Yep, I like Jeff Keppinger, but he's not a MLB SS.Originally Posted by M2
The sooner the Reds fans quit pretending that the sooner they can move on and maybe see what one resembles.
Yep, I like Jeff Keppinger, but he's not a MLB SS.
The sooner the Reds fans quit pretending that the sooner they can move on and maybe see what one resembles.
I suspect the main culprit is the OF, not SS.the unpleasant truth of the Reds at the moment is they rank 30th in MLB in DER at .676. Deficient defense is still crippling this club and Jeff Keppinger simply is not a major league SS.
Or both.
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
Exactly. It's a team accomplishment. Horrific defense in the OF corners certainly is a big contributor, but I'd like to see what happened if the Reds put a quality SS and RF in the mix.
Last edited by M2; 05-14-2008 at 11:01 AM.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
The defense has a chance to go from being the worst defense in baseball to maybe one of the better defenses later on this season. Kepp will be replaced by Janish at SS and Griffey will be replaced by Bruce in RF. That's the big one there - Bruce for Griffey. The defense improves drastically with that move. That then gives the Reds a plus defender in RF, a glove glove caliber CFer in Patterson, a rangy middle infield with a rangy third baseman and a first baseman who - while not gold glove caliber - has been solid. If/when Dunn is traded you have think his replacement will be better with the glove.
I don't expect the Reds to expend any major capital to acquire a replacement SS. Let's see what Janish can do and go from there. I'd expect him to get the majority of the SS playing time with Hairston filling in against tough pitchers.
The Reds have already been pretty lucky in that Keppinger provided quality backup to Gonzalez. Just like with Bakos.
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
I obviously have a bias toward the impact of defense but it's interesting that two of the most improved teams this season based upon record (Tampa and Baltimore) are also two of the most improved teams defensively.
Caveats apply (it's still a young season, rosters are complicated etc) and certainly I'm not arguing the differences in either team between this and last season are entirely defense related. That said, their team defenses are playing a large role IMHO (heck, the O's traded away one of the best lefties in the AL-certain local radio personalities can take that and chew on it a while...)
Anyway, I was ruined by watching the 2001 Ms play defense. To me great defense just makes beautiful baseball.
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
Me?Anyway, I was ruined by watching the 2001 Ms play defense.
I was ruined by turf, the game doesn't look the way it did when my baseball mind was being molded, in fact on the field it seems slow much slower.
agree. i for one am looking forward to a team that plays good D. it has been a long long time.
i often think back to the 1990 team. they won with an ace, a great pen, clutch hitting, small ball & great defense. i think Eric Davis led the team with 86 rbis.
.
When I was younger, I used to think defense in baseball wasn't important at all. Now that I've gotten older and watched the Reds play defense, I've realized how foolish I was for thinking that. I've realized just how important good defense is in major league baseball. Look at the Cardinals for example, they've run a bunch of retreads out to the mound and found success because of a great defense behind them. Look at the 1999 Reds - not a dominant starter in the bunch but they pitched solid because they had a great defense behind them. I only hope Walt can improve this squad.
Different game then, only 11 guys had 100 RBI in 1990, 32 last year alone.
Code:SEASON 1990 RBI RBI 1 Cecil Fielder 132 2 Matt Williams 122 3 Bobby Bonilla 120 4 Kelly Gruber 118 5 Joe Carter 115 6 Barry Bonds 114 T7 Mark McGwire 108 T7 Darryl Strawberry 108 9 Jose Canseco 101 T10 Ryne Sandberg 100 T10 Andre Dawson 100 12 Tim Wallach 98 13 Ruben Sierra 96 T14 Will Clark 95 T14 Candy Maldonado 95 T14 Eddie Murray 95
Last edited by westofyou; 05-14-2008 at 11:27 AM.
Agree completely, I would go to games in the 80's and 90's just to watch Larkin play SS - thought it was nerdy as all get out but I was the only one in my section who stood up and appreciated everything he did defensively in his prime - it was an honor to watch that. Davis was another one.
Same goes for the BRM in the 70's, as a little leaguer we'd go and watch them take infield practice before games just to watch what perfectionists they were - all were just masters of their craft and true professionals in that regard. The throws they'd make were perfect every time and like a musician, came about from years of repetition and practice beyond what was required, you could appreciate why they were the best of the best.
It's sad that's been discarded somewhat for huge guns and HR's and the ESPN generation.
Not sure why I went off on that but the most enjoyable part of watching baseball still for me, is good defense. Watching this team over the last 5-7 years has made me ill and lose respect for today's pro's in that regard.
The OF, SS, 3rd, and yes, catcher are all culprits.
I think the corner this team will turn (if they wish to turn it) lies in defense, an improved pen, and some more stability in the rotation.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
The question with the above if Janish starts at SS and Patterson in CF, is if the lineup can handle those outs. No question, the defense is solid.
Me? I'd put Janish at SS, hit him 8/9 and let it ride. Is there a sliding scale of what a career minor league .736 OPS translates to at the big league level?
Some people play baseball. Baseball plays Jay Bruce.
But wait, that's four corners to turn, doesn't that place them at the nexus of the universe?
Nothing to see here. Please disperse.
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