Posted by Under Argo on 4. May 2009 10:16
In the left corner with 63 at bats and only 8 hits with a whopping batting average of .127.... Edwin Encarnacion (on the DL with a wrist injury). And in the right corner with 12 at bats and 5 hits and a batting average of .417 Adam Rosales (called up from AAA ball in Louisville to replace Edwin while he is on the DL). The winner of this fight will stay on the Reds roster... Who's it going to be?
VS.
It is no secret that the Reds biggest strength is their pitching and their biggest weekness is hitting. Right now, the Reds are enjoying a winning record (13-11) and are tied with Chicago at 3.5 games behind first place St. Louis in the NL Central. It's an exciting time for Reds fans... for now. Baseball fans know that even though pitching is important, you can't rely just on pitching. Playoff teams score runs and scoring runs is what the Reds are having a hard time doing. Right now, the Reds are third from the basement when it comes to team batting average, hitting only .241.
If the hitting does not improve, the Reds will not be able to maintain their current over .500 record. All it takes is an injury in the pitching staff, a pitcher having a bad week, or the pitching staff having a couple bad series to send this team into a hole that they won't be able to get out of because they can't score runs.
Common sense says that when there is a problem, you should fix it. One problem for the Reds may have been fixed for them but will the front office keep it fixed? When Encarnacion went to the DL bringing up Rosales, the reds 3rd baseman position potentially went from a .127 batting average to a .417 average. I know that Rosales's batting average will even out over time (if he is given time) but if it evens out and stays above .127 it's still an improvement. For arguments sake, I'm going to play both sides of the argument:
Why Rosales should stay after Encarnacion comes off the DL: When your team is hitting .241, anything to imporve the teams batting average must be done. After 15 days, if Rosales does anything better than Encarnacion (which he already has) he has to stay on the Reds... right? Fans have already fallen in love with him; he helped the grounds crew before a game (how many players do you remember doing that?), he sprints to first base after a walk (remind you of someone?), and he sprints back to the dugout after he flies out. How can a kid like this, who obviously loves the game of baseball, not make you want him to stay. Another reason is what happened to Encarnacion last time he was sent down to the minors. He was having a season much like this one. He wasn't hitting and somebody from the Louisville Bats was (I think it was Jeff Keppinger in 2007). When Edwin came back, he went on a tear. Could that happen again? Who knows.
Why Encarnacion should go back to 3rd base when he comes off the DL: Money. Plain and simple, money. He's making too much money to sit on the bench or to continually need to be sent down to the minors so he can stay motivated. Edwin can also go on these ridiclous streaks. He has the capability to change games or a whole series because of his bat. Unfortunately he's unbelievably inconsistant.
Who wins (or who should win): Rosales. Encarnacion is not hitting and he's a liability on defense. Keeping Rosales on the Reds will do nothing but improve this team in all aspects of the game, especially in hitting which is what they really need. Like I said, it's common sense. If Rosales finishes these 15 days and is still hitting above .400 or in the .300's, the Reds would be smart to keep him on the team. We'll see what happens in 9 more days.