Chris Heisey continues his torrid start at the plate, and the Reds scrub lineup decided to follow suit. A spring training game is pretty boring, and this one was no different. However, if you want to watch a Reds spring training game, this would be the one to watch. We were given the privilege to see the Reds bring out the boom sticks, and we got to see a variety of players do awesome things.
The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
This one is easy. The spring training Reds have been carried by the Chris Heisey show. He's always been a favorite of mine. I have a thing for players that don't have the tools, are low picks, but somehow make it work. We know the guy has power, but he lacks the skills that make sabermetricians drool. Is sabermetricians a word? Oh, well.
Heisey went 2 for 3 with a doodle and a double. He did pop out to the catcher, but that isn't fair to judge. We all can't be Joey Votto. But, if Heisey could turn into half a Joey Votto and patroled left field like we know he can, that would be totes sweet. Fay has some quotes about Heisey's new batting stance. Apparently, he has tinkered with his stance ten times in the past four seasons. He has work with this one and is going to stick with it. He is keeping his hands low, which probably helps with his timing and his load when it comes to his swing. That's just speculation because I don't know anything about the mechanics of hitting. Read more from Fay here.
Key Plays
This could get lengthy. The Reds played really well, and a lot of that had to with the Brewers pitching not looking good. This is the first full spring training game I have watched, and I'm probably a bit behind on what I think is good baseball or not. The Brewers pitchers were really laying it in there for the Reds batters.
Neftali Soto, Roger Bernadina, and Chris Nelson all hit Homer Simpson's. The ball was being Doh'd all over the place. Really, Neftali Soto should be the player of the game. He was 4-4 and looked pretty good at the plate. He is currently hitting .438 this spring, and if he's found his stroke I may not hate it if he is called up when a hitter goes down. Power bench bats are nothing to hate. He is two years removed from hitting 30 homeruns in the minors. We know the talent is there, but it is completely dependent on his contact ability.
I'm also hoping that there is someway, somehow, that Bernadina could be the 25th man. He should tell Price that he can play in the infield. Otherwise, we'll be hoping that Skip gets hurt, even though he is having a good spring, too.
I also want to give Brett Marshall a shout out. He pitched very well. I noticed that his secondary pitches looked good. His fastball looks very average, but his changeup had some good action to it. He was striking guys out, and that's always good to see. The Brewers have a pretty good lineup. He also had an RBI single on a solid liner to center field. I could be wrong, but I think he was from the Yankees? He probably isn't used to picking up the lumber, and he looked pretty excited to get the hit. I wouldn't mind him being one of the first guys up from AAA to get starts, or the long man out of the pen if Simon has to make starts.
Weirdness
Todd Fraizer, our Todd is an awesome Todd, played some shortstop today. I'm sure it had more to do with getting Santiago some reps at 3B, but it still happened. I know that RR, and myself, have argued that Todd could be the emergency SS. It's probably not a good idea, and that's why Santiago will make the club. However, it was something to see. I wasn't really paying attention, but I think Frazier had an error on a ball he didn't charge and took a bad hop. I just don't see him being able to do it. It isn't that one play, I just think he will probably have jitters being thrown into SS. There is a reason why the Reds moved him and horrible hitting shortstops continue to find jobs. It isn't an easy position to field.
Doggies
I think only Angeeh and myself were actually watching the game, or we were the only people commenting. The commentators were from the Brewers feed, and I really didn't like them. It makes me miss Chris Welsh. Hard. The only weird thing is they kept talking about a dog. They had t-shirts and kept talking about it. sMarty was even wearing a t-shirt, and he has apparently taken to having short hair. He looks funny. But, they had the little doggie on the broadcast, and he was held by their pretty field reporter. I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool if the Reds had a resident clubhouse dog? Not so much like Marge's St. Bernards, but like a clubhouse puppy. A little basset hound that goes on the road and just hangs out. They pet him for good luck and his ear are cute and floppy. Him and Joey Votto are best friends, and Chapman plays fetch with him. Jonathon Broxton and him see who can eat the most dog bisquits. He wears a Mr. Red cape and runs around with his tongue hanging out. That kind of thing.
I'm an idiot.
Grafs for my doods.
via img.izismile.com
Other notes.
- I wrote too much because I don't know how to do recaps.
- I've drank too much because I can.
- Get well Homer. Relax that groin. Maybe try some kegels?