Matt McLain - Fast Mover?

[Bourgeois Zee]

It failed miserably only because Senzel forgot how to hit a baseball with any force. He actually played an average to above average CF from almost day 1. But his position had nothing to do with that, IMO

That's a good point.

Moving Senzel to CF was a relative stroke of genius. He was certainly a capable defender in a (much) more difficult area of the field. The Reds also struggled mightily to find another option, while having multiple options at the other spots.

It just didn't work.

[Kc61]

That's a good point.

Moving Senzel to CF was a relative stroke of genius. He was certainly a capable defender in a (much) more difficult area of the field. The Reds also struggled mightily to find another option, while having multiple options at the other spots.

It just didn't work.

They should have moved Senzel to CF earlier in his minor league career. I believe that switch, just as he approached the majors, was unhelpful to him. The idea was fine, but the timing was poor, an unwise distraction.

[Mitri]

They should have moved Senzel to CF earlier in his minor league career. I believe that switch, just as he approached the majors, was unhelpful to him. The idea was fine, but the timing was poor, an unwise distraction.

They should have moved him to another team.

The positional moves have nothing to do with his incompetence.

[Bourgeois Zee]

They should have moved Senzel to CF earlier in his minor league career. I believe that switch, just as he approached the majors, was unhelpful to him. The idea was fine, but the timing was poor, an unwise distraction.

Maybe.

Though I'd argue if it was merely a distraction, he'd have hit by now.

He hasn't. (As we all know.)

Defensively, it's worked pretty seamlessly.

What's mind-boggling is that they still haven't found/ acquired a CF worth his salt.

[mth123]

If you have some speed and athleticism, CF is the easiest spot to play on the field. True reads on every fly ball. Rarely does one slice away from you in either direction. You don't need to worry about calling pitches or fielding ground balls and having to come up and throw out runners. It's a key spot, because you need to be fast and get good jumps on the ball to play there, but from a skill, technique standpoint, it's the easiest position to learn. Senzel didn't seem to have a lot of problems adjusting to it.

I don't think the move to CF affected him at all. He simply couldn't hit at the big-league level. He was an advanced college bat beating up on more raw competition in the minor leagues. He got to the big leagues and that advantage was negated and he didn't progress. Injuries may have had a factor in that, but he was healthy for the most part in 2022 and he still didn't hit. He's in his late 20s now and the chances he'll put it together in Cincy are very slim. Too much water under the bridge and atmosphere of failure around him. He may go elsewhere with a clean slate and become a decent contributor for a few years, but the promise of his minor league career is all gone and very unlikely to be even partially realized in a Reds uniform.

The Reds made him a multi-millionaire the day they signed him and gave him a fairly extended look in the midst of a lot of failure. They owe Senzel nothing at this point and I'd move on.

[Kc61]

If you have some speed and athleticism, CF is the easiest spot to play on the field. True reads on every fly ball. Rarely does one slice away from you in either direction. You don't need to worry about calling pitches or fielding ground balls and having to come up and throw out runners. It's a key spot, because you need to be fast and get good jumps on the ball to play there, but from a skill, technique standpoint, it's the easiest position to learn. Senzel didn't seem to have a lot of problems adjusting to it.

I don't think the move to CF affected him at all. He simply couldn't hit at the big-league level. He was an advanced college bat beating up on more raw competition in the minor leagues. He got to the big leagues and that advantage was negated and he didn't progress. Injuries may have had a factor in that, but he was healthy for the most part in 2022 and he still didn't hit. He's in his late 20s now and the chances he'll put it together in Cincy are very slim. Too much water under the bridge and atmosphere of failure around him. He may go elsewhere with a clean slate and become a decent contributor for a few years, but the promise of his minor league career is all gone and very unlikely to be even partially realized in a Reds uniform.

The Reds made him a multi-millionaire the day they signed him and gave him a fairly extended look in the midst of a lot of failure. They owe Senzel nothing at this point and I'd move on.

I totally disagree on Senzel’s move to CF. For a lifetime infielder like Senzel, it was a big deal. It required a significant learning curve at a time he should have been focused on hitting MLB pitching.

Followed up with two years of injuries, no wonder the guy is messed up at bat. It was a colossal mistake. These guys aren’t ping pong balls.

You don’t mess around with top prospects. Let them do their thing. And if you’re going to make a major position switch, give the player time to adjust before bringining him up to face major league pitching. At least a full season.

[Strikes Out Looking]

The K's for all of the Reds minor leaguers are a huge issue. I'd rather they slow down their march to the majors and have them all learn to put the ball into play before putting them into the lineup.

[UKFlounder]

Yes he was