It's Too Early

[ghettochild]

It's Too Early
ghettochild
07/19/06

In loo of the deserving starting third baseman of the Cincinnati Reds, Edwin Encarnacion, not getting his starts, I've decided to write my first article.

Being one of the only Reds fans here in Dallas, or quite possibly North Texas for that matter, I'm totally psyched whenever a Reds game comes on. I love nothing better than to sit at home from six until nine or so, and watch Reds baseball with my family. Mainly my Dad. We'll sit and talk baseball for the whole game. He's experienced it all. He's been through the Machine. He's seen Pete Rose get 4192. He saw the last game at old Crosley. Went to every home game in the '85 season (why he chose '85 I don't know). He went to games one and two of the 1990 world series.

Quite frankly, I'm jealous. I mean...Wouldn't you be too?

But lately he's been asking me this question. "Where's that En-car-nosh-i-ony guy?"

I always crack up at his pronunciation. I can't even pronounce it but I replied with a simple "Narron can't fill out a lineup card."

And its true.

Why would you keep such a young, good hitter out of your daily lineup? I mean, he's only second in the team in doubles, has a .377 OBP and a respectable .857 OPS. And he missed over a month on the DL!

The Reds are 32-25 when Edwin starts. That's a .561 winning percentage. It's not GREAT, but it's over .500. And when you're a Reds fan, as pathetic as it sounds, you'll take anything over .500.

"Well I know his defense isn't that great," my Dad mentions. "He makes a lot of errors I've seen. You know I got to see Sabo play...." and he goes off into one of his stories that make me jealous again. But I start to cut him off and mention this one number.

Fifty-Two.

"52?" He asks. "Yes, fiddytwo," I say in my thug voice, "The number of errors Larkin made in his first three seasons. Yet the management played Lark and as the saying goes, with time, comes experience. And with experience, comes good fielding."

Thats right folks. Barry Larkin, beloved by Reds fans allover, and my personal favorite player of all time, made fifty-two errors in three seasons. He went on to a career highlighted by twelve All-Star appearances, 1995 NL MVP, nine Silver Slugger award, and shocking of all, three straight Gold Glove awards from 1994-1996. How can this be? This guy made fifty-two errors in three seasons! Yet six years after his major league debut, he wins the Golden Glove not once, twice, but three times in a row! Not to mention that he was runner-up in a lot of Gold Glove races with the one they deemed "The Wizard".

Larkin went on to commit no more than seventeen errors the rest of his 19 seasons.

"What in the world is ghetto trying to get at here? All I've got out of this article so far is that he's jealous of his dad, and that Barry Larkin had a outstanding career" you may be thinking right now.

Well, to put it simply, Its too premature to give up on Edwin just yet.

Sure he's committed 15 errors in 54 games, but he's a young guy. How Narron can't obviously see that Edwin NEEDS to play is beyond me. This is the time of "little E". Like it or not, Cincinnati, errors are going to happen. I bet if Narron was managing A-Rod after his three error day the other day, Alex would be riding the pine while Richie Rich is taking his place. Errors are a part of the game, thats why in the box score it reads runs, hits, errors. Not runs, hits, Web Gems™.

The rule of thumb for managers is to play your best guys. And when given the chance between the veteran presence Aurillia gives, "Manos de Oro" (Juan Castro for you few non-Redlegs), or the hot, young bat of Encarnacion, I'll take Edwin please and thank you. Richie isn't even comfortable at the hot corner. He obviously struggles making throws to first, and when he does, they're either off target or in the dirt. Plus if I see "3B Aurillia" after Griffey in the lineup card one more time, I'm going to snap.

I'm not saying Richie isn't completely useless. He does hit lefties quite well. Against southpaws he's posted a .333 AVG (29-for-87) complementing with seven dingers, eighteen ribeyes, a .388 on-base percentage and a very healthy 1.066 on-base plus slugging percentage. But having Aurillia on the pony definitely boosts your bench a great deal. But other than that, I want Edwin starting 85-90% of the time. He needs at-bats.

After losing valuable hitters (and defense for that matter) to the trade with Washington, which I'm not even going to get into, you need to have someone who can produce the way Encarnacion can. Felipe and Kearns accounted for roughly 25% of the Reds offense this season. Thats 1/4th of every homer, double, RBI, SB, so on and so fourth, that this potent Cincinnati Offense can provide. I'd rather take my chances with Edwin thank you very much.

Its do or die for the Redlegs. We're in the race for the wildcard, and actually winning it! But the way Narron manages our team you'd think we're having a race for fifth place. Which is where we could be heading if our front office does not do something about this schmuck filling out our lineup cards.

Jerry Narron needs to go. Plain and simple.

"Why doesn't Narron play Edwin? From what I've heard its too early to give up on this kid so far."

That it is Dad, that it is. Now tell me how Eric Davis set the tone for the 1990 world series again. This game is making me sick.



this is the first article I have EVER written. I know it might not be much but I wanted to shed light on the whole Edwin situation and Narron's managerial skills. comments and sugestions on how to improve would be greatly appreciated. if you like my style and want to see more just tell and i'll keep writing. thanks for reading.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Nice work overall ghetto!

There are a few style/grammatical errors there, but nothing that stands out.

Nice work!

[ghettochild]

heh thanks

[missionhockey21]

I really apologize for not responding to this sooner. I am surprised such a well written article that has a legitimate point to it like this got so little attention. It's a bit late, but here are my thoughts on this.

If you read the Reds forum, likely you are to see me and several fans complaining about the lineup. Perhaps we are people who can never be pleased or perhaps manager Jerry Narron just doesn't have a clue, obviously I think it's the second option. Your dad seems to be a fan from the old school and that's what makes this issue so crazy, it's one that is easy to see no matter if you are a stat buff or just someone who simply loves to hear the crack of the bat. Our best offensive prospect to come through the system since Austin Kearns and perhaps we only have one in the minors with the same or so level in Jay Bruce and yet we refuse to give him regular playing time?

The Larkin mention was a great point too. Brandon Larson was a player of limited instincts and at best was an ok athlete by the time he was getting his chance(s) with Cincinnati. We all know the story of his bat, but his defense would of never improved that much. Ed E on the otherhand is a very gifted athlete who has always shown natural ability in the field plus the ability for the spectacular. Sure he botches the routine from time to time, but he's a rookie and one who's defense seems to be improving all the time. I don't understand how the Reds expect him to improve his defense without facing regular in-game situations and learning from the mistakes he makes. A player is expected to get better by sitting and watching? Way to boost their confidence. Many young athletes have struggled on D until they learned the ropes and was able to put their god-given athletic ability with the knowledge they picked up.

What's so brutal in my mind is the fact that they just seem to overlook and under-appreciate the players they should be building up. A guy like Ed E will help to win a division for many years, Rich Aurilia... not so much. I've proposed this on the Reds forum like many others have so while that may not be news to them, it could be some new info to others. A platoon of Rich Aurilia and Scott Hatteberg at 1st and full-time play of Encarnacion (for reasons of his potential, age and results) only makes sense.

Name	SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Ed Encarnacion	2006	Cin	64	217	33	62	21	1	7	43	24	43	0	1	.286	.378	.488	.866

Overall numbers for Ed E. Considering that he was coming back from injury and that he's 23, I think those are pretty strong numbers and ones that will look a lot more impressive as he grows to be the 30 homerun hitter many believe he can be. The point with Ed E is other than some defensive problems, he has done nothing wrong as a hitter to deserve being sat for guys like Aurilia.

Name	vs.	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Rich Aurilia	vs. Left	101	23	36	10	1	9	21	12	0	11	1	0	.356	.417	.743	1.160
Scott Hatteberg	vs. Right	232	38	80	19	0	8	27	38	0	15	0	2	.345	.434	.530	.964

Rich Aurilia isn't a bad player, in fact he could be a huge asset if properly used right. He slays left-handed pitching like nobody's business yet has seen 164 AB's vs righties, only to post a pathetic .644 OPS. Scott Hatteberg on the other hand is getting on base at a .434 clip versus righties and showing his power with a decent amount of EBH's (for him) this season. Yet he also suffers from the other side of the plate, posting only a .764 OPS with limited power in comparison (yet he has only seen 56 AB's there.) Wouldn't it only make sense to play the youth everyday, the only batter of the three who is solid enough from both sides and has the potential and age to actually stick with this team for awhile? Not to mention look at the Aurilia and Hatteberg numbers again, that would be one killer platoon.

Anyway, great article ghetto. I appreciate the insight you added from your dad as it was a bit of different take than what we usually see. It's obvious to you, him, me, Reds fans here, other fans in general... but it doesn't seem to be clicking with our management (like many things seem to not click as well.)

[Fishercat]

Wow, Larkin had fifty-two errors in his first three years? That's surprising.

But I have to say, this whole Aurilia/Clayton/Hatteberg/Encarn saga is confusing as hell. I'm kind of surprised they don't just put Edwin E at 3B full-time, place Aurilia at SS, and Hatteberg at first and bench Clayton. It doesn't seem like a hard solution if he wants the best overall players in the lineup game in, and game out. Or Mission's platoon works just fine as well.

This is NOT the way to treat a player who needs consistent PT to grow. There's a reason the Sox left Youk in AAA until they needed him, playing time. Let him play every day somewhere so his skills stay sharp and he stays active, seeing pitches, and growing. But to jerk around a young player of Encarnancion's stature is just...stupid. And his defense hasn't been back-breakingly bad, it has been poor, but poor enough to play Royce Clayton? No no no.

[ghettochild]

thanks a bunch for the review. i completly agree. i've written letters to mark sheldon (reds.com beat writer) and next is probably marty and then hal. this is getting sad.

//edit i agree to fishercat, this also brings up my next argument in denorfia, how he's ready for full time playing although not getting it. ugh.

heres my dream lineup

freel 2b
dunn LF
edwin 3B
griffey CF
hatte vs righties, aurillia vs lefties 1B
phillips SS
ross C
deno RF
pitcher

dunn and edwin can be switched out, as they both produce pretty hard.

thanks for the reviews guys

[missionhockey21]

Wow, Larkin had fifty-two errors in his first three years? That's surprising.

But I have to say, this whole Aurilia/Clayton/Hatteberg/Encarn saga is confusing as hell. I'm kind of surprised they don't just put Edwin E at 3B full-time, place Aurilia at SS, and Hatteberg at first and bench Clayton. It doesn't seem like a hard solution if he wants the best overall players in the lineup game in, and game out. Or Mission's platoon works just fine as well.

This is NOT the way to treat a player who needs consistent PT to grow. There's a reason the Sox left Youk in AAA until they needed him, playing time. Let him play every day somewhere so his skills stay sharp and he stays active, seeing pitches, and growing. But to jerk around a young player of Encarnancion's stature is just...stupid. And his defense hasn't been back-breakingly bad, it has been poor, but poor enough to play Royce Clayton? No no no.

Your solution is so logical it boggles the mind. But the front office seems to think Royce Clayton is an all-star at SS (and given his D overall with the Reds, I was perfectly happy with the goofed up routine play by Lopez and his sometimes game saving plays in comparison.)

And I agree with you on the way to handle a young player. The Reds experienced that with Wily Mo Pena, but that was due to them having no other choice because of his contract. Tell him that they want him to see everyday AB's and to continue his development as he is, without question, the future at thirdbase. Right now, if anything he has to be confused (according the various articles I've seen with him.) He had a couple really miserable games with his fielding, but outside of that he hasn't doesn't anything wrong and his post ASG numbers have been pretty fine despite limited AB's.

Name	Cat	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	TB	SF	SH	HBP	GDP
Encarnacion	POST ALL STAR	9	27	6	11	2	0	1	7	2	4	0	0	.484	.593	.407	16	0	0	2	1
Aurilia	POST ALL STAR	14	49	10	17	3	1	2	6	6	7	0	0	.418	.571	.347	28	0	0	0	4

Aurilia hasn't played bad (although the GIDP's are getting old) but isn't just common sense to play the youth.... especially when they are not struggling?

[missionhockey21]

thanks a bunch for the review. i completly agree. i've written letters to mark sheldon (reds.com beat writer) and next is probably marty and then hal. this is getting sad.

//edit i agree to fishercat, this also brings up my next argument in denorfia, how he's ready for full time playing although not getting it. ugh.

heres my dream lineup

freel 2b
dunn LF
edwin 3B
griffey CF
hatte vs righties, aurillia vs lefties 1B
phillips SS
ross C
deno RF
pitcher

dunn and edwin can be switched out, as they both produce pretty hard.

thanks for the reviews guys

I am not really sure on the order (just haven't given a ton of thought that), but in terms of position I totally agree with you. Of course Griffey moving over would be pretty nice, but we all know he has CF locked.

And no need to thank us. I appreciate the effort you put into that article, the least I could do was reply back with some thoughts of my own. I really enjoyed it ghetto.