Reds’ move to sign Jack Hannahan fills another hole – MLB News
Cincinnati Reds’ move on Wednesday, Dec. 12, that involved a deal with infielder Jack Hannahan seems to have addressed the needs of immediate concern. Add to it a three-team, nine-player trade on Tuesday that relocated center fielder Drew Stubbs to northeast
Ohio and brought in the Cleveland Indians’ Shin-Soo Choo as the leadoff hitter to the Reds.
The Reds were on a lookout with the onset of the offseason. Requiring to fill a few positions, especially the need to bring in a leadoff hitter, the Reds – however, did not have any major transaction even during the Winter Meetings.
What rather came to fore was re-signing veteran Ryan Ludwick to a two-year contract after he had become a free-agent. With the arrival of Shin-Soo Choo, the Reds are now comfortably placed in the National League to pose serious challenge to rival defences.
General manager Walt Jocketty appears satisfied with the move. "We think he's a great athlete, and he still runs well from side to side, and we think that in our ballpark, he'll do fine in center field," Jocketty said.
He will be playing between Ryan Ludwick and Jay Bruce in the outfield. The player can become a free agent at the end of the 2013. But what matters at this point in time is the consistency he has shown lately.
In 99 games that Choo played at No. 1 spot, he had .310 batting average coupled with .389 on-base percentage. Compared to the Reds combined .208 average and .253 on-base percentage in 2012, Choo fits well where he is to play in the upcoming season.
With that, and as Choo’s becoming free agent was briefly mentioned above, the Reds will have their eyes on top prospect centre fielder Billy Hamilton. He had .311 batting average with 155 stolen bases in 132 games between Class A Bakersfield and Double-A
Pensacola in '12. He can get to the Majors by the early 2014
"It works well into our long-range plan," Jocketty said. "We have Choo for this year, and we'll see what happens. We know that Hamilton should be ready by [2014] to play center field and hit leadoff."
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