Lil Red Machine

I’ve always been a defender of Brandon Phillips. I know he makes crucial fundamental mistakes sometimes, and swings too hard, but overall, I think he’s a top notch second baseman in the NL, and has given the Reds solid play for the past few years.
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Only the diehards scan over the spring training statistics.  To say that “none of this matters” might be an understatement.  If you want proof, look at the results from last year.  Corey Patterson went from having a Ruthian-like spring training (.455 AVG, .545 SLG), to being one of the worst centerfielders that the Reds have ever had.  On the flip side, the best overall hitter on the Reds last season, Joey Votto, was putting up stats that a pitcher would be fairly satisfied to have in their batting line (.158 AVG, .262 SLG).

Lets fast forward to 2009.  Ryan Hanigan currently leads the team in batting average, as he’s hitting a robust .455 in 22 at-bats.  Hanigan is a nice backup to have around, but lets face it, many of those pitchers he’s hitting against as using this time of year to fine tune their current repetoire, or attempt new pitches.  Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Chris Dickerson, amongst the regulars, are also turning in fine spring training performances, but then you have Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion, regular who are struggling.  What to make of it?  It’s best not to look into it at all.  These guys don’t need spring training.  It’s helpful for team comrederie purposes, but any true pro has already spent a good portion of the offseason working on their game.  Spring training is mainly a chance for young guys to make an impression, and for fringe players to get one last shot at “the show.”  A guy like Johnny Gomes needs spring training.  A guy like Micah Owings needs it also.  Nothing is guaranteed for either, and so far, they are performing.

The good news it, from everything I have read, there is an energy in camp that hasn’t been there in years past.  This is one of the younger, more athletic Reds team in recent memory, and the focus is clearly on speed and defense, things which weren’t emphasized in years past.  So, ignore the results, observe as the pitchers try out new stuff, and hitters look at different pitches, and use this opportunity to watch the roster take shape.

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.