All Things Bubba

Paul Janish was hit by a pitch in the 7th inning on Saturday. It looked like it hit him on the left hand, and it looked like it hurt. He dropped his bat and kind of dropped to the ground. The trainer came out and looked at him, and he stayed in...for a little while. He got to 2B on a single, then to 3B on a sac bunt. Then was pulled from the game for a pinch-runner.

He was out of the lineup on Sunday, but told radio announcer Matt Andrews before the game that he didn't think anything was seriously wrong. He was being held out of the lineup for "precautionary" reasons, and might be back Monday.

He wasn't back Monday. Instead, he's on the DL with a broken wrist. Ouch.

They said it was a right wrist fracture, but it really looked like it was his left wrist that was hit. The minor league DL is 7 days, but I have to assume he'll be out longer than that. How much longer, who knows. Wrist fractures are so variable. Players are out anything from a couple of weeks to a year or more, depending on which bone is fractured and how badly. Hopefully it's not too bad, since they apparently didn't send him to get x-rayed until office hours today (instead of going to the emergency room on Sunday). And I really hope it's not a hamate fracture, like Andy Phillips suffered. That injury is notorious for sapping a hitter's power for a year afterwards.

What a bummer for Soft-J. He was playing so well.

Labels: Paul Janish

A little blurb about Paul Janish at Louisville.com:

Janish keeps on raking

Paul Janish started the season with the Bats for the first time in three years. Most guys would pout and play poorly. Janish has taken it in stride—literally. Janish has a .521 slugging percentage to go with a .315 average and .390 on-base percentage. Janish has hit safely in 16 of the 23 games he’s played in and has six multi-hit games. Those numbers are a far cry from his career .227 average with the Cincinnati Reds.

Most guys would pout and play poorly? Dunno about that, but it does seem like Janish has handled his situation well. Hopefully he'll be rewarded for it eventually.

And I hope he's all right. He was hit by a pitch yesterday, and is out of the lineup today.

Labels: Paul Janish

I wondered why I hadn't see Brian Roberts play much lately. Googled around a bit and came across this article. He's had a concussion since September 2010. From bopping himself on the head with his bat. He was frustrated at striking out, and was wearing a batting helmet. He'd done it before, many times. Observers did not think it was a particularly violent hit. But he gave himself a concussion, and it's pretty much kept him from playing since.

It's fascinating, the stuff they're finding out about concussions. Roberts was apparently inherently vulnerable to concussion. Those who get carsick and those who suffer migraines are especially prone to concussions, and Roberts has suffered from motion sickness all his life. (So have I. Note to self: do not apply a baseball bat to noggin, helmet or no.)

Another tidbit from the article: NFL players actually get concussions at a much lower rate than you'd expect, given the abuse they take. One theory to explain this: people who are not unusually immune to concussions are weeded out long before they reach the pros.

The NFL has a huge mess on its hands now, accused of hiding the concussion problem, among other things. They're going to have to do something, or run the risk of ending up like boxing: considered a brutal, dangerous sport that parents don't want their children to play.

Labels: science of sports

Looks like Paul Janish has a new nickname. Red Reporter summarizes Monday's Bats game:

Paul "Bunyan" Janish went 2-3 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, an RBI, and a big blue ox.

Of course, it wasn't long before someone shortened the name to "Bunjanish."

Janish actually went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and a walk. He’s batting .344 / .417 / .578.

And those doubles were crushed. Into the teeth of a 30mph wind blowing in. On any other day, they’d have been home runs. And I’m not the only one who thought so.

Had the wind not been so stiff, Janish may have homered twice. Instead, the Bats shortstop settled for two doubles. His second came in the seventh and caromed off the wall in left. It brought in Neftali Soto, who had singled ahead of Mike Costanzo’s single, and staked Louisville to a 4-1 advantage.

And the Bats blog entry for today includes this blurb:

STATING HIS CASE: Through 19 games, IF Paul Janish currently leads the Bats in several offensive categories. His .344avg, 11r, 22h, 7 2b, 37tb, .578slg and .995ops are all tops on the team.

Labels: Paul Janish

Photo: Nick Ut, AP

Lenny Dykstra has gotten jail time for his Craiglist antics. At least six women were victimized by him, including one who was forced to massage him at knifepoint.

He got only 270 days of jail time. That doesn't seem like much, given the severity of the offenses and his previous history.

How did it come to this? I can't help wondering if he crashed into too many walls in his playing days. There wasn't as much awareness of the danger of concussions back then. It's becoming increasingly clear that the kind of head trauma suffered in sports can cause long term problems...as we're seeing in the NFL.

Labels: crime and punishment, Lenny Dykstra

Photo credit: Louisville Bats

The Bats finally got around to putting a photo of their best power hitter on the front page. And they even found one that doesn't make him look like a zombie.

Paul Janish continues his hot hitting. He went 3 for 4 with a double yesterday, and 1 for 2 with a double and a walk today. (He got the Bats only extra base hits both days.) He's hitting .351 / .422 / .579, good for a 1.001 OPS. The double today was the other way, and it went to the wall.

Matt Andrews, the Bats announcer, said, "Paulie does nothing but hit." He said Janish's defense is spectacular, and the Reds sent him to Louisville to improve his hitting. He said the Reds have to be taking notice.

I'd been planning to take in a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game or two next month, when the Bats are in town. Dunno if I'll get to see Janish; if he keeps hitting like this, he'll be called up by then. (I noticed Joe Savery was called up from Lehigh Valley today, since Cliff Lee went on the DL.)

I can't go to SWB Yankees games like I usually do, since they have no home games this season. They're trying to renovate the stadium, and so are playing all games on the road. I say "try" because it's turned into a mess. I'm not sure what's going on, but it sounds like financing is still an issue. Construction was supposed to start last month, but the deadline slipped because the Yankees and Lackawanna County are still arguing over details.

Labels: Paul Janish

Credit: MLB.com

Holy cow! Phil Humber threw a perfect game.

The Mets, Twins, and Royals gave up on him. Now he's not only on the White Sox roster, he threw a perfect game.

Labels: Phil Humber

Well, it was indeed Todd Frazier who got called up. MLB writer Mark Sheldon was on the plane to St. Louis with him.

Janish is in the Bats lineup tonight, batting 7th and playing SS. I'm sure he'll return to the big league roster soon enough, especially if he keeps hitting like he is.

The Louisville Courier-Journal couldn't find a more flattering photo than this?

The Reds still have not said whether they will put Miguel Cairo on the DL, or who will be called up if they do. John Fay thinks Cairo will be DL'd, and Todd Frazier called up. I think that's likely as well. Frazier was the last man cut, and 3B is his specialty. He's also heating up, finally starting to hit. He has probably the most power of any of the infielders who are likely to get the call. And the Reds really need hitting right now.

But it could be Janish. He's hitting .325 / .372 / .600 in Louisville, and OPS'd .912 in spring training. He could play 2B, spelling Brandon Phillips if necessary, as well as 3B.

Heck, it might even be Chris Valaika. Or no one - the Reds might decide not to DL anyone. That doesn't seem likely, when they're facing their arch-rivals, the Cardinals, and have two infielders with bad hamstrings. But you never know, with the Reds. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

There were no clues in tonight's Bats game. No one was held out of the lineup, or removed early. Janish was 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Frazier had an even better night: 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI.

Labels: Paul Janish

So, I was reading this article, about a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend.

In October 2011, Rick Wayne Valentine, aka Bryan Stewart, went on trial. The first witness to testify for the state was Andrea Aardsma.

Aardsma? That name sounds familiar. Could it be...?

Yup.

Juan Martinez: What does your husband do for a living?

Andrea Aardsma: He is a professional baseball player.

Back in 2010, she and her husband, David--then an ace pitcher for the Seattle Mariners -- were in Scottsdale during the off-season. Andrea worked out at Gold's Gym five days a week and her personal trainer was Bryan Stewart.

Yikes. That would seriously creep me out.

Good on her for helping convict the guy, though.

Labels: crime and punishment

That's the motto the Louisville Bats are using to describe Paul Janish's hot start. Sounds a bit risque for a family-oriented business like minor league baseball, but I am amused that C. Trent's nickname for Janish, "Soft-J," lives on.

Janish's hitting streak ended at 7 games when he went 0 for 3 on Thursday. He was given a day off Friday (aside from a couple of innings as a LIDR), and started a new hitting streak today. He went 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. The triple just missed being a home run. He's now hitting .364 / .400 / .667, good for a 1.067 OPS. He's leading the team in hitting, and is in the top ten for the entire league.

Reds utility infielder (and former Yankee) Miguel Cairo started at third base for the Reds today. He doubled and scored a run, but pulled his hamstring sliding home. He's listed as day-to-day, but with Brandon Phillips also nursing a sore hamstring, I wonder if the Reds might be giving Cairo a night to sleep on it, with the idea of DLing him if he's not better tomorrow.

Not sure who would be called up if Miggy goes on the DL. Todd Frazier would be the obvious choice, as he almost made the team out of spring training. But he's not hitting all that well (though he homered today). Janish is raking, but the Reds might prefer Frazier, who has more of a reputation for power as well as more experience at 3B. Or maybe even Chris Valaika, who is hitting very well right now.

Of course, this being the Reds, the most likely outcome is that they'll play shorthanded for a week while Cairo heals.

Speaking of injuries, top prospect Anthony Rendon broke his ankle rounding third in an A-ball game. Sounds terrible, but supposedly breaks (at least the kind he has) heal faster than sprains. He's expected to miss at least 6 weeks. Health concerns were the main reason he wasn't drafted higher than he was, but this seems like a total fluke.

Labels: Paul Janish

Paul Janish is the IL Player of the Week.

Over the first four days of the 2012 season, Louisville shortstop Paul Janish hit .429 (6-14) and led the International League with two home runs, 14 total bases, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

Janish is leading the Bats in batting average, OBP, and SLG. Yesterday, he was 1 for 3 with a double and a hit by pitch. The day before, he was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, a RBI, and a run scored.

The photo the Bats released (up top) is a really old one. I don't think Janish has worn #17 since he was first promoted to AAA in 2007. Very nice photo, though.

Labels: Paul Janish

Well, this says it all:

Janish Delivers Late-Inning Heroics in Season Opening Win

Paul Janish hit two home runs for the Louisville Bats tonight, including the go-ahead game-winner in the ninth.

Way to go, Soft-J!

Labels: Paul Janish

The Reds played an extra exhibition game yesterday, where the current Reds team played a "Futures" team made of their top prospects. Among them was Tony Cingrani, who closed out the 7-inning game and secured the victory for the Futures. (There's a short video here.)

Cingrani pitched one inning, giving up one hit, no walks, and no runs.

Labels: Tony Cingrani

Man, poor Todd Frazier. After being told he had made the roster...they took it back.

I guess that's life in baseball, but still...how cruel.

Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Hal had this to say about Paul Janish:

THEN THERE IS the other side of the coin, a sad side. There is no nicer guy, no harder worker, than Paul Janish. But his days with the Reds probably are over.

He was optioned to Louisville after losing a battle he probably couldn’t win with Zack Cozart for shortstop.

Cozart was pretty much given the job this winter after his showing with the Reds for a short period last season. It was his job to lose. And he didn’t lose it. While Janish, too, had a good spring, Cozart had a good one, too, and cemented his hold on the job.

Janish lost the job last season. He, too, was given the shortstop job before last season, but proved over the long haul that he couldn’t hit major-league pitching.

Look for him, too, to be traded, but it wasn’t because he didn’t work hard, give it his all.

Not sure why he thinks Janish won't be back. He could be next year's Wilson Valdez. Actually, if you look at their career numbers, they are very similar hitters. Janish actually has more home runs than Valdez, despite having much less service time. Janish is younger, and a better defender, so why not?

Maybe Hal just doesn't think of Janish as a backup. He says Janny was competing with Cozart for the starting SS job, but really, I'd say he was competing with Valdez, for the back up role.

I dunno, maybe Janish wants to be a starter and would want to be traded or released next year. Maybe the Reds would want to give him that opportunity. But usually the team that drafted and developed you will give more of a chance than the others. He could do worse than stay with the Reds.

Labels: Paul Janish

...Because Paul Janish is going down. Sigh.

He had a really good spring, but I was expecting this. He just didn't fit in the roster. The Reds traded Juan Francisco and are going with only 11 pitchers for now, but there still wasn't room for Janish.

Todd Frazier plays 3B - necessary with geriatric Scott Rolen as the starter, and Francisco now a Brave. He also has decent power, hitting more home runs than any other player in spring training. Wilson Valdez plays SS and is out of options. Willie Harris is a lefty batter and plays CF. Janish's skills are very similar to Valdez's (though Janish's defense is better), and Janish has options.

John Fay reports that it was a tough decision:

Janish hit around .300 this spring and showed good pop.

“It’s real tough,” Baker said. “There’s always going to be someone who had a good camp. This is why I despise this week more than any week in the whole year. You want guys to have a good camp.

“There’s a good chance he could be back at some point. There’s a great chance of that.”

...“It was a very hard decision,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “Paul’s part of the family. He still is.”

I do think Janish will likely be recalled eventually. That's kind of the point of having players with options: you can send them down and call them up as needed. I also suspect Frazier will be sent down when the Reds need another pitcher. Dusty says they'll need another pitcher after the off day. Which is the day after opening day. So if Janish had made the roster, it would likely be for a very short time.

Janish didn't play today. He was listed on the travel roster, and several minor leaguers played, but I guess Dusty decided he deserved a day off.

Janish finished off spring training on a strong note. He was 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, 2 RBIs and a run scored yesterday. Saturday, he was 1 for 3 with a RBI and a run scored. His final line:

 AVG     OBP     SLG     OPS
.310    .412    .500    .912

He had six extra base hits - 5 doubles and 1 home run - and 8 walks. Much better than the 1 double and 2 walks he had last spring.

He's also been great on defense. The White Sox announcers yesterday were very impressed with his range and his cannon of an arm.

Doug Flynn, one of the Reds announcers, says he thinks the Reds probably tried to trade Janish because they have so much respect for him - they thought he deserved to be on a big league roster somewhere. (I'm not so sure about that - while I'm sure they listened to offers, they need him as depth.)

And I really wonder if the Reds are working on another trade. It really makes no sense that they are going through contortions to carry an extra position player for just one day. Unless it's someone they are trying to trade, who doesn't have options.

The Louisville Bats make a couple of swings through the northeast in May/June. If Janish is still with them, I'll be there to stalk him watch him play. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was called up before then.

Labels: Paul Janish

This is not an April Fool's joke. The Reds have traded their purported third baseman of the future to the Braves for a minor league pitcher.

Francisco was a player I considered a lock to make the roster, simply because he's out of options. But he ended up in the doghouse this spring, because he showed up overweight and injured. There was a suspicion that he was slacking off because he's out of options and knew he had a lock on a roster spot.

Not sure what this means for players on the bubble, like Paul Janish. It does free up a roster spot, but none of the players vying for a job really fits the hole left by Francisco. As the heir apparent to third base, this might benefit Todd Frazier. Indeed, most fans seem to be reading it this way. Frazier plays third base. I'm not sure the Reds see him as the third baseman of the future (they've had him playing a lot of outfield recently), but he might get a chance to back up Rolen this year. He does have decent pop for an infielder. However...he is a right-handed batter. Presumably, the Reds will want a lefty bat. They now have none on the bench, and only Votto and Bruce in the starting lineup. Two lefty hitters doesn't seem like enough.

Willie Harris is a lefty. He's not exactly a power hitter, but he's very versatile, playing infield as well as outfield, including CF.

Wilson Valdez will probably get one of the two remaining roster spots, because he's out of options and plays SS. However, it's possible the Reds will go with Janish instead. Didi Gregorius has played well enough in spring training that he might be seen as a viable backup, meaning they don't need as much depth at SS as they thought.

Could Janish fill the backup third baseman job vacated by Francisco? Defensively, he could. He's still not very experienced at third, but his skills, particularly his strong arm, seem well-suited to third. But he's not left-handed, and not a power bat.

There's still four days until opening day. I suspect the Reds have more moves planned.

Labels: Paul Janish