Suarez to start ST game at SS

[Roy Tucker]

When the front office fails to realistically address the SS situation, this is what you end up with. Lots of grasping at straws.

[Mitri]

I wonder if defensively, India is a better SS than Suarez? Would an infield of Moose 3B, Suarez SS, India 2B, be better or worse defensively than an infield of Moose 3B, India SS, Suarez 2B? I get that India would be pretty decent at 2B. But Suarez may be a better 2B than he is a SS.

I know that the India to SS experiment was very short-lived, but from everything I have gathered, India wasn't a complete butcher at SS, either.

I think they'd rather keep Geno on the left side; with all the shifts, he's been playing SS for a good portion of the season vs. LHH anyway. He'll be comfortable there.

Seems like they want to start grooming India for 2B ASAP. Next year they can move Moose or Geno to 1B with Votto getting a majority of starts at DH. Or there's a good chance one of them is on another team.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Moving Suarez is the best chance the Reds have at competing for a pennant.

I do wonder if the Reds would consider acquiring a 2B or 3B on the free agent or nontender markets. As rosters are whittled down, some good players become available. Another Scooter Gennett might really play well protecting India.

[Kc61]

I wonder if defensively, India is a better SS than Suarez? Would an infield of Moose 3B, Suarez SS, India 2B, be better or worse defensively than an infield of Moose 3B, India SS, Suarez 2B? I get that India would be pretty decent at 2B. But Suarez may be a better 2B than he is a SS.

I know that the India to SS experiment was very short-lived, but from everything I have gathered, India wasn't a complete butcher at SS, either.

Keep in mind with the shift Reds have flexibility on positioning. Unless and until they ban the shift with strict positioning requirements, they can move the guys around the infield. Reds can try and “protect” Geno at shortstop to some extent with positioning.

[CarolinaRedleg]

Today's game is three true outcomes anyway, so why not?

[Sabo Fan]

So would you rather be made physically ill watching DSG do his best Corey Patterson impression at the plate four times a game or feel your heart drop every time a ball is hit to Geno at SS?

Sometimes I hate the decisions this organization forces me to make.

[cumberlandreds]

When the front office fails to realistically address the SS situation, this is what you end up with. Lots of grasping at straws.

Grasping for straws was exactly my thought. They know they blew it in the off season and know what they have is a bunch of utility players that will be more than inadequate at SS for the entire season.

[Kc61]

Grasping for straws was exactly my thought. They know they blew it in the off season and know what they have is a bunch of utility players that will be more than inadequate at SS for the entire season.

Agree, but at least there is a rationale to get India into the lineup. High draft choice, played some AA in 2019, has had a year since then in Prasco and whatever. Apparently did well at Prasco, looks good this spring, FWIW.

Reds will have to transition to more young players, spending on FAs is hard for them. So there is a bright side to this scenario.

[MoneyInTheBank]

So would you rather be made physically ill watching DSG do his best Corey Patterson impression at the plate four times a game or feel your heart drop every time a ball is hit to Geno at SS?

Sometimes I hate the decisions this organization forces me to make.

How dare you utter Corey Patterson's name...

[Sabo Fan]

Careful, one more time and he appears in camp to be your team’s 5th OFer. Then injuries happen and he ends up playing CF and batting lead off on Opening Day.

[REDREAD]

I am hoping this spring training experiment is to prepare Suarez to do an occasional start at SS, kind of like how Farmer occasionally would start at catcher.
I'd rather them just play Holder or Garcia or even Farmer at SS.. at least those guys are competent gloves.
I have trouble believing the proposed configuration will be that much better. India is really going to have to hit like gangbusters to make this work.

The only other thing I could see possibly is the Reds want to showcase Moose at 3b, in hopes of trading him.
Moving Suarez to SS buys the Reds some time from the bad PR of having no SS (at least from some fans).

Hopefully this is just a spring training experiment and Suarez doesn't start more than 6 games at SS this season.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Hopefully this is just a spring training experiment and Suarez doesn't start more than 6 games at SS this season.

Nah.

Hopefully, Suarez shows he's capable as a defender at SS and hits like he did in 2018 and 2019 (mid-130 wRC+), cementing his status as a slightly older Gleyber Torres for the next three or four years while signed to a bargain contract.

[Bob Sheed]

This is some of the best news I have heard all spring training.

Potentially it gets India in the lineup, and Farmer/Blandino/Street/etc out of the lineup.

If Suarez can play passable SS, this strengthens the lineup by addition and subtraction.

[LeDoux]

Seriously contemplating putting a defender like Suarez at SS, just two weeks before opening day, really challenges the voice in my head claiming "The talent evaluators making these decisions must know what they are doing. They are professionals after all!"

[RED VAN HOT]

I think that looking at Suarez at SS is simply about generating more roster tradeoffs for opening day.