Kearns' Weight

[Sea Ray]

I thought it was interesting in today's Enquirer they finally mentioned the issue of Austin Kearns' weight and even put a number on it.

Much has been discussed recently about Austin Kearns weight. Today's Enquirer had this to add in an article by John Fay:

The Reds weren't happy with the shape Kearns is in. He was playing at 255 pounds when optioned.

Asked if the club wanted Kearns to improve his conditioning, O'Brien said: "There's certain elements to the overall program that I would just as soon not comment on. Let's just say it is a diverse program, covering quite a few components."

Being the curious type that I am, I wondered what weight he was listed at when he came up in 2002. Baseball Almanac listed him at 220 lbs! This seems about right and confirms what my own eyes tell me. He's 35 lbs heavier than he was three years ago and that's not coming off in one AAA stint. He may improve but he's not going back to the Austin Kearns we expect until next year and that's provided he participates in a dedicated off season conditioning program.