Lil Red Machine

Certainly, Adam Dunn has been one of the more polarizing figures in recent Reds history.  There really was no middle ground when it came to him.  His defenders supported him due to his high on-base-percentage, and his power.  His detractors pointed out his penchant for striking out a lot, his complete and total lack of mobility in the field and on the basepaths, and his tendencies to not perform situational hitting.

The big Texan, though, will be missed.  It wasn’t his fault that his era had the Reds trotted out starting pitchers such as Jimmy Haynes, Matt Belisle, Josh Fogg, Eric Milton, Brandon Claussen, and Danny Graves.  It wasn’t his fault that Ken Griffey Jr. couldn’t stay healthy, that they haven’t had consistent shortstop play since Barry Larkin retired–and even when he was there in Dunn’s first few years, he was hurt and overall, aged very badly.  Also, the man whom he was best friends with, Austin Kearns, never lived up to his potential, and was ultimately dealt to Washington.  That was supposed to be a 1-2 tandem for many years to come.  It was Dunn who held up his end of the bargain.

With all that, Dunn played everyday, never complained, and lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was called up to the Reds in 2001.  However, the Reds put him front and center of their marketing campaigns, which made him a big target.  Dunn is simply not that kind of guy.  He is not a fiery leader, and any team which showcases HIM as the main guy probably isn’t going far.  Not a knock on him.  It’s a knock on the Reds for failing to put proper talent around this home run hitting, on-base machine.  If he is a supporting cast member of your team, then that’s fine.  That where he fits in best.  The Reds knew his limitations, and didn’t try to work around them.  They have had a revolving door of managers, all with their own different philosophies on how to play the game.  There has never been any consistency.

As A Dunn supporter, though, I do think that trading him was for the best.  Through little fault of his own, the situation wasn’t just working outing out for the team as a whole.  While he did have his shortcomings, and was never going to be part of the future going forward, as the Reds were in the midst of their eight consecutive losing season last year, he doesn’t deserve to be the scapegoat that many Reds fans have made him out to be.  Good luck replacing that production.

For years, it has been a 2-man show in Cincinnati.  Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr, for better or for worse, not only led the team, but ran that clubhouse.  They were the clear cut superstars, the guys with the reputations and the box office attraction.  However, years of losing has led to the massive overhaul that began last July.  The Reds have gotten younger, cheaper, and better defensively.  Adam Dunn, for all he brought in terms of on-base percentage and home run power, was terrible at executing the fundamentals crucial to winning on a daily basis.  As for Griffey, he just got old in a hurry, and was only hitting meatballs down the middle of the plate.  He sold jerseys, but overall, it was a frustrating era for him and for Reds fans.

As the 2009 season approaches, the question that deserves to be posed is, who will be the leader?  They have some great young talent, but those guys are still too young at this point to really be leaders.  Other players are simply veteran fringe players, and are just stopgaps until the reinforcement from the minor leagues arrives.  And then you have Brandon Phillips.  He’s 27 years old, in his prime, and has the track record and personality to lead.

Depending on who you ask, though, Brandon Phillips is either a warm, engaging ballplayer with a friendly, bright smile and a penchant to hit the long ball, or a hardheaded, stuck-in-his ways low on-base percentage strike out machine that was dealt to Cincinnati in the first place by the Cleveland Indians because of a poor attitude.   His recent comments to the  Cincinnati Enquirer are rather worrisome.  Apparently, he thinks that OBP is an overrated stat. “I don’t believe that on-base percentage stuff. That’s overrated to me. If you get hits, you’ll be on base. That’s what it’s about.”

Quick, name the last team that has ever won anything when their best players couldn’t find alternative ways to reach base besides getting base hits?   Even in 2007, his best season, Phillips still only had an OBP of .331.  Last season, his production dropped off, and he also missed the last month of the season due to a finger injury.  He had an embarrasingly low OBP of .312.  Up and down the lineup, the Reds have a team full of high strikeout/low on base percentage guys.  They will follow his example, and these recent comments are an alarming sign that he still doesn’t get it.