Cincinnati Reds Report Cards: Ryan Hanigan

It is time for the final field position to be graded for the 2009 campaign.

Ryan Hanigan, who did catch most of the games this past season, is now on the grading block. In actuality he almost caught twice as many as the “big money” catcher Ramon Hernandez managed to play only 50 games behind the plate.

Hanigan hit very well for a catcher, hitting over .300 until August 7.  His play behind the plate was almost exceptional. He committed only one error, throwing out 43% of would-be base thieves, 16% higher than the league average.

His clutch hitting was horrendous, as he only batted .158 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

With the re-signing of Hernandez it is not a definite that he will be the starting catcher when spring training of 2010 is over. He had a better season both at the plate and behind it than did Hernandez, but when you are still flushing $3M down the toilet, you want to at least watch the water swirl some.

Hanigan, 28, is five years younger than Hernandez, so his career could be on the bright side.

I don’t know if Hanigan tires as the season wears on, but his batting average for the first half was .338 against only .165 over the last half.

Overall he did an adequate job and earns a B-.

Cincinnati Reds Report Cards: Jay Bruce

When Jay Bruce came up from Louisville in 2008 he showed shades of brilliance. He reminded me in a small way of Mickey Mantle. He certainly had the strikeouts down pat.

After settling down, he showed no further signs of greatness last season.

In 2009 his power revealed itself on the major league level. He had 15 home runs before Memorial Day and looked like he was set for a 40/HR year.

His average bottomed and we see now a true .240 hitter with excellent power.

He had three games of multiple homers, the highlight of the season for him coming on Sept. 29 in a home game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bruce hit two round-trippers and knocked in five runs.

He was on the Disabled List from July 11 until Sept. 14 with a broken wrist.

Bruce is a better-than-average outfielder, with range enough to play center field in a pinch. He possesses a very strong throwing arm, throwing out 11 runners.

His base running is nothing spectacular, and can be made to look foolish when swinging at bad pitches.

Here are his 2009 statistics:

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS+	RISP
345	47	77	22	58	.223	.303	.470	100	.229

Jay only appeared in 101 games in 2009, just seven less than the year before. With short seasons it is hard to get a good read on what he can really do.

He blends in well with this young team and should be a force to reckon with in years to come. This season, however, I have to hand him a C-, the home runs being the only thing keeping him from a D.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Cliff Eastham is a B/R Featured Columnist for the Cincinnati Reds