Catcher Brook Fordyce has.
''He's done a good job,'' McKeon said.
So good, McKeon isn't ready to say how he'll split the catching job. Going into camp, it was widely assumed that Eddie Taubensee would get all the at-bats against right-handers.
But McKeon won't commit to that.
''I'm not advertising it as a platoon,'' he said. ''I'm going to put the guy in there who's going to help the club the most. We'll see what happens. The guy who gets hot is going to stay in there awhile.''
Taubensee wants the bulk of that time.
''I would like to be the five-day-a-week catcher,'' Taubensee said. ''But Jack's going to put in who he thinks is the best guy to do the job. I think I had the inside track, but I've been working hard this spring.''
Right now, Fordyce is the hot guy. He is hitting .455 with a home run and five RBI in 22 at-bats. Taubensee is hitting .226 with two home runs and four RBI in 31 at-bats.
That, in itself, will not affect the breakdown of playing time.
''I don't pay much attention to that,'' McKeon said. ''I've seen guys hit .300 in the spring, then hit .140 during the season.''
Said Taubensee: ''I'm not concerned. As long as I'm hitting the ball hard. I'm more concerned about working with pitchers.''
The rap on Taubensee has always been his catching skills. He threw out only 13 percent of the runners who tried to steal on him last year. He has also been criticized for his handling of pitchers. That's been his area of concentration.
''I've spent a lot of time talking to the pitchers,'' he said, ''before and after games.''
There were pitchers on the Reds last year who didn't want to throw to Taubensee.
''I think those guys are gone now,'' Taubensee said. ''Now guys don't care who's catching.''
That said, defense and handling the pitching staff will play a major role in who gets the time behind the plate.
Fordyce has the reputation as an excellent catcher. Florida Marlins manager Jim Leyland marveled at his skills after he caught a game against the Marlins last year.
More evidence of his skill: Fordyce went to Indianapolis for a 12-game injury rehab stint. In that time, Indians pitchers were 10-1 with a 2.32 ERA.
Hitting well this spring was probably more important for Fordyce, who has 105 major league at-bats, than Taubensee, who has 1,637. This is the first time Fordyce has come to a camp knowing he was going to make the big-league club, but he says he's not satisfied with that.
''I'm always trying to prove myself,'' he said. ''I want to show the Reds that I can play every day.''
Last year, Fordyce played about every 30 days. He was the third catcher and started only 24 games.
''It's tough to stay sharp when you never know when you're going to play,'' he said. ''I thought I did OK when I got a chance. I just didn't get many chances.''
His daily duty was catching the ceremonial first pitch and then watching the game.
Last year was Fordyce's first extended stay in the bigs after four seasons at Class AAA.
Fordyce, 27, grew up in Uncasville, Conn. He was a third-round pick of the Mets in 1989 draft, out of high school.
He put up impressive numbers in rookie ball through Class AA but then came the long stay at AAA.
Fordyce is likely to benefit from McKeon's willingness to give players a chance.
Chris Stynes and Jon Nunnally are examples of players who earned jobs with their performances.
''I know that when we have a day game after a night game, I'm going to be in there,'' Fordyce said. ''I'm going to get the opportunity. I just want to stay consistent.''
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