Should Laynce Nix get more playing time?

[Kc61]

Wasn't it said that Hairston was battling numerous injuries for many years prior to last season? That last season was his first really "healthy" year (yes, I recall his DL stints last year). Isn't it possible that he found his stroke and turned a corner last year? If there really were lots of troublesome injuries prior to last season, shouldn't we look at the healthy AB's rather than the injured ones?

And to be clear, no I don't think he's as good as his numbers were last year. But I do think he's better than what his career numbers indicate.

I thought I was the only person on RedsZone even semi-defending Hairston. Welcome to the small club.

My concern about Hairston, since he didn't get off very well, is that he won't get that much playing time and it might be tough for him to turn things around.

Yet, having watched him play last year, I have confidence that, if he's healthy and gets his chances he will produce.

I think the key with Hairston is confidence and patience. Right now, he seems a bit overanxious, swinging perhaps at too many bad pitches, or good pitches he can't handle. But I'll never be convinced last year was just luck. He hit the ball too solidly and consistently over a relatively long period to call it luck. Just my view, which most obviously don't share.

P.S. I know his lifetime stats.

[_Sir_Charles_]

I agree. It's a slump. No more, no less. He produced quality AB's over too long a stretch last season for it to be a fluke. Getting a high average because of seeing eye groundballs is a fluke. But it was one quality ab after another from him last season. Add into that his versatility and his speed, and I've got no problem with that signing this past off season. It's not like it was a bank breaking deal or anything. It's just getting blown out of proportion because he's currently slumping. Just like people were starting to rag on Bruce prior to him sitting during the Houston series. Slumping players are easy targets. I just try to stay positive and look at the bigger picture. We're over .500 and we've not come close to hitting full stride yet.

[nate]

I feel a song coming on!

One of these things is not like the others,



One of these things just doesn't belong,



Can you tell which thing is not like the others



By the time I finish my song?

[OnBaseMachine]

I agree. It's a slump. No more, no less. He produced quality AB's over too long a stretch last season for it to be a fluke.

Yeah, a career slump. The Reds will be in serious trouble if Hairston is still part of the left field platoon a month from now.

[M2]

Nix will get playing time via the Smith-Barney method: he's got to earn it. So far that's just what he's doing.

At the very least, he should be a good 250-PA guy off the bench.

[_Sir_Charles_]

I didn't need the graphs. I've seen his career stats. But did any of you bother to read my post? Wasn't it verified that he had a long problem with injuries while in baltimore/chi/tex? Shouldn't we take those years injured with a grain of salt? Shouldn't we give the guy the benefit of the doubt considering he's ON the Reds right now?

What exactly is it that you guys are expecting from Hairston? What exactly would make you happy? Is there some magic number that he must obtain that would make him a legitimate bench player? Some OPS goalline that he's got to cross? Well, me being oblivious to saberstats (not really oblivious...I just don't really care about them), I've got no idea what a "good" OPS is supposed to be for a specific type of player.

Let me put it another way....when he was going well last season, were either of you mad that he was a part of the club? Cheering for a guy when he's doing well and then bashing a guy when he's struggling is pretty much bandwagoning in my book. I'm more of the diehard variety. I stick with them through thick AND thin. And I've seen enough AB's from him to feel confident that he'll turn it around. Regardless of his current OPS or career OBLDS%+. :O)


One last thing. Why is it that we're bashing Hairston, but praising Nix? Has Nix done something during his career that I'm unaware of? Something that makes people think that HE'LL be an over .700 OPS guy? 904 career ab's...30 hr's, .682 ops, 44 walks, and ... wait for it .... 256 k's. If we're looking at career numbers...then between the two, Hairston's our guy. But since we're only pretending to talk about career numbers and are really just plugging for the current flavor of the month who's not in a slump, I'll let it slide. *grin*

[M2]

Shouldn't we take those years injured with a grain of salt?

No, you don't take an 11-year career and 3,000 plate appearances with a grain of salt. That's beyond silly.

[OnBaseMachine]

No, you don't take an 11-year career and 3,000 plate appearances with a grain of salt. That's beyond silly.

Exactly. Jerry Hairston Jr. is simply not a good hitter. There were plenty of better options available than Hairston, but Jocketty and Baker fell for his 261 atbats last season. I'll say it again, the Reds offense will be in serious trouble if Jerry Hairston Jr. is still apart of the platoon in left field a month from now.

[_Sir_Charles_]

No, you don't take an 11-year career and 3,000 plate appearances with a grain of salt. That's beyond silly.

I wasn't referring to his entire career. Only the periods where he played injured. I thought somewhere it was stated when he was injured. I just can't seem to find it.

But regardless, even if we DON'T take the injuries into account. He's still out performed Laynce Nix over his career. But Nix is playing well and Hairston is struggling...therefore it's bandwagon time for Nix and time for the dogpile where everyone jumps on Hairston.

Let me be clear here. I don't want Jerry as a starter. But I also don't want Nix as one either. I just can't stand it when people bash a player as total garbage and not deserving to be a major leaguer just because that player is in a slump. Just a pet peeve of mine I guess. Both players have roles on this club, but neither are a savior just because they start hitting well just like neither are the plague because they're struggling.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Exactly. Jerry Hairston Jr. is simply not a good hitter. There were plenty of better options available than Hairston, but Jocketty and Baker fell for his 261 atbats last season. I'll say it again, the Reds offense will be in serious trouble if Jerry Hairston Jr. is still apart of the platoon in left field a month from now.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then.

And who would YOU have as a part of the lf platoon a month from now? Nix? He seems to be your new favorite. Where in Nix's past has he proven to be a "good hitter" as you say Hairston isn't? Is Nix that better option? Is Gomes that better option?

I guess it depends upon what you're wanting for that roster spot. If it's a pinch hitter, then I don't care about the power. I want the guy who hits for the average in that slot. The strikeouts that go with those normal power hitters tend to make them much less valuable as pinch hitters. Nix & Gomes are both pretty decent examples of that. If it's versatility you want in that roster spot, then Hairston's the better choice. If it's a specific handedness that you want....take your pick. I personally think it's kind of silly to worry so much about lefty/righty matchups. I'd rather focus on the guy who's more well rounded.

[OnBaseMachine]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then.

And who would YOU have as a part of the lf platoon a month from now? Nix? He seems to be your new favorite. Where in Nix's past has he proven to be a "good hitter" as you say Hairston isn't? Is Nix that better option?

You obviously didn't read any of my posts.

Like I've said plenty of times, I would call up Jonny Gomes to play left field vs lefties. He crushes left handers. Wes Bankston is also hitting well in Louisville. As for Nix, he's always had the ability but he's been held back by a shoulder injury. He's still just 28, so he has time to figure things out. Nelson Cruz and Ryan Ludwick didn't start hitting in the majors until they were 28. I'd still give Dickerson some playing time in LF, but Nix should get the bulk of the starts until he cools off, if he does.

[OnBaseMachine]

Nix and Rosales the guys?
Posted by JohnFay at 4/30/2009 7:04 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com

In my off day story, I theorize that for the Reds to really compete they are going to need some offense from players they didn't expect to get much from. After last night, it looks like Adam Rosales and Laynce Nix will get a chance to be those guys.

Could they be? Sure. Will they be? Your guess is as good as mine.

They took very different paths. Nix was a one-time big prospect pushed off track by injuries. He hasn't had success in the big leagues since 2004. He's hitting .310/.355/.621 so far. It's only 29 at-bats, but no one else has produced in left. The platoon on Jerry Hairston and Chris Dickerson is hitting .190 with a homer and six RBI when they play left.

Rosales has never been a big time prospect. He does every well, but nothing jumps out at you other than his all-out hustle. (By the way, he's just a few months older than Edwin Encarnacion). With Encarnacion out, it can't hurt to try them. The two RBI Rosales produced last night? That's a quarter of the total the Reds have gotten from third base this year.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...cincinnati.com

[_Sir_Charles_]

You obviously didn't read any of my posts.

Like I've said plenty of times, I would call up Jonny Gomes to play left field vs lefties. He crushes left handers. Wes Bankston is also hitting well in Louisville. As for Nix, he's always had the ability but he's been held back some by a shoulder injury. He's still just 28, so he has time to figure things out. Nelson Cruz and Ryan Ludwick didn't start hitting in the majors until they were 28.

Yeah, I had...just hadn't finished editing my post. Sorry.

So Nix was held back by injuries...so we let him slide but rake Hairston over the coals for playing with injuries? Odd train of thought there. But okay.

I've got no problem with Gomes being on the club, but he's got a rather big hole in his glove so his bat would have to be extraordinary to make up for it in my mind. And during ST, I certainly didn't see extraordinary...I saw ordinary with a bit of pop. And with the Bats...it's been more of the same. Leading the team in k's, hitting .260 or so and showing some pop. Not a horrible option but also not the solution.

Bankston is also producing nicely with the Bats, but with only around 50 or so MLB ab's and around 2500 minor league ab's, we don't really have much to go on with Wes. Is he a late bloomer (REALLY late) or is he just having that one "career" year for a career minor leaguer? Who knows. But if an opening comes up and he's still mashing the ball...sure, I give him a shot. And I give him one OVER Gomes at this rate. But again, I doubt that he's the solution. And again, Hairston's proven more on the big stage than either Nix or Bankston. Gomes is certainly a better hitter than Jerry, but has nowhere NEAR the defensive abilities, speed or versatility. And since we're talking about a bench player here...I think Jerry's skill set fits that role better. *shrugs* None of them are ideal. Far from it. But with the hand we're dealt, I think we're playing the right cards so far. Just getting dealt dueces (slumps). The cards will turn.

[M2]

I thought somewhere it was stated when he was injured. I just can't seem to find it.

He gets injured all the time. He's fragile by nature. Yet he never had a single season anywhere near as good as his 2008 campaign. It's not like last season represented anything like what you should expect from a healthy Hairston.

But regardless, even if we DON'T take the injuries into account. He's still out performed Laynce Nix over his career. But Nix is playing well and Hairston is struggling...therefore it's bandwagon time for Nix and time for the dogpile where everyone jumps on Hairston.

Nix's major league career consists almost entirely of seasons when he was ages 22-24. He got called up too early and he struggled. However, he's got a career .827 OPS in the minors and he's been regularly above .850 in AAA the past three seasons (where his career OPS is .879 in 1,238 PA).

This has got nothing to do with who's hot and who's not. A lot of folks figured Nix at age 28 might have unrealized (in the majors) upside while Hairston, creeping up on age 33, was bound to regress to his career norms.

[Rojo]

He gets injured all the time. He's fragile by nature.

Career first half OPS: .730, second half: .658.