Edwin E.

by kennythered on Apr 23, 2008 2:30 PM EDT

Apr 23 3B Edwin Encarnacion was at third base in Great American Ball Park at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, nearly five hours before the game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was taking ground balls -- a lot of them. And he wasn't ordered to do it because of his league-leading six errors. Encarnacion initiated the extra work on his own. "I'm trying," he said. "I'm trying hard to get better. I'm going to work and keep working. I'm trying some different things with my footwork. I'm going to do it (today), too, only I'll work on my throws."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7278/news;_ylt=AidwIJNze1E7nsoi4wHYYC6FCLcF

Hey we should give him some credit that he is trying, right? My thing is why hasn't the guy been ordered to take the practice? I know its good he is doing it on his own but good lord he leads the league in errors and there have been a few that have looked really ugly. Should the manager make sure he gets the practice he needs?

I believe it has to do with his confidence but on the flip side he needs to learn how to be booed and not let it bother him. He is a major leaguer not a little leaguer. Hopefully that extra practice will give him the confidence he needs.

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I'm sorry, I'm not seeing the problem

Edwin takes fielding practice on his own and you are critical of the fact that the manager didn’t tell him to take the fielding practice that he was already taking?

You're drowning in the past, Mike, and I've got your life jacket right here. It's called the 80s and it's gonna be around forever.

by Slyde on Apr 23, 2008 2:41 PM EDT reply actions

I am pretty sure Edwin has always done this

I really wish people would get off his back. The guy tries hard. He makes some bad throws, but he gets glove on balls 90 percent of third basemen don’t touch. Plus, last I checked he is now the team leader in OPS. Pretty valuable guy.

Find me on MySpace- http://www.myspace.com/mixfmkyle

by MixFMKyle on Apr 23, 2008 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Bingo

The guy has made some real strides too… He won’t be a Brooks Robinson or anything fielding-wise, but I think he will be competent if we keep him in there.

People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.

by crolfer on Apr 23, 2008 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

edwin's not a gamer

you’re gonna have to learn to blame everything on him sooner or later.

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Apr 23, 2008 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Once they get Dunn the hell out of town, I'll move on to Edwin

I don’t think kenny is criticizing Edwin here though. I think he’s mad because Dusty didn’t tell Edwin to do something he was already doing. That’s what I don’t get.

You're drowning in the past, Mike, and I've got your life jacket right here. It's called the 80s and it's gonna be around forever.

by Slyde on Apr 23, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah

Trade Dunn for Pierre and then get rid of Encarnacion for Eckstein then we could have this lineup (and Griffey for some minor league scrappers):

Patterson
Pierre
Keppinger
Eckstein
Freel
Hatteberg
Hopper
Bako
Pitcher

These guys would be consitent and play the game the right way. Mother’s basement underwear bloggers would not understand this as they don’t fathom baseball like true journalists would. Let’s get that lazy bastard Dunn outtahere and give Edwin the you’re only 25 and promising but let’s dismiss you anyways treatment. They’re just not gamers fucktards.

by buckeye22fox on Apr 23, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha

I love it

by onemoreredoctober on Apr 23, 2008 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions

That lineup is going to give me nightmares...

I shall never sleep again….

People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.

by crolfer on Apr 23, 2008 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I particularly like

Eckstein at cleanup

by chesirecat on Apr 23, 2008 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions

But,

It doesn’t seem to me Edwin was already doing this. Yes I remember him taking extended fielding practice early last year but should Dusty or someone up top have had him doing this more. If he’s been doing it every game since he’s been a major leaguer great, but I don’t think he has.

Also I understand the guys bat is maybe the valuable in the lineup. If Dunn or Griff go down Bruce can step in as another lefty bopper and we also have a soon to be great lefty at first in Votto so we need Edwin to hit because having one proven righty in BPhill makes our lineup awfully one sided.

I’m not on Edwins back, I’m on Dusty and Co.’s back for not making sure we improve at some of those small crafty veteran things that he is so inclined to loving.

by kennythered on Apr 24, 2008 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I read this as being more critical of Dusty (or perhaps an infield coach) rather than Edwin

I gotta say though, Dusty has been supportive of Edwin since spring training.

And maybe I’m reading it wrong, but you seemed a little knee-jerk in springing to Edwin’s defense. Sometimes, they’re just windmills.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 23, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Ok, just read your 2:54 reply

Nevermind. I think that Kenny was just saying that this extra work should have come sooner (since the story makes it sound like this is the first day it’s happened). I dunno. I’ll be quiet now.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 23, 2008 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

man, my comment really didnt go over well

i was trying to parallel what’s been going on on the television and radio (every event somehow being edwin’s fault) with this post about edwin taking extra FP. It did not work. I’ll have to work on my sarcasm construction.

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Apr 23, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, I wasn't defending Edwin

I think the article is just being read incorrectly. I think the author was trying to point out that Edwin was trying to make himself better, and he wasn’t doing it just because he was told to do it. I don’t think it was the author’s intention to point out a shortcoming by the team’s coaches. I read that as an attempt to add context to the article about the extra practice.

You're drowning in the past, Mike, and I've got your life jacket right here. It's called the 80s and it's gonna be around forever.

by Slyde on Apr 23, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

What a lazy bum.

Edwin is the nicest guy in baseball. Nobody comes close.

by Geki on Apr 23, 2008 3:46 PM EDT reply actions

Except

Juan Castro, according to Welsh, tHom & Krivsky the other night.

Please Note: I may be totally full of shit.

by jch24 on Apr 23, 2008 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, and Chad Moeller.

But I don’t really think of him (or Castro) as a baseball player.

by Geki on Apr 23, 2008 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Geez

I really think there should be a moratorium on any and all negative EdE talk for the time being. He’s won more games for the Reds than anyone else on the team, is currently hitting the cover off the ball, and is (from all accounts) a really nice guy who cares about the game. Couldn’t we do with a bunch of like-minded guys on the team?

by chesirecat on Apr 23, 2008 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

Once again

I’m not knocking Edwin. I love the guy.

by kennythered on Apr 24, 2008 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Oh and

Over the winter I read an article written by Keith Law saying something negative about the Reds. I emailed him and foolishly, though it got me a response, called him a Reds-hater and a fool and he actually responded back.
Law proceeded to call me an idiot and said he doesn’t dislike the Reds he just has never been fond of Dusty and WayneK. He then began to list what he didn’t like and did like about the Reds.

At the top of his like list he named Edwin who he has a mush on. He said the guy has great power potential and he is already ready to hit .300. He also stated that the Reds should look at moving him to LF if they let Dunn go in the offseason. Do you think this is reasonable? Personally I’m all for signing Dunn, letting Griff go and putting Fropper in CF until we get Stubbs ready. Leave Ed at third.

With that said our pitchers must cringe sometimes when the ball is put into play on the left side with Dunn and Edwin and their defensive short comings and Kepp’s lack of range. At some point we need to try to improve this. I am not a huge stat head but does AGon get to the balls he used to? I know he was a once great fielder but the guy is also getting old. How much of an improvement will he be?

by kennythered on Apr 24, 2008 2:07 AM EDT reply actions

Fropper?

Why not Bruce?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Apr 24, 2008 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions

i think

kenny would have bruce in RF, after “letting Griff go.” presumably, he’d also show patterson the door out.

I am Bill S. Preston, Esquire.

by Dubman on Apr 24, 2008 5:24 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't think Edwin is the long-term guy at 3B

and I could see him move to LF if they don’t keep Dunn. I think keeping Dunn is a big question mark at this point because he may be priced out of their range. I’d much rather have a line up with both Dunn and EdE in it than not, but if Dunn is gone, I think they should consider moving Edwin to LF, and then perhaps Keppinger to 3B and Gonzalez back at SS. It’d be really great if they could pick up a good hitting CF then in off-season. Not that there are a lot of them around.

You're drowning in the past, Mike, and I've got your life jacket right here. It's called the 80s and it's gonna be around forever.

by Slyde on Apr 24, 2008 7:23 AM EDT up reply actions

You fought the KLaw

and the KLaw won.

Seriously, I think Edwin deserves at least this season at 3B before we think about moving him. The errors are frustrating but the range and work ethic are there, which gives a lot of us hope that he can become at least an average-fielding 3B. But if he doesn’t progress the Reds will at some point have to decide if Edwin needs to move down the defensive spectrum.

by ken on Apr 24, 2008 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions

I too am not a stat head

Didn’t the defense really (with straight face) improve last season when his bat heated up. The guy is a slow starter.

"When we played softball, I would steal second and then feel guilty and go back" woody allen

by dunnateher on Apr 25, 2008 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, he played much better in the field as well

on the simple view, he only made 10 errors in his last 108 games after making 6 in his first 31. I think the “Range” statistics also showed some improvement as the season went on, though it wasn’t quite as drastic. I used to think he’d be Gold Glove level if he could just figure out the throwing errors. Now I’m just hoping for “pretty good.”

You're drowning in the past, Mike, and I've got your life jacket right here. It's called the 80s and it's gonna be around forever.

by Slyde on Apr 25, 2008 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions