All Things Bubba

Sounds like the Reds are having a tough time making their final decisions. I can't believe they are seriously considering sending Mike Leake down. Sending him down for five games just to keep a position player until they need a fifth starter doesn't make sense, either. I wonder if they are trying to trade a player. Perhaps Wilson Valdez? The Phillies have said they wished they hadn't traded him. And the Reds may not need him any more. Zack Cozart is healthy, Didi Gregorius impressed this spring, and Janish has hit very well. Or maybe it's Juan Francisco they're hoping to trade. He's been in Dusty's doghouse big-time, for showing up overweight and out of shape.

Paul Janish is starting at SS tonight. The game is the "Free Game of the Day" at MLB.TV.

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Reds beat writer John Fay post this as his "Number of the Day":

.302, .306: That’s what Wilson Valdez and Paul Janish are hitting. They are battling for one of the last spots on the roster.

Still with the batting average. No mention of OBP: .348, .409. Or SLG: .326, .500.

And the stat that really matters. Option years left: 0, 1.

With the Phillies openly regretting trading Valdez, there's no way he'd clear waivers and agree to accept a minor league assignment. With no options left, I think he's pretty much a lock to make the roster.

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Paul Janish got a couple of plate appearances today, but no official at-bats. He hit a sac fly, and walked. So he was 0 for 0 with a RBI and a run scored. That means his OBP improved; he's now .306 / .409 / .500, for a .909 OPS.

Yeesh. That makes him one of the best hitters on the team this spring. Spring training stats don't mean all that much, but it's nice to see the patience and power again anyway.

The Reds cut Corky Miller, former Yankee Dioner Navarro, and Daryl Jones yesterday. Pitchers Ryan Madson, Nick Masset, and Jordan Smith will start the season on the DL, which leaves 28 healthy players in camp.

That means Todd Frazier, Juan Francisco, Paul Janish, Willie Harris and Wilson Valdez are fighting for the last two roster spots. I would still be very surprised if it's anyone but Francisco and Valdez who make the roster, but Janish is certainly making his case.

And according to Reds announcer Marty Brennaman, there are a lot of people rooting for Janish to make the roster. Marty said that if you get to know Janish, you become a fan of him as a person. Kind of surprising, since I thought Marty hated everybody. ;-) But he's not the only one who has said things like this. Beat writer Hal McCoy said Janish has an all-star personality, and GM Walt Jocketty said it was hard to send him down last year, because he is one of the best-liked players in the clubhouse.

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Paul Janish hit his first home run of the year today. It's his fifth extra base hit this spring training (compared to just one, a double, last year). (The next day, Marty Brennaman said that Janish's home run flew out of the park as fast as any he's ever seen.)

Janish is now hitting .306 / .405 / .500, good for a .905 OPS. That's much better than Wilson Valdez, who is hitting .289 / .341 / .316, for a .657 OPS.

Of course spring training stats don't mean much, but Janish is certainly doing what he can to make it a tough decision for the Reds.

And perhaps increasing his trade value. Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have talked to the Reds about trading for Janish. They've suffered some injuries and are desperately seeking middle infielders.

A baseball source said Tuesday the Phillies have talked to the Cincinnati Reds about infielder Paul Janish. He's 29 and is a highly rated defender at shortstop. Janish is a career .221 hitter in four major-league seasons.

This could be a good opportunity for Janish if it goes through. He'd be on a major league roster, and playing for a contender.

But maybe the Phillies would rather have Wilson Valdez back? I think they traded him to the Reds because he's out of options, and they thought they didn't have a roster space for him. Now they do. Meanwhile, the Reds are down one lefty relief pitcher, and might be interested in getting Jeremy Horst (the guy they traded for Valdez) back.

The Reds are probably going to stay the course - keep both Valdez and Janish for depth. (They did end up needing three shortstops last year, after all.) Unless, of course, the Phillies make them an offer they can't refuse.

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Paul Janish is in the lineup tonight. Dusty had his starters go nine innings yesterday, so they are all being rested today. Presumably tonight's starters will also go the distance. He says he's going to alternate them until the next (and presumably last) wave of cuts.

The game is live on the MLB Network.

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The Reds cut eight more players, and are down to 33. Paul Janish is still on the roster.

He had a pretty good game yesterday. He started at 3B, and went 2 for 3 with a double, a RBI, and a run scored. He did have an error, but I think it was due to both his inexperience at 3B and Juan Francisco's on the other end. (Francisco, usually a third baseman, was playing first base.)

Janish has really turned it on over the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, he was below the Mendoza line. He's now hitting .323/.432 /.452 for a .884 OPS.

Spring training stats don't mean much, but I do like the OBP and SLG - much better than last year. Also much better than Wilson Valdez has managed this spring. Because of their contract situations, I am still expecting Valdez to beat out Janish for the last backup infielder spot. But if Janish keeps hitting, maybe, just maybe, the Reds will pick him over Valdez.

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Paul Janish singles in a spring training game March 11, 2012

Paul Janish sees the handwriting on the wall, and knows that unlike in previous years, he's going to have a tough time making the roster. He's hoping to make it as a utility guy, and says he's put it in perspective after the birth of his first child. Luke Janish is 4-1/2 months old. (Wait a minute...that means Mrs. Janish was pregnant when she had to carry Dusty Baker's luggage up 7 flights of stairs?)

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Paul Janish being rained on at third base

Paul Janish just missed hitting a home run today. He crushed one off lefty Jason Lane.


(You can see the ball in the upper left of the photo.)

It hit the yellow line...


...and bounced off.


Another inch or two, and it would have been a home run. It was about 50 degrees and raining. On a more typical Cactus League day, it would have been gone. Instead, it was Janish's third double of the year.

The Reds' first cuts were today. No real surprises. Most of the cuts were prospects who were not expected to make the roster. Journeyman pitcher and former Yankee Brett Tomko was among those cut. I believe he signed a minor league deal, so he'll end up in AAA (unless he has an opt out clause).

Dusty Baker on Janish:

Baker said Paul Janish remains in the plan — if he hits.

“You try to see progress,” Baker said. “Last year this time, he was tearing it up. He’s still in the mix. He’s still in the mix big time. If he improves on his hitting, this guy is a big league shortstop. If we didn’t have a guy like (Zack) Cozart, we’d probably be waiting on Janish to get it together.

“The way the sport and world is now, there’s not a lot of patience.”

Baker hasn’t tried Janish in the outfield yet. Janish is willing to play there to add to his versatility.

“But I’m sure he could do it,” Baker said.

Funny that Dusty says Janish was "tearing it up" last year at this time (implying that he's not this year). I actually think Janish is hitting better this year. He's more the player he was in the minors: good plate discipline with occasional power. Last year, his batting average was better, but he had no power and didn't walk. It was weird, because that's not the kind of player he's been most of his career.

Last year, Janish hit just one extra base hit in spring training (a double). He only walked twice. In roughly half as many games and plate appearances so far this year, he's already got three doubles and six walks.

The numbers:

        AVG    OBP     SLG     OPS
2011   .286   .314    .306    .620 
2012   .261   .414    .391    .805

Clearly, this year's numbers are better. Unless you're only looking at batting average. Which maybe Dusty is. Sigh.

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Paul Janish in the on-deck circle, from the Enquirer

Paul Janish has been getting a lot of playing time in spring training. Turns out, it's because the putative starter, Zack Cozart, is injured. It's not serious - it's his other arm, not the arm he had TJ on - and he can still play. They are just being careful with him and limiting his playing time.

Janish hit a double yesterday, but was O-fer today.


Morning workout, via Jamie Ramsey

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Lenny Dykstra got three years. He pleaded guilty to grand theft auto. And his legal troubles aren't over; he's facing federal charges this summer, for hiding assets after declaring bankruptcy. Not to mention the exposing himself to women he met through Craigslist thing.

How on earth does someone who had as many advantages as he had end up like this?

Labels: crime and punishment, Lenny Dykstra

The first televised Reds game was this afternoon. I skipped out of work early to see it. Dusty Baker started what will probably be the opening day lineup...only with Janish in the two-hole instead of Cozart. Not sure why that was; Cozart started in the B game.

Janish got three walks in the game. Even though he was pulled after six innings. That's more walks than he got in all of spring training last year. He also stole third base.

I was pleased at how he did. As I've said before, I was concerned at how few walks he drew last year. Plate discipline was his forte in the minors. I'd like to see that come back.

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Photo from Better Off Red

The Reds played their first spring training game today. Paul Janish did not start, but he ended up playing more than the starter. Zack Cozart was pulled after a couple of at-bats, and Janish played the rest of the game. He went 1 for 3, which meant he hit better than any of the other shortstops. (Cozart and Valdez were both hitless.)

The bad news: he booted an easy double play ball in top of the ninth, which let the go-ahead run score. Todd Frazier homered in the bottom of the ninth, and the game ended in a tie.

It's only the first game of spring training, but still...not a great way to start out, for a guy whose strong suit is defense.

The game ended in a tie because the Reds were all out of pitchers...though the announcers joked that Dusty could put Janish on the mound again.

They also talked about how different it was for Janish this spring. Last year, he was the starter. This year, he probably won't make the roster.

Though never say never. Will Carroll, in his Reds health report, has Cozart red-lighted.

He should be ready for spring training, but it's hard to call him anything but very risky until he proves he's all the way back. Paul Janish is a tolerable insurance policy if Cozart isn't quite ready.

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