    Edwin Encarnacion was on the field early Tuesday, taking extra fielding practice.

    Although Encarnacion's bat has come around -- he's got a career-high 11-game hitting streak going and has raised his average to .273 with a team-leading five home runs -- he's also made a team-high six errors, the same number of errors made by the rest of the team combined.

    "He's working with Chris on his first step, balance and rhythm," Baker said. "Defense is timing just like offense is timing. Edwin's made some outstanding plays. Chris put in some work in Chicago with Aramis Ramirez. If you're willing to put in the work, Chris will go with you. Offense is fun, but defense is work. When you work, you can get better. (Encarnacion) works hard."

    Encarnacion said he's not happy with his fielding, and is determined to put in the work to improve.

    "Before every home night game, I'm trying to do something different and work and get better," Encarnacion said. "Even when you're doing good, you have to keep working. I don't feel like right now with six errors, I don't feel good with that. I'm not thinking about that, I'm just working on my defense and keep working to get better."

    Encarnacion even had a bit of bad luck in Monday night's loss. On a hard grounder by the Dodgers' Jeff Kent, Encarnacion dove to his right to stop the ball and went to his knees to make a throw. However, the ball got stuck in the webbing of his glove.

    Encarnacion said that'd never happened to him before. He had the glove's webbing tightened before Tuesday's game in hopes that it wouldn't happen again.
    Quote Originally Posted by Scooter View Post
    A little bit off topic, but do you guys think that Jesse Winker profiles more like Pete Rose or is he just the next Hal Morris??


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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    I wish he'd stop throwing sidearm to first base. That seems like something that should be corrected fairly easily.

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS View Post
    I wish he'd stop throwing sidearm to first base. That seems like something that should be corrected fairly easily.
    That's something often borne out of poor footwork. He's not getting his feet underneath him, which forces him to drop his arm slot to get enough power on the throw.
    Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by RedsManRick View Post
    That's something often borne out of poor footwork. He's not getting his feet underneath him, which forces him to drop his arm slot to get enough power on the throw.
    Good point.

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    Ripsnort wheels's Avatar
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Didn't he play shortstop in the minors starting out?

    Could his throwing issues have something to do with the different angle at third?

    It's just something I was thinking about watching him live on Sunday. He kinda still throws like a shortstop.
    "Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by reds44 View Post
    Encarnacion dove to his right to stop the ball and went to his knees to make a throw. However, the ball got stuck in the webbing of his glove.
    Always heard that rule #1 about infielders' gloves was that the "web" should be solid leather, not like an outfielders "woven" or "mesh" looking web.

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS View Post
    I wish he'd stop throwing sidearm to first base. That seems like something that should be corrected fairly easily.
    Throwing sidearm from third isn't a bad thing. It's the natural flow of motion from fielding a ground ball with your momentum taking you to first to throw from a lower arm angle. It gets you out of whack if you field a ball and have to stop and throw straight over the top. A lot of times with some runners you don't have time at third to field a ball on the ground and come all the way to the top to make the throw...
    "In our sundown perambulations of late, through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties of youngsters playing 'base', a certain game of ball. Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our close rooms, the game of ball is glorious"
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    The good news is that he's apparently willing to work on it and work hard at getting better. Frankly, that's all any fan could ask in the short term. He's got natural athleticism and really has the tools to be a good third baseman. Hope the work pays off. He sure is able to make the occasional spectacular play. Here's hoping the routine ones actually start to become a little more routine.

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    Redsmetz redsmetz's Avatar
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by wheels View Post
    Didn't he play shortstop in the minors starting out?

    Could his throwing issues have something to do with the different angle at third?

    It's just something I was thinking about watching him live on Sunday. He kinda still throws like a shortstop.
    He's had very limited playing time anywhere but 3rd Base.

    In 2002 at Dayton, he played 17 games out of 133 games at shortstop. There he had 7 errors at SS out of a total of 40 for the season.

    In 2003 at Chattanooga, he played 2 games at Shortstop out of a total of 64 at AA (he played 57 games at High A Potomac at the season's start). He made two errors in those two games out of 23 total at AA that season.

    Since then, he played four games at 1st Base in 2006 - two at Louisville and two here in Cincy.
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    The good news is that he's apparently willing to work on it and work hard at getting better. Frankly, that's all any fan could ask in the short term. He's got natural athleticism and really has the tools to be a good third baseman. Hope the work pays off. He sure is able to make the occasional spectacular play. Here's hoping the routine ones actually start to become a little more routine.
    This is exactly right, Mem. EdE makes plays over there that most 3B won't even sniff. But hit a two-hopper right to him and it's an adventure.

    I am so pleased with Dusty's handling of Edwin. I'm giving him (Dusty) credit even though he may have been in a position where he didn't feel he had any choice. Now about those lineups . . .
    Win some, lose some, some get rained out.

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    SERP deep cover ops WebScorpion's Avatar
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Dude needs ballet lessons...his footwork is sloth-like.

    "This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." -- Terence Mann

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    The good news is that he's apparently willing to work on it and work hard at getting better. Frankly, that's all any fan could ask in the short term. He's got natural athleticism and really has the tools to be a good third baseman. Hope the work pays off. He sure is able to make the occasional spectacular play. Here's hoping the routine ones actually start to become a little more routine.
    Yes, I heard Dusty on the radio talking about EdE (I think that's where these article quotes came from, unless Dusty was repeating himself).

    Great to see EdE with a great attitude. I was hoping Dusty would bring out the best in EdE. IMO, the Reds handled EdE wrong with the constant benching and optioning him as "punishment" every time he did something wrong. Poor people handling. That's why managers like Dusty make the big bucks. Handling a situation like EdE is more important than lineup optimization, IMO.
    [Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob

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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    The good news is that he's apparently willing to work on it and work hard at getting better. Frankly, that's all any fan could ask in the short term. He's got natural athleticism and really has the tools to be a good third baseman. Hope the work pays off. He sure is able to make the occasional spectacular play. Here's hoping the routine ones actually start to become a little more routine.
    The bad news is he's been working on it for three years.
    Few doubt whether he wants to do it, many doubt whether he can actually do it.
    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeRed27 View Post
    Honest I can't say it any better than Hoosier Red did in his post, he sums it up basically perfectly.

  15. #14
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    Re: Edwin on his Defense

    Not with Chris Speier, I don't think. Dusty made a big point about how Speier helped turn around Aramis Ramirez in Chicago, after he was just brutal at 3b in Pittsburgh....


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