Oh for sure. You have to think taking a negative RFer and putting him in CF and taking a negative LFer and putting him in RF makes them even more negative. All I'm saying is I'm not sure how much water the "Reds play good OF defense so don't move anybody" holds.
I also hope everybody singing that tune doesn't want Frazier playing over Rolen either, but I'd be shocked if that's the case.
If the Reds do this, it's for no other reason than for the postseason. The Reds will probably glide to an NL Central Championship with Stubbs in CF and nobody would think anything of it. With how often Rolen gets days off, Frazier would probably play a third of the time at 3rd and you could find ABs for him at other times. This would be the Reds trying to get their 8 best hitters in the lineup come October.
Yes, all three outfielders have been below zero under UZR and UZR/150 except Stubbs recently had a surge and is around zero in each measure.
(UZR is so subjective, Heisey this year has much better CF ratings than Stubbs.)
But Stubbs is a real centerfielder, you can't compare him to somebody plugged in there because of his bat.
This is an interesting discussion, but the clear likelihood is that the Reds won't make a major switch at this point. More likely - given the brutal schedule of late, when Votto comes back and depth is restored guys will get appropriate rest. And part of that effort may involve trying Bruce in CF on occasion.
If it works well, then I could see them going with Bruce in CF in the playoffs, but first I think it may be tried out on a spot basis at most.
As has already been stated, if the Reds do this, it would be because they are considering it for the playoffs. The Reds may not plan to rest Rolen and Ludwick, but still want Frazier in the lineup.
I'd like to see if there's a study that can correlate UZR and trips to the disabled list. Granted, the Reds outfield has a lower UZR this year, but they've also done a great job of staying healthy and getting in the lineup everyday. Maybe it's because they're not senselessly diving for balls out of their range and banging up their body too much.
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Despite a recent power surge against lefties, Dusty will probably use the "sitting Brucie against a tough lefty, get Todd some ABs" reasoning and continue using Stubbs/Heisey in CF. If he's gonna do that, start Heisey against righties and Stubbs against lefties.
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Giving the other team extra outs is probably the easiest way to lose in the playoffs. One ball that Bruce/Frasier doesn't get to in the new defensive alignment may change the game.. IMO, that's more likely to happen than the offensive upgrade gained.
We've tried this stategy before.. Keppinger at SS, Bruce in CF, Aaron Boone at 2b.. It just doesn't work..
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I'm of the same opinion, although I do agree you might see Bruce in CF once a week after this roadie.
And yeah, i don't see why Drew Stubbs would start a game against a RHP the rest of this season. Smarter folks on here will have to provide an analysis of the defensive metrics b/w the two, but I would suspect Heisey's numbers, despite his deficiences, are enough of an improvement to warrant the starts.
But Bruce has played CF in the minors and in the bigs, Frazier has not played RF in the bigs or the minors, but has played LF. SS and RF are two different positions in terms of difficulty, and LF is not identical, but similar to RF. It could be plausible to shift Ludwick to RF as he has played there a lot in his career, he has more career games in RF than LF, but lately has played more LF.
I think Reds management will give this a shot some and see how it works out, especially if Stubbs keeps doing what he has been doing.
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Anything that doesn't involve Drew Stubbs as the Reds' everyday CF has my full interest. It's ridiculous he can play at a pathetic level all year and keep his starting job. All because he's a former first-round pick. Turrible.
Whether Bruce played CF years ago and whether Frazier might find RF similar to LF doesn't change my view.
I don't think the Reds are willing to sacrifice their outfield defense. And I don't think they would likely make this key change in the middle of the pennant race. It's not their way.
As the season progresses and the Reds rest some players they might give this a shot in a couple of games, sure. But I don't think it's a front burner item.
When Stubbs doesn't play, I think they'll mostly use Heisey.
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