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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 > June > 21
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Hernandez to third? Baker says no
I can’t even manage my own money, let alone manage a baseball team, but I have an idea and I’m going to present it to Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.
Let me know what you think.
Right now the best hitter on the team (average-wise) is catcher Ryan Hanigan, who has the best average and on-base average of any rookie in the National League. But his job description is “Back-up catcher.”
The only reason he has been given this opportunity is because Joey Votto is on the DL and No. 1 catcher Ramon Hernandez is playing first base.
It is obvious that Votto will be back within the week, if not sooner. Hernandez will move back to catcher and Hanigan will move to the bench.
Why?
Let’s try this. Move Hernandez to third base and keep Hanigan in the lineup Herandez had started one game at first base during his major-league career before taking over for Votto and he is playing it like Mandrake the Magician.
Could he play third, too? Why not. Even Baker said on the day he started playing Hernandez at first, “I’ve always thought any good catcher could play both third base and first base without any problems.”
So there you have it. Let’s see if Baker does it. Jerry Hairston Jr. is the shortstop for the immediate future while Alex Gonzalez (bone chips in his elbow) is out again. Adam Rosales is playing third base but as of Sunday he was 4 for 43 (.093) over his last 15 games. That ain’t gonna cut it, fans.
Of course, Hernandez is only 6 for 48 in his last 14 games (.125), but I’m more confident that he’ll come out of it quicker than Rosales.
ANOTHER ONE for Baker. Micah Owings starts Tuesday in Tornoto. Instead of using the DH, might Baker be tempted to not use a DH and permit Owings to bat? He is hitting .270 with two homers and seven RBIs — the same amount of homers and Chris Dickerson and only two RBIs less and one home run more than Willy Taveras and only two RBIs less and the same number of home runs as Adam Rosales and only five RBIs less.
I posed these questions to a much-dejected Baker after Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox and he quickly shot them both down like the G-men took down Bonnie & Clyde.
“I have to get Hernandez back behind the plate,” said Baker. While he recognizes what Hanigan is doing with the bat, Baker also knows most of his hits are not producing runs. Although he isn’t the Lone Ranger is not driving in runs, Hanigan is hitting .174 with runners in scoring position - .063 with runners in scoring position and two outs.
Hernandez is hitting .304 with runners in scoring posing, .320 with less than two outs.
And Owings? Baker sent him up to pinch-hit Sunday and he struck out. I understand, and agree, that it is better to have both Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix in the lineup at the same time - a good 1-2 punch from the right side and the left side.
As I said, I can’t manage my checkbook.
I DO HAVE a question, though. How long is GM Walt Jocketty going to wait before he makes a significant move. After contending for 2 1/2 months, it is starting to slip away - four games out now, their biggest deficit since they were 4 1/2 behind on May 21.
With all the missing parts - Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez - Baker is being forced to fill-in with minor leaguers, guys like Wilkin Castillo and Danny Richard who weren’t doing much in Triple-A.
Do they want to win this year and do they want to keep trying to build for the future? If they want to win, and this year with a weak NL Central, now seems the time to take a grab at winning it, it is time for Jocketty to show Baker & The Boys that he is doing something to help make that happen.
Walt? Your turn.
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