May I Just Say

by Jeff on Mar 25, 2006 10:35 AM PST in Regular News

...that this whole Jeremy Reed thing really really sucks (out 6-8 weeks, broken wrist), because starting the year with Joe Borchard or Willie Ballgame in center field isn't a great way to kick off a march to 80+ wins. It could've been worse, I guess, but still, damn.

From about a month and a half ago:

Jeremy Reed has been a durable player for most of his career, but when he injured his wrist running into a wall last summer, I think we all realized that his style of play is conducive to more than its fair share of DL stints. Whenever you have a guy who dives all over the place with such careless disregard for his own body so often, you're going to have to worry about him hurting himself and missing a few weeks of action. It's not a big problem, and certainly nothing like that black cloud that haunts Chris Snelling in his sleep, but it's something to consider.

Perhaps all that grit, hustle, effort, and hard-nosed determination isn't worth the downside after all. Jeremy really ought to slow down, or at least start paying closer attention to Ichiro and taking notes, since he seems immune to even the most minor aches and pains. People don't talk about it very often, but there's a right way and a wrong way to be a balls-to-the-wall kind of player, and right now Reed isn't helping himself by fielding like a crazy person.

Get better soon, Jeremy. We'll need you.

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Reed

I've heard alot of people talk about how players need to back off and not go all out for things when they could hurt themself. I just don't really see that as a viable option. First of all defense is a reactionary thing, you see the ball, react to it then chase it down. If you are a player that has gone all out doing whatever to make a catch, you can't just suddenly turn that off, those are your natural instincts. If somehow coaches profess to you to change your approach and you do back off on the all out play, then you are going to become tentative, you open yourself up to not catching catchable balls because you are worried about injury. Injuries are part of the game, and getting hurt because you are going all out giving everything you can to win is not a bad thing. Sure as a fan it sucks when you have to watch a Borchard or Bloomquist for a few weeks... but that's what happens. How enamored would fans be with Reed last year if he wasn't making those diving catches... if he backed off and not dove and let those balls hit the wall for a double or triple. The way Reed made it to the majors is with all out hustle... changing that now is not going to help the team overall. That's just my opinion though.

As for the Current CF position... I don't necessarily see the situation as being one of dread.. there is definitely an "other side of the equation" that could happen.... being I'm the usual glass half full type my thinking is this. If the M's can survive this Reed injury with the team staying close to contention by using Borchard, Lawton, or whoever... then you get the possibility of the emotional lift when someone like Reed returns. If the M's were the favorites to win the division I'd have a much different outlook, but as it stands we're the favorites to place fourth. So now the M's have the opportunity to see what they got in a guy like Borchard, and to see if what Morse worked on in the offseason paid off. It's not like you are losing Reed for the season, no one really knows how long he'll be out, but it does give you some options to change things up. Find out if Ichiro will play CF and how he plays out there. The only real thing you are losing with Reed out of the lineup is his defense... that's important but if you can offset that loss with improved offense which is possible with Borchard and Lawton given that they have more power in their bat. Your defensive loss should be minimilized.

by MfaninAlaska on Mar 25, 2006 11:17 AM PST 0 recs

Sure,

players should try the best they can defensivly, but I think there is a better way to do it and prepare for the physical demands of making those plays. It's not like Ichiro never smashes into the wall (although he doesn't dive but prefers to slide), but he rarely gets hurt. That's something to be said about how he prepares himself. I mean, he does stretch a lot, doesn't he? Not everyone prepares the same way though, so Reed has to figure out a way to be less injury-prone.

by Lurker on Mar 25, 2006 5:21 PM PST up 0 recs

I don't think Ichiro

can get hurt (knock on wood) He's like rubber

by Scruffy Lefty on Mar 25, 2006 5:30 PM PST up 0 recs

My take

Reed should continue to hustle, but once he's near the warning track the wall, he's gotta learn to pull up and if the ball drops, it drops. He needs to learn this sooner rather than later.

While I hope Ichiro's willing to move to CF and that Hargrove will move guys around to give Petagine a spot on the roster, my guess is that either WFB will get the call to start in CF, or Borchard will, and neither of those options are good for the team's offense.

by Gomez on Mar 25, 2006 1:55 PM PST 0 recs

That's a good point...

It's not as if Reed needs to stop hustling at all times, just when he hears the crunch of the warning track underfoot. Even the history of player vs. grass (when diving) is much better than the history of player vs. wall.

by ubelmann on Mar 25, 2006 2:13 PM PST up 0 recs

The injury...

...I was at the game, and the play didn't look too remarkable - he didn't crash into the wall at full speed or anything. He was running at about 50% and jumped, and it looked like he just braced himself against the wall, rather than going into it headlong. It was a freakish thing; I was shocked when I got back from the A's/Padres game last night to read that Reed would be out for six weeks.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Mar 25, 2006 6:41 PM PST 0 recs

Borchard

I am actually looking forward to seeing how Borchard does in CF.

Obviously, he is not a long-term option in CF, as all the scouting reports I have read about him seem to agree that his range isn't adequate for a full-time CFer.

But the guy has obvious tools. He has huge power, decent speed, and plays plus defense on either corner. Plus, he is pretty young and is a switch hitter. In a lot of ways, he is like a young Carl Everett.

I think that it is a huge longshot that Borchard will be anything more than a decent bench player. But the M's are in a position where they can afford to develop players. Borchard has much bigger upside and a lot more potential than Willie or Morse. Personally, I would like to see what he can do for a few months.

Reed's injury sucks, but it could give the M's an opportunity to see what they have in the organization right now. If Borchard hits well, the M's will have an absolute steal on thier hands. He is a nice little project for Pentland. An OF of Borchard in LF, Reed in CF, and Ichiro in RF would be pretty nice. Defensively, it would be a big improvement over what we have now.

I am looking forward to seeing how Borchard responds to this opportunity.

by Jerry on Mar 26, 2006 8:16 AM PST 0 recs

Maybe someday in May

we'll get a dramatic unveiling as the Ms trot out Ichiro, Reed, and Snelling to the OF.

This would be followed in horror as, in the 4th inning, a seemingly harmless short fly ball facilitates the worst OF collision known to mankind as all 3 OFs plus Lopez and Yuni form a 5 Mariner pileup in short CF. Crews estimate that it will take 3-4 months to clear the wreckage and in the meantime traffic to SafeCo will be slowed considerably. Consider using the alternate route and heading to Qwest Field instead.

by Matthew on Mar 26, 2006 8:46 AM PST 0 recs