Offseason Priorities

[Plus Plus]

Originally Posted by Vottomatic

I disagree. It's simply because Dusty is manager that will we not see Bruce in CF.

Bruce is more qualified to play CF than Valdez or even probably Heisey. Bruce played most of his minor league career in CF with rarely a defensive miscue.

I just don't understand how a conclusion can be arrived at where a manager who has played the game decided that a former CF is a worse option than a .400 OPS middle infielder to play CF unless the former CF can't play there any more. It's a conspiracy theory that I can't even begin to understand; even if Dusty was so set into Bruce being RF now, why would he deliberately hurt the team to keep him in RF instead of moving him to CF if Bruce is a better option than Valdez or even Heisey?

Bruce is older, bigger, and slower than he was when he was a teenager. It isn't a bad thing- Bruce is a great player. However, it means that he might not be in center because he can't play there, rather than that he isn't in center because Dusty has it out for him.

[Raisor]

I just don't get the thinking that it's not even worth trying to put Bruce in center.

Seems like a perfectly safe thing to do in Spring Training.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by Raisor

I just don't get the thinking that it's not even worth trying to put Bruce in center.

Seems like a perfectly safe thing to do in Spring Training.

I just don't get the assumption that the Reds are keeping a player from increasing his worth

If Bruce could play CF a higher level it would increase his worth to the team, I'm certain even the morons who run the team can figure that out.

Maybe he can't? And THEY already know that!

[Tony Cloninger]

How much do you think INF Mike Aviles would have been worth trading for?

Cleveland got him along with Yan Gomes for pitcher Esmil Rogers from Toronto.

[Plus Plus]

Originally Posted by Raisor

I just don't get the thinking that it's not even worth trying to put Bruce in center.

Seems like a perfectly safe thing to do in Spring Training.

While they are at it they can also try Phillips at SS, Arredondo at SS, and Votto at C.

[Raisor]

Originally Posted by Plus Plus

While they are at it they can also try Phillips at SS, Arredondo at SS, and Votto at C.

[PuffyPig]

Originally Posted by Raisor

I just don't get the thinking that it's not even worth trying to put Bruce in center.

Seems like a perfectly safe thing to do in Spring Training.

They watch Bruce in the OF every single day for many years.

They don`t need spring training to tell them what he can (or can`t) do.

[Vottomatic]

......and the CFer and SS always bat 1st and 2nd, and speed is the most important thing near the top of the lineup even if it strikes out 200 times and hits .210, atleast according to the brilliant Dusty Baker.

Yeah, Dusty does everything just perfectly.

And Bruce is washed up as a CFer. The brilliant Dusty Baker knows this.

Sarcasm, obviously.

Bruce played the majority of his minor league time in CF and came up as a CFer. He never did anything in the minors or majors that showed he was finished as a CFer. He's a gold glove caliber RFer and it's not like he's 35 years old, broken down, and washed up as a fielder. Yet, trading for an old Dejesus, or Choo and putting them in CF makes sense to some. I'd rather have Bruce in CF over many of the other choices.

But if we had a guy who currently is playing CF on this team, like Span or Fowler, they yes the choice is easy........keep Bruce in RF.