Hello!
Harry Musgrave with you again. The Reds finished the 1906 campaign at 60-60. In third place and a mile behind Cleveland. Today I am going to grade each position based on the season.
Catcher – C
Hunter Vigors was solid offensively but pretty terrible defensively. Despite hitting .274 the team was disappointed since it was a big drop from his .314 the previous year. Paul Bett was signed as a free agent late in the offseason. He looks like he could be a serviceable catcher and might have the inside track at the starting position for 1907. Are these 2 good enough to bridge the gap until Edward Cook is ready or will the team have to dip into Free Agency?
First base – C-
It was Nathan Davis 4th season with the team and it was his worst yet. The team needs more than a .256 from that spot. I would guess that they will be looking for an upgrade here in the offseason.
Second Base – B
Eugenio Carne had a very nice season for the Reds. He didn’t hit much, but he wasn’t really expected to. He was the team’s best defensive player and possibly the league’s best defensive second baseman although fans of Van Holler may dispute that. Carne was signed in the offseason to a 850 dollar contract – A nice piece of business for the Reds.
Shortstop – C
Elroy Eddowes saved this from being a failing grade. The unheralded minor league shortstop came over in a mid season trade with Pittsburgh and played extremely well. He hit .302 and played better defensively than Geoffrey Burrows but that isn’t saying much. Burrow was downright terrible this season and his career looks to be coming to a close. As well as Eddowes played I don’t think the Reds see him as the answer at SS.
Third Base – B
John Keyte came over in a trade from Brooklyn and played very well. He was the league’s 2nd best defensive third baseman and he hit .258 with a .311 OBP. He has the inside track for the staring spot again in 1907. With Keyte and Carne the Reds have the makings of a very good defensive infield.
Left Field – C
Numbers were down across the board for Leonard Panther. He had a very mediocre season and will need to improve if he wants to keep his spot. Top hitting prospect George Cook is not far away and will be looking to pounce on Panther’s spot.
Center Field – B
When is a .300 average with 45 rbi and solid defensive play considered a disappointment? When you are Golden Reeves . He had a solid season overall, but his last 2 seasons have been a far cry from his first 2 years where he took home the MVP award. Can he raise his game back to the elite level next year?
Right Field – A+
What a season Fred Ronsell had. The 25 year old was the team’s best player by a landslide and he should garner some MVP votes. He led the Western League in batting average, hits, runs and stolen bases. He could be the player the team builds around in the future, not bad for a little know free agent who barely found a team last year.
Pitching – D
Despite the Reds only being .500 they were actually first in batting average and 4th in runs scored in the LBL. Where did it fall apart? The pitching. They had the worst ERA in the Western League and 14th in the LBL. The starting rotation of Webb, Mason and Barrow was supposed to be the strength of the team but instead they were the achilles heal. Where do they go from here? They Reds have very little in the way of pitching prospects and they wont be able to compete unless these 3 are much better next season.