Results tagged ‘ Jeff Keppinger ’
5 Things to Watch Down the Stretch of Spring Training
At the halfway point of spring training games, the Reds are in an odd position of having a fairly set roster with several things still in flux. This has been caused by some shaky performances, defections to the WBC, and sudden competitions we didn’t expect. Dusty Baker is no different from most managers–they will usually excuse a poor spring and give the nod to a proven veteran. But the Reds find themselves with a few growing decisions that might exceed the normal ST slump or surprise showing by a youngster.
Here are 5 Things to Watch the final two-plus weeks of spring training:
1.) The Race for the No. 5 Starter
It’s over, it’s been over and it was never really a competition. RH Micah Owings was already the more experienced pitcher, the big arm, and the key to the Adam Dunn deal with Arizona. He’s also put up the Reds’ best spring pitching numbers against far better lineups than his next closest competitor, RH Homer Bailey. There’s a reason the Reds shut down Owings from pitching with a strained shoulder after acquiring him last summer: he could be the best No. 5 starter in MLB.
2.) The Real Race–Long Reliever
Attention turns almost immediately to the one available slot in the bullpen, long reliever. A wide opinion is to keep Bailey on the Reds and let him mature out of the bullpen. I don’t share that belief; maybe you do. But he’s going to face far better batters the rest of the way than he has thus far. We’ll see how Bailey reacts. Anyway, RH Nick Masset did a solid job in the role after coming from the White Sox in the Junior Griffey deal, but his career inconsistency has carried over to spring training. Plus, he’s out of options. Thing is, if not Bailey or Masset, who? Could LH Pedro Viola slip into the race, especially if LH Billy Bray isn’t fully ready from shoulder and hamstring issues? How dumb is it now that RH Ramon Ramirez, 26, nine years in pro ball, left for the WBC?
3.) Logjam for Bench Roles
It appears Chris Dickerson and Jonny Gomes will platoon in left field, leaving a tough competition for two, maybe three, bench roles. With Jerry Hairston Jr. available for outfield or middle infield duty, does that make Norris Hopper and Jeff Keppinger (see No. 4) redundant? The competition for left-handed bat off the bench has come down too 1b Daryl Ward, OF Laynce Nix and OF Jacque Jones. Nix is younger and offers a little more versatility. The struggling Jones could be a roster cut by the end of the week even though ideally he fits the role of versatile, veteran lefty off the bench better than anyone. Meanwhile, the versatility of 2b-C-OF Wilkin Castillo can’t be overlooked. But he doesn’t hit for power and he hasn’t hit anything this spring. To this point, Ward is winning a slot almost by default and he’s the least versatile.
4.) The Growing Keppinger Question
Baker insists utility infielder Jeff Keppinger’s roster spot isn’t in jeopardy but you really have to wonder. Keppinger has not hit since breaking his knee cap last May. With SS Alex Gonzalez looking good so far in his return from a broken knee, is Keppinger expendable? Couldn’t Hairston serve as insurance and backup to Gonzalez, 2b Brandon Phillips and 3b Edwin Encarnacion? It’s a growing question unless Keppinger’s bat heats up.
5.) Who Gets Cut From the 40-Man Roster?
There’s already very little fat with 12 possibilities being under age 26. Hopper is the most likely at this point and I’ll say 2b Danny Richar, who is 26, position limited and would likely clear waivers. Perhaps you disagree and see Masset or one of the young but aging minors relievers (Manuel?) as candidates. Either way, it appears the Reds will have to clear two off the 40-man to open the season.
–30–
Observations of Spring Training: Vol. 2
E-6?–The loss of starting shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a fracture of the knee means there’s an open competition for the position. Most people assume Jeff Keppinger will step into the slot based on his terrific second-half performance of last year. But that is not apparently true (yet) as manager Dusty Baker has not given Keppinger an endorsement defensively. Instead, Baker has heaped praise upon Paul Janish’s major league-ready glovework, Adam Rosales’ athleticism, Jerry Gil’s versatility and Juan Castro’s recovery from elbow surgery. If Neifi Perez suddenly appears in camp, oh brother. . . .
Point is, it appears Dusty is saying now is a good time to look closer at the minors kids and see if a starting shortstop for 2010 and beyond is among them. Or, more likely, as Dusty is wont to do, he’s using a little psychological rhetoric to ***-kick everyone to step up and grab the job. Obviously, Keppinger is not going to be handed the position, nor should he be. He’s not earned it yet. Three months is not a career like Gonzalez’s. But the minors kids have an opportunity to earn the job and Keppinger has to play himself out of the job–if that makes much sense. Tie goes to Keppinger.
BREAKING NEWS!–This just in! Scott Hatteberg plays, trade speculation begins! MLBTradeRumors.com says the Yankees, Royals, Giants and A’s are possible matches. If the Giants want to part with Dan Ortmeier or the Royals part with Joey Gathright . . . waitaminute, I may have 108 red stitches in my head but this ain’t fantasy baseball. Sheeez.
Majik Man–After Gary Wayne Majewski’s disastrous first outing of the spring (1/3 IP, 6 hits, 6 runs), almost all of Redlegs Nation was screaming bloody hell for him to be released. Oddly, no one asked for an exorcism. But the lunatic thinking was all over the map–this is the Majik Man’s last chance to save his career; he has the name of a serial killer; and the dumbest (but prevailing) mindset: GM Wayne Krivsky won’t cut the Majik Man because Krivsky will look bad for making “The Trade” with the Nationals two years ago. Here’s a thought: The performances and contracts ($9.9 million combined) of Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns in Washington have already made it look like a good trade for the Reds, regardless of the oft-injured Majewski and Bill Bray (combined for just under $1 mil).
Majewski is not getting released so save your rant. He’d be claimed on waivers in about 8 minutes. There’s this little shortage of pitching going around. It’s also the first week of spring games. He’s only 28, he’s got minor league options, he’s cheap, he’s been successful in the big leagues, and when healthy, his fastball has a lot pop, movement and sink–perfect for GABP. His problem has been strike-zone command, which is very common for pitchers coming off shoulder problems. He can always go back to Louisville and continue to find himself. But for now, it’s a good thing the Majik Man had a stellar inning his second outing. His ERA dropped from 162.0 to 40.50.
Pole Vaults–Anyone else notice that pitching coach Dick Pole, who seemed to have almost no impact or visibility last year under Jerry Narron and Pete Mackanin, seems to have received a shot of B-12 (the illegal stuff) with Dusty’s hiring? Remember, many thought the Reds should have brought in a younger pitching coach for the young arms when a new manager was hired. But Pole, who was Baker’s pitching coach with the Giants and bench coach with the Cubs, has now vaulted (har) to the forefront with the kid pitchers, being very proactive in workouts, mid-inning mound sessions and a meeting of the minds with Baker on a game plan for the pitching staff. Maybe it’s an illusion, or elusion, but me thinks with Narron being a former catcher, perhaps he and Pole had differences on handling the pitching staff. Just guessing. . . .
Ross For Less–David Ross, who is coming off a terrible offensive year (.203-17-39) but is one of the best defensive and play-calling catchers in the bigs, is missing time with a balky back. Obviously you want more offense from your catcher, so this could be a pivotal spring, a pivotal year for him and the position. Ross and backup Javier Valentin are free agents after this season and there’s no heir apparent ready in the system. Ross is making $2.52 mil this year and there’s a $3.5 mil option for 2009 with a $375,000 buyout. Needless to ponder, Ross needs to get on the field, have a better offensive season or he’ll be playing for a lot less in 2009.
Quip Master–The Reds’ media is having a grand ol’ time in their daily meetings with Baker. Mackanin brought great humor and broke the tension long fostered by know-it-all Bob Boone, puppet Dave Miley and tightly wound Narron. Yes, some of you think Dusty is illiterate. Yes, some of you think he’s a fool. Yes, some of you think he hates young players, OBP, runners on the base path, modern music and wine in a box. But you have to go back to Trader Jack McKeon in 2000 for a better Reds manager for quotes, quips, honesty and keeping everyone informed, including the readers/fans. Dusty is very refreshing, even if you take the interpretation of his round-about musings way, way too literal.
Today, Dusty has this laugher, talking about injured pitchers having a better chance nowadays of reviving their careers: “With so many teams in need of quality arms, guys are able to come back more than before. They’re giving their body a natural chance to recover, in addition to rehab. In the old days, there were some guys I knew who were in better shape and were better players in the beer league after they got hurt. They just couldn’t get a chance [to make a comeback]. But they got all the beer.”
The Eye Seez. . . . Ron’s kid, reliever Josh Roenicke making his second appearance of the spring against the Hated Yankees Thursday. Josh blew away the Pirates Saturday with 2 strikeouts in an inning. He had teammates buzzing about his fastball in a batting practice session last week, and he gave up an unearned run with a strikeout in the intrasquad game. John Fay of the Enquirer has mentioned twice in 10 days that Roenicke is the surprise of camp and believes he’ll make the team. And there’s this Dusty quote:
“I hunted with his dad this winter. We talked about [Josh], his background and where he came from. I’ve been following him since he was in high school, as a football player.”
Reds Spring Camp Sidebar: Questions in Sarasota, Part 2
Second in a Series
Even though spring training games are underway and many of the Reds’ question marks will be answered on the field, there are still lots of interesting twists, takes and turns about this team that we–the faithful–are pondering each day of camp. So we’ll address a few more of those questions in (fairly) short-answer format as a sidebar feature, “Questions in Sarasota,” between each installment of the five-part series “Reds Top 5 Storylines of Spring Training.” These questions and answers are not in any order of importance. Nor are they paralleling the mainbar series. They’re just interesting questions from fans to help all of Redlegs Nation enjoy watching the Nine prepare for the 2008 season:
The First Base Quandary
Q: Where does Scott Hatteberg fit in? –Charles Michels
Q2: Does Andy Phillips make the team? –Doug Smith, aka “The Bartender”
A: First base is increasingly a very interesting position to watch. While Votto has the inside nod on the starting job, what happens with the backup slot could affect several players and positions. Phillips appears to be roster-squeezed, especially since Jeff Keppinger is likely to get ABs as the right-handed first baseman and backup catcher Javier Valentin can slip into duty at first, as well. Plus, there’s quasi-incumbent Hatteberg’s situation.
Why the logjam? The only thing that figures is the Reds are waiting to see if Votto performs close to his September production this spring while also seeing if there’s a market for Hatteberg and/or Votto (in a bigger deal) as the season nears. Something must give. If the kid pitchers perform how do you justify demoting one of them in favor of a roster spot for three or four 1bs and/or three catchers? Because of Valentin’s role as a backup catcher and great pinch-hitter, the first-base backup will probably determine if Bako stays as a third catcher.
But Doc, It Only Hurts When I Throw
Q: What do you make of Bronson Arroyo’s health? I thought he was injured last year. –Jason Burwinkel, aka “AD05″
A: Lots of eyebrows raised about Arroyo’s health after throwing 129 pitches against San Diego May 16. He followed with a six-start binge of 0-4 with two no decisions, 10.78 ERA and 50 hits allowed in just 29.2 innings. Twelve of his 18 starts in the first half were more than 100 pitches, including a stretch from June to early July of five in a row with no less than 105 pitches.
Arroyo never confessed to injury and certainly he continued taking the mound. But later in the season he admitted to a tired arm. By Aug. 1, he was barely getting to the sixth inning . . . all of which raises an interesting point: For all the crap many fans give Dusty Baker about the way he rode Kerry Wood and Mark Prior in Chicago, especially during a pennant-winning season, why wasn’t there similar outcry when Jerry Narron and Pete Mackanin were mule-driving Aaron Harang and Arroyo the past two years?
Because, when you want to win games and you have a thin staff and even thinner bullpen, you go with your best guys as long as you can keep ‘em hitched to a bridle.
Temptation of Another (Retread)
Q: Can Reds management resist the temptation of signing Kenny Lofton to play in the outfield? –Eric Rodgers
A: Probably not. But it’s been oddly quiet on the Lofton front the past week to 10 days. The idea of a versatile lefty backup outfielder to slot opposite righty Norris Hopper makes a lot of sense. I still believe Jay Bruce spends at least 60 days in Louisville to start the season.
Sub-Prime Lesson: Don’t Spend Money You Don’t Have
Q: With the contracts of Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn and several others coming off the boards after this year, it seems the Reds could have $40 million freed for 2009. Will the Reds be big free-agent shoppers in 2009? –Brian Butler
A: Not so fast. Yes, with expiring contracts and expected buyouts the Reds are looking at just under $44 million in savings, but they have about $18 million in escalating salaries in long-term contracts, around $6 mil in potential buyouts, not to mention any arbitration cases and escalations on non-arb contracts. The real amount freed looks to be around $16 million to $18 million. Now, if the Reds decline Ross’s option and dump Freel’s salary, that’s an additional $6 million! You can see all the Reds’ contracts at Cot’s Baseball Clearinghouse.
But the Damn Ball Only Costs $12.99!
Q: You have mentioned the Reds’ “Great Eight” stars of the Big Red Machine will appear at a card and memorabilia show in Baltimore (March 8-9). I was thinking of getting a ball signed by all of them through mail order but the cost is $372. That seems high. What does a ball with the entire team of players and coaches cost? –Terry Hart
A: It depends on the condition of the ball and quality of signatures, but a ’75 team-signed official National League ball (Chub Feeney stamp) with all the key names–the “Great Eight,” the remaining reserves and pitchers, plus manager Sparky Anderson and batting coach Ted Kluszewski–is typically around $1,200; the ’76 ball is about $1,500. You can shop eBay and memorabilia dealers and sometimes find lesser-conditioned balls for $1,000 or a little less.
I’m a believer of vintage sports memorabilia being part of your investment portfolio. The Big Red Machine balls are a good example. I paid less than $650 each at Leland’s auctions in the ’90s and now some auction prices are tipping $2,000 for the ’76 ball. How do you argue with a 307 percent return?
(Editor’s Prerogative: Some questions are edited for clarity to pertain to the specific subject.)
–30-
mlblogsgoredlegs
Recent Comments