Jerry Hairston Jr appreciation thread

[Blitz Dorsey]

Watch Janish start today now that Hairston is really hot.

[RedlegJake]

Hairston was named in the steroid investigation, which he of course denied, but I just want to make the wry observation that if its true then he is perhaps the first athlete that has remarkably improved performance sans enhancement.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by flyer85

but his track record says he will. His track record isn't terribly different than Bako.

So you take advantage of while we can and play them. Lets not worry about the past or what they might regress to (future). The only reason that Hairston is playing is not because this organization sees him as a regular (he wasn't acquired for that purpose); but because he was thrust into service due to key injuries to Gonzo and then Keppinger.

I'll take him over Castro.

[toledodan]

i don't know about jerry's past but its been stated this is the first time he's been health for a while. he's done nothing but hit since he's been called up. it will be interesting to see what happens when keppinger is ready to go. if hariston is still hitting and EE is still being EE then dusty will have to make a decision. right now besides the great play every now and then EE is giving us nothing.

[Tom Servo]

Hairston has continued to be quite a solid little pickup for us this year.

[Will M]

1. my current favorite Red

2. if he continues to play well I would like him back again next year as a utility guy. I suspect we could get him for less than other teams because he has found success and hopefully a comfort zone here

3. question. since he signed a one year minor league deal what is his status at the end of 2008. i am assuming he is a free agent. right?

[princeton]

Originally Posted by Will M

2. if he continues to play well I would like him back again next year

if he continues to play well, he should really be traded.

[fearofpopvol1]

Originally Posted by princeton

if he continues to play well, he should really be traded.

I agree...especially if he can bring a return.

He's having a really great year with the Reds, but he's not part of the long-term team and would probably have more value with a contender.

[RedsManRick]

Flipping Hairston for say, a decent upside bullpen arm in AAA (a Roenicke type), would be a very astute move.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by princeton

if he continues to play well, he should really be traded.

Sell high, and sell high as soon as possible.

The light usually doesn't come on for guys like him at age 32. What you are seeing right now is nothing more than a mirage. Plain and simple.

[Kc61]

[QUOTE=Caveat Emperor;1681250]Sell high, and sell high as soon as possible.

Certain skills can develop later in a career. It's true in all sports. You don't usually develop speed or dramatically improve power. A pitcher doesn't develop velocity in his thirties.

But a guy can develop the ability to use the whole field and improve his BA and OBP. A guy can develop better patience at the plate. A guy can learn not to swing for the fences all the time.

Hairston is a talented player who never put it together as a young guy. Last two years he was injured and didn't play much. That he is now able to get on base at a good clip may be a mirage, but it may be maturation as a hitter.

Because of his career stats, Hairston won't bring much in a trade. Maybe a decent minor leaguer, certainly not a star minor leaguer. There's no reason to trade him. At worst, he is a good backup who plays a lot of positions. At best, he is the leadoff hitter the team needs.

And while some don't care about the abundance of lefty hitters on the Reds, those of us who do see Hairston's righty bat as helpful against lefty pitching.

Keep him.

[RedsManRick]

Originally Posted by Kc61

Keep him.

As far as I can tell, he's got more than 7 years of ML service time and is on a 1 year deal. Unless he signs an extension (here or elsewhere), he's going to be a free agent.

The reasonable options would be to trade him or to extend him. Keeping him for the remainder of the year only to see him walk would be an utter waste, unless of course you think the Reds are going to compete this year.

[Will M]

He will likely come back for 2009 at a reasonable salary.
Our bench has been terrible this year.
He does not seem to be a mirage. He is playing well and has all year.
His baseball IQ is 100X Ryan Freel's.

I am not saying give him a 2 yr $10M deal nor am I saying make him a starter.
I am saying if he keeps it up bring him back at a reasonable price.
After all we have about 10/25 open spots on the 2009 team.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Kc61

But a guy can develop the ability to use the whole field and improve his BA and OBP. A guy can develop better patience at the plate. A guy can learn not to swing for the fences all the time.

I don't think you'll find a long list of guys who suddenly became .800+ OPS and .300+ AVG hitters after spending 2,750 PAs and 9 major league seasons as an utterly forgettable sub-.700 OPS and ~.250 AVG hitter.

Hairston's had a hot run of things here. It happens to even the most mediocre players -- the mistake is giving them contracts that ignore mountains of bad data and focus solely on the smidge of good data that happens to be the most recent.

Seriously, the franchise would be six kinds of dumb to give him a dime of guaranteed money for next year and seven kinds of dumb to pass an opportunity to get any kind of real talent in return on a trade for him.

[WebScorpion]

Originally Posted by Will M

He will likely come back for 2009 at a reasonable salary.
Our bench has been terrible this year.
He does not seem to be a mirage. He is playing well and has all year.
His baseball IQ is 100X Ryan Freel's.

I am not saying give him a 2 yr $10M deal nor am I saying make him a starter.
I am saying if he keeps it up bring him back at a reasonable price.
After all we have about 10/25 open spots on the 2009 team.

...and if he won't BE reasonably priced, which most FA's are not? What then? Overpay? or let him walk for nothing? I think he's beyond arbitration, or I'd suggest we offer him that and get draft picks if he walks. I agree, he'd be great to keep at a reasonable price. But I don't think he'll be reasonably priced, so what appears to be the best option is to trade him for whatever we can get at the deadline. That's my opinion.