What to watch for in Cincinnati Reds spring training: Position Players
All players should be in camp at this point. Earlier this week I looked at the pitching side of things, which is a lot more interesting than the position player side of things where there aren’t really any jobs open for the taking as the Reds are only replacing two players from the division winning team from 2012. Shin-Soo Choo will take over in the outfield, whether or not he winds up in center or right the three outfielders will be Choo, Bruce and Ludwick. At third base, taking over for Scott Rolen will be Todd Frazier. Everyone else should be, assuming health, playing exactly where they were last season for the big league squad. Still, there will likely be injuries that take place during the season and the Reds will need to call guys up. So what these guys do in spring training could be what determines if they are even in the discussion when a situation arises and Dusty Baker and Walt Jocketty need to discuss who to bring up. A strong impression in spring could stick with Dusty, who doesn’t follow along the minor leagues as closely as Walt does.
Here is a breakdown of the minor leaguers who are in big league spring training:
Position Players: Tucker Barnhart (C), Billy Hamilton (OF), Ryan LaMarre (OF), Donald Lutz (1B/LF), Kristopher Negron (IF/OF), Denis Phipps (OF), Derrick Robinson (OF), Henry Rodriguez (IF), Yorman Rodriguez (OF) and Neftali Soto (1B).
Position players don’t have injuries as often as pitchers do and it is easier to bring up a “veteran type” of player to fill in on the bench if someone does go down rather than call up a real prospect. Still, there could be some guys on the list who will see time in the Majors, but some guys have next to no chance to see time in the big leagues this year. Let’s also note that my odds of seeing a player this year is before September, when some guys may get a call up but not really see much action.
Tucker Barnhart likely won’t see time in the big leagues in 2013.
Tucker Barnhart (Catcher): Tucker Barnhart is one of those players who probably doesn’t have much of a chance to see time in the big leagues this year. Despite the fact that he will start the season in Double-A Pensacola, he isn’t on the 40-man roster and is behind the likes of Hanigan, Mesoraco, Miller and Olivo. The Reds don’t add guys to the roster before they need to and there would need to be some real attrition at the catcher spot to reach Barnhart. Still, showing a good handling of the pitching staff will help keep his name in the mind of a guy like Dusty Bakers who may use him from time to time during the spring to help get him extra work with the big league pitchers that will be valuable in the future. Odds of seeing him this season: Slim.
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