Sunday, March 17, 2002
Reds Q&A with John Fay
Pitchers offer ray of hope
By John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Opening Day must not be far away (15 days, but who's counting?), so e-mailers are turning their attention to baseball questions. That's a good thing. Read on:
Q, from Rowdy in Cincinnati: Nice article in Saturday's paper. I'm curious, though. If there is no “breakout,” “ace” pitcher for the Reds this year, will (the Reds) go after an “ace” for the first year at Great American?
A: A compliment gets you first in the question lineup. I think the Reds will be active in the free agent market next year. How active depends on who's available and how this year's pitching develops.
Q, from Jason in Dayton, Ohio: Over the last few days, I've been reading words and phrases that haven't been associated with the Reds for a while — “four innings pitched, one hit, no runs, struck out two; four innings pitched, one run on three hits, struck out five,” and so on. Everyone has written off the Reds so quickly this year based on the starting pitching, but do these numbers give us hope?
A: It is spring training. But there's much more reason for optimism now than two weeks ago. Joey Hamilton is the biggest reason. He has looked like the ace the Reds couldn't afford. If he eats up some innings and pitches anywhere close to as effectively as he has in Florida, the Reds could surprise a lot of people.
Q, from Trent in Greenburg, Ky: Is there any truth to the rumors about the Reds trying to get Neifi Perez from the Royals? This is the second time in the last four weeks Baseball Weekly has reported it. BW says the Reds want Perez at short and (will) move Barry Larkin to second, something Larkin has always been opposed to. Also, are they unhappy with Todd Walker? I think he's a pretty darn good second baseman?
A: I think the rumor keeps coming up because Kansas City would like to move Perez and his salary. The Reds think playing with Larkin will help Walker defensively, and they like Walker offensively.
Q, from Jay: I don't care how many HRs Ken Griffey Jr. gets. He still hasn't won a championship, and neither has Barry Bonds. If you think Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young were an aberration, you are sadly mistaken. You can't trade for players who can get along with Griffey and get rid of ones who can't. Griffey should listen to Marty (Brennaman) and Joe (Nuxhall) and hustle to first base, turn singles into doubles and lead the team like a franchise player is being paid to do.
A: Jay, you are sadly mistaken if you think Young and Reese were traded because they didn't get along with Griffey. They turned down long-term contracts. As for home runs, they sort of help you win games. As for leading the team like a franchise player, Greg Vaughn really turned things around in Tampa Bay, didn't he? Junior is what he is. He's a great player, he plays every day when he's healthy, and he'll give up his body to make a catch.
Q, from Craig in Conneaut, Pa.: I have been impressed with the numbers put up by a few relatively unknown players this spring, but haven't seen much written about them. They are Raul Gonzalez, Jesse Levis, and Anthony Sanders (through March 9, they were batting .333, .667 and .450, respectively). Who are they, and what are their chances of making the team? I'd like to see them get more playing time. What are the chances of going with Brady Clark and Sanders (and Robin Jennings if they have to) and forgetting about Juan Encarnacion and Ruben Mateo? I realize it's just spring training, but some guys are showing what they can do and deserve the extra opportunity, in my opinion.
A: They are all minor-league free agents. Look at their lifetime major-league averages: Gonzalez (.188), Sanders (.240) and Levis (.255). That said, they're still getting good looks and could be up if the Reds have injuries. Encarnacion and Mateo are going to get the first crack in right because the Reds love players with tools, and these two have them. However, Clark and whoever else makes the roster will get a shot to take away the spot by getting hot.
Q, from Tim: Last time I checked, Wilton Guerrero hit something like .330 last year. How is he a “major downgrade offensively?” Defensively, maybe.
A: It was .338. But Guerrero drove in one per run 17.7 at-bats. Aaron Boone drove in one per 6.1 at-bats. You win with runs, not batting average. Production is the mark of a good third baseman. Mike Schmidt didn't hit for much of an average, but he was pretty good.
John Fay covers the Reds for the Enquirer. He can be reached at jfay@enquirer.com. Please include neighborhood or hometown.
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Reds Q&A with John Fay
