Around the Horn: Middle Infielders
02/01/2006
What's the best word that describes the Reds' situation at second base?
Crowded.
And if you don't like that word, there's always congested or even logjam.
Tony Womack, Ryan Freel, Rich Aurilia and possibly Ray Olmedo will all be getting frequent opportunities to play second base at Spring Training for Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron.
To Narron, it was another word that came to mind last month when he talked about his glut of middle infielders.
"It's a luxury," Narron said.
In what turned out to be his final trade as Reds general manager before being dismissed, Dan O'Brien acquired Womack from the Yankees for two Minor Leaguers in December. Cincinnati assumed much of the 36-year-old's $2 million salary from the final year of a two-year contract. Already having Freel in the fold, the club re-signed Aurilia to a one-year, $1.3 million contract in January.
"Tony Womack is a veteran with postseason and World Series experience," Reds interim general manager Brad Kullman said last week. "He will get to play second a good amount of the time. Rich Aurilia as well. Ryan Freel will be all over the place and play second as well."
Womack will be trying to rebuild his resume following a poor 2005 with New York. He batted just .249 with 15 RBIs in 108 games in his one season there and lost his starting job to rookie Robinson Cano. Although not an on-base percentage guy, with a lifetime .316 mark, his OBP was just .276 last season.
Now many years removed from the career-high 72 bases he stole with Arizona in 1999, Womack can still run, and the Reds like having his speed. He stole 27 bases for the Yankees and 26 in 2004 for St. Louis, where he also batted a career-high .307 and helped the Cardinals reach the World Series.
Narron plans to use him at multiple positions, including shortstop and the outfield. However, during his December introduction to the media, Womack's goals were narrower going into camp.
"My mindset is to win a job at second base," Womack said. "Every year, I'm out to prove myself. I want to earn it."
A starter at five different positions last season, Freel is the consummate utility player. The club endorsed his value by signing him to a two-year, $3 million contract to avoid arbitration.
Turning 30 in March, Freel batted .271 with three home runs and 21 RBIs in 103 games last season. The speedster also stole 36 bases despite missing 39 games because of injuries. Two seasons ago, he played in a career-high 143 games.
"I've been a utility guy for three years, and when I'm healthy, I'm out there pretty much all the time," said Freel after signing his contract. "I'll get my fair share of at-bats and playing time. I took trading for Tony as a good thing. He'll bring a lot to the table."
Aurilia, who is also an option at third base if young Edwin Encarnacion shows he's not ready for the everyday job, batted .282 with 14 home runs and 68 RBIs in 114 games last season. He made 64 starts at second base in 2005.
Olmedo played in only 54 games with Cincinnati last season and batted .221. He missed a lot of time recovering from 2004 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old had a strong showing playing winter ball in Venezuela, which could help him fight for a bench role this spring.
The everyday shortstop is certainly much less of a mystery for the Reds, especially after the 2005 season Felipe Lopez had.
Few shortstops in Reds history had better offensive years than Lopez, who improved from an uneven 2004 season to bat .291 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs with a .352 on-base percentage. The 25-year-old earned an invitation to the All-Star Game and collected a Silver Slugger Award, ranking first among National League shortstops in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits.
Not bad for someone who wasn't the everyday guy until May, when an Aurilia injury cleared his way into the lineup.
There's still some work to do defensively for Lopez, who committed 17 errors in 140 games. The organization would like him to become more consistent while remaining strong with the bat.
"We're expecting him to keep building and growing from what he did last year," Kullman said.
If Lopez can do that and find a rhythm with whomever his double play partner is, there might be yet another word to describe the Reds' middle infield situation in 2006.
Solid.
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
What's the best word that describes the Reds' situation at second base?
Crowded.
And if you don't like that word, there's always congested or even logjam.
Tony Womack, Ryan Freel, Rich Aurilia and possibly Ray Olmedo will all be getting frequent opportunities to play second base at Spring Training for Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron.
To Narron, it was another word that came to mind last month when he talked about his glut of middle infielders.
"It's a luxury," Narron said.
In what turned out to be his final trade as Reds general manager before being dismissed, Dan O'Brien acquired Womack from the Yankees for two Minor Leaguers in December. Cincinnati assumed much of the 36-year-old's $2 million salary from the final year of a two-year contract. Already having Freel in the fold, the club re-signed Aurilia to a one-year, $1.3 million contract in January.
"Tony Womack is a veteran with postseason and World Series experience," Reds interim general manager Brad Kullman said last week. "He will get to play second a good amount of the time. Rich Aurilia as well. Ryan Freel will be all over the place and play second as well."
Womack will be trying to rebuild his resume following a poor 2005 with New York. He batted just .249 with 15 RBIs in 108 games in his one season there and lost his starting job to rookie Robinson Cano. Although not an on-base percentage guy, with a lifetime .316 mark, his OBP was just .276 last season.
Now many years removed from the career-high 72 bases he stole with Arizona in 1999, Womack can still run, and the Reds like having his speed. He stole 27 bases for the Yankees and 26 in 2004 for St. Louis, where he also batted a career-high .307 and helped the Cardinals reach the World Series.
Narron plans to use him at multiple positions, including shortstop and the outfield. However, during his December introduction to the media, Womack's goals were narrower going into camp.
"My mindset is to win a job at second base," Womack said. "Every year, I'm out to prove myself. I want to earn it."
A starter at five different positions last season, Freel is the consummate utility player. The club endorsed his value by signing him to a two-year, $3 million contract to avoid arbitration.
Turning 30 in March, Freel batted .271 with three home runs and 21 RBIs in 103 games last season. The speedster also stole 36 bases despite missing 39 games because of injuries. Two seasons ago, he played in a career-high 143 games.
"I've been a utility guy for three years, and when I'm healthy, I'm out there pretty much all the time," said Freel after signing his contract. "I'll get my fair share of at-bats and playing time. I took trading for Tony as a good thing. He'll bring a lot to the table."
Aurilia, who is also an option at third base if young Edwin Encarnacion shows he's not ready for the everyday job, batted .282 with 14 home runs and 68 RBIs in 114 games last season. He made 64 starts at second base in 2005.
Olmedo played in only 54 games with Cincinnati last season and batted .221. He missed a lot of time recovering from 2004 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old had a strong showing playing winter ball in Venezuela, which could help him fight for a bench role this spring.
The everyday shortstop is certainly much less of a mystery for the Reds, especially after the 2005 season Felipe Lopez had.
Few shortstops in Reds history had better offensive years than Lopez, who improved from an uneven 2004 season to bat .291 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs with a .352 on-base percentage. The 25-year-old earned an invitation to the All-Star Game and collected a Silver Slugger Award, ranking first among National League shortstops in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits.
Not bad for someone who wasn't the everyday guy until May, when an Aurilia injury cleared his way into the lineup.
There's still some work to do defensively for Lopez, who committed 17 errors in 140 games. The organization would like him to become more consistent while remaining strong with the bat.
"We're expecting him to keep building and growing from what he did last year," Kullman said.
If Lopez can do that and find a rhythm with whomever his double play partner is, there might be yet another word to describe the Reds' middle infield situation in 2006.
Solid.
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
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