Ultimately I don't worry about CF because I'm confident the Reds can get by in 2012 either way and I expect a change in that position next year.
But we should remember that Stubbs missed time in June and Heisey didn't hit when he got the chance. Heisey was below .600 OPS that month and the game threads on RedsZone were wondering when Stubbs would return. (Heisey has had good months too, but in June he was he was the CFer for an extended period.)
The bottom line, though, is that Walt wants superior defense in key positions and he obviously doesn't see Chris as providing that in CF. He likes Stubbs' defense. It's just obvious that defense is driving this train.
Funny thing is that Heisey, defensively, is one of the best LEFT fielders I've seen. He's really outstanding out there. I also like his power and his hustle. There are things about his game I don't like, but he's been valuable overall.
Last edited by Kc61; 09-01-2012 at 07:31 PM.
LOL, it's a pretty long list of ballplayers who got a month to prove themselves and failed and never got another chance.
Yes, anyone can have a bad month. But when you have an audition it's a good idea to do well right then. Frazier did well when he took over for Rolen. Now he's basically a regular.
It's may be unfair but so far Chris hasn't had another full time CF opportunity since June. Maybe he will get one, maybe not. That's sports.
That is true, but based on the eye test, Chris seems more prone to slumps when given regular starting duties.
That is, however, not an endorsement that he should not be given the chance, because I think he should. Ultimately, while these 2 players are our primary CF options, I think the solution is to play the hot hand (or rather the one who is not slumping) until one of them seizes the role.
Even if you assumed an eye test was a safe way to draw such a conclusion, when has he really ever been given "regular starting duties" long enough to determine he's "more prone to slumps?"
Just a cursory look at his game logs shows he's only made at least a week's worth of starts consecutively once in his career (this year when Stubbs went on the DL). So I honestly don't see how anyone should believe they have enough data to know whether someone was prone to slumps given such limited opportunity.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
To me, the eye test can't measure something as complex as whether or not a player is appreciably streakier than his peers.
Then again, I wear glasses.
This is more or less what I'm saying...why not try it.That is, however, not an endorsement that he should not be given the chance, because I think he should. Ultimately, while these 2 players are our primary CF options, I think the solution is to play the hot hand (or rather the one who is not slumping) until one of them seizes the role.
It would be some performance level that would make Walt Jocketty say - "hey, Chris has really come along. He impressed us during this stint. He's so much better than Stubbs at the plate we need to start him often in CF."
I guess a .265 OBP, a .316 SLG, and a .582 OPS for that month didn't quite do the trick.
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