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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2009 > February > 17
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Encarnacion loses, but still wins
Well, it’s Tuesday. UPS was supposed to deliver a large box of my clothes last Friday. No box yet. And the jeans I’m wearing can probably stand by themselves in the corner and whistle The Star Spangled Banner.
The Cincinnati Reds wasted a few thousand dollars on a trip to Phoenix, but Edwin Encarnacion and his agent saved face.
The Reds, led by Assistant GM Bob Miller, were in place in Phoenix for today’s schedule arbitration hearing with Encarnacion, but Encarnacion and the team came to terms on an agreement early today - a two-year contract believed to be worth $5 million.
Encarnacion saved face but he most likely was going to get his head handed to him in arbitration. He was asking for $3.5 million and the team was offering $2.2 million. Arbitrators would have decided which figure was best - no compromises - and conventional thinking was that in this economy and Encarnacion’s shaky numbers he would have lost.
And he would have had to sit through the hearings and listen to members of the front office tell arbitrators how bad he was last year and how he doesn’t deserve $3.5 million. With a low-key guy like Edwin, a guy with a fragile ego, it could have ruined his season.
The thing is, even if players LOSE in arbitration, they still win. They still get huge raises. Encarnacilon made $450,000 last year and the least he could have made this year was $2.2 million. Some loss, huh?
“Those are never nice and the aftermath is never nice,” said manager Dusty Baker of the arbitration process. “I’m glad they came to an agreement before the hearing. Good for Edwin and good for us.”
JOEY VOTTO is on Canada’s provisional 40-man World Baseball Class roster and it is certain he’ll still be on the roster when it is cut to 27. Is he going?
“Yes, I’m going to play for Canada and I’m looking forward to it,” said Votto. Votto was invited by Canada to play in the first WBC in 2006, but he declined. “I was just coming out of ‘A’ ball and I didn’t want to miss spring training.”
ALEX GONZALEZ is in camp, looking trim and talking positively after missing all of last season with a compression fracture of the left knee. He says he is ready to go full bore from Day One in spring training.
“It’s hard, very hard, to miss a whole year, but you have to stay strong in the mind,” said Gonzalez. “I’ve worked hard for a year to get back. I’ve done a lot of stuff with workouts and weights and taking ground balls and hitting. Last year was frustrating, but you have to forget last year and focus on this year - especially in your mind.
“I like this team,” he said. “We’ve added catcher Ramon Hernandez and center fielder Willy Taveras. With Brandon Phillips at second and me at short I think we’ll be one of the best defensive teams up the middle in the league. And Willy is one of the best leadoff hitters in the league, too.”
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