All Things Bubba

Paul Janish has played in the first and third Reds games. He went 2 for 4 in Game 1 and 2 for 5 with a double in Game 3. Which means he's batting .444 and OPSing 1.000. Okay, probably not sustainable. But it's good that he's getting off to a strong start, or Dusty Baker might start getting ideas. As it is, Janish didn't play in Game 2; Baker sat him in favor of Edgar Renteria.

Baker alternated Janish and Renteria in spring training. I have a feeling that's his plan for the regular season, too. Sigh. I really want Janish to get more time than that. However, SS is a tough position, and probably both players will play better if they don’t have to play every day. Everyone on the roster should play regularly. Plus, after last year I’d be happy if Janish got even 50% of the starts, to be honest.

Anyways, the Lexington Herald-Leader has a nice article about Janish.

So what does the manager expect of his shortstop?

"I expect him to be Janish — pick it like he can, continue to improve offensively," Baker said. "Because he's improved a lot since he got here.

"If he's batting eighth, he knows what I expect out of him. Try to get the pitcher to the plate as often as you can. ... Especially with two outs. If you can get that pitcher to the plate, now you start the next inning off with the leadoff man, drive in some key runs."

Labels: Paul Janish