Jose Reyes moves down line-up giving way to Emilio Bonifacio - MLB Update
Finally the decision has been made and a star shortstop Jose Reyes goes down to the second spot in the line-up. The manager Ozzie Guillen while defending the move calls it more a tactical change than anything intended for long-term.
Therefore he feels with couple of more games down the line and hopefully Reyes sheds the woes he is troubled by at the moment, then he will be sent to his normal position.
“We did it for a reason,” Guillen said. “Hopefully, [Reyes will] see more fastballs, get more patient at the plate. Hopefully, we’ll see Boni on base, try to keep the pressure on him to stay on base. Hopefully, that works. When [Reyes] starts swinging the
bat better we’ll move him back to where he belongs.”
Last year National League Batting Championship winner, Reyes was part of extravagant purchases the Miami Marlins resorted to during the off-season. Just as high as were the expectations from him by the fans, just the reverse has come off from him so far.
Every game he led off, fans waited for his best, one for which he was brought in the camp, which unfortunately never came about.
Hits he otherwise connects so easily, bases he steals so miraculously and changes he can cause in the plans of opposing teams have been missing from him to an extent that one will easily question his expensive presence on the roster.
If Reyes suffers from decline or it is just a matter of time before he restores his best on the plate will be known in the upcoming games he plays.
Whatever it is, the best thing he can be happy about is a confidence management has put in him, despite a sheer non-existence of anything vindicating this.
Reyes is disappointed with himself, not just with his swings on the plate, also with fielding errors he is committing. The kind of season he has so far is unprecedented in his career.
In this connection, is Reyes going to witness worst season of his career or will he be able to reverse his fate down the line are two interesting questions to keep in mind as the season progresses.
Tags: