I'd keep him at SS. Why mess with one the best hitters on a team that quite frankly isn't tearing the ball off the cover right now?

He started at 1st today.....

 

interesting....

Encarnacion, like him or not, is one of the guys the Reds are building around.

 

Why can't Keppinger be a supersub, with one or two starts a week at short and third and an occasional fill-in at second or in the outfield? No one knows if Keppinger is a guy that can sustain it for 500-plus ABs, but he looks like a nice part-time player at least.

 

Why pre-designate someone as a sub? Especially someone who is hitting the way Kepp is and might very well be the future at SS.

 

The Reds are asking for problems if they are going to "build around" someone like Encarnacion. He is not a "foundation of the team" type of player.

He is very very limited defensively at SS. He has a great future but not a SS. He only dreams about getting to some of the balls Gonzo gets too.

He is very very limited defensively at SS. He has a great future but not a SS. He only dreams about getting to some of the balls Gonzo gets too.

 

Yes, I have heard about these great limitations at SS over and over, but just don't see it. He will make no one forget about Ozzie Smith, or maybe even Gonzalez, but he's very steady and would appear to have tons of upside, especially the more he plays the position. I'll take his reduced range in exchange for his bat.

The Reds are not building around EE anymore. I think he is close to being an afterthought. He continues to be a horrible fielder, can't do the little things like lay a bunt down, and still wildly swings at everything. I think he has until Gonzo gets back to straighten up. There is no way Kepp's bat is coming out of the lineup, he will be in there somewhere everyday until he quits hitting, and dating back to last year he ain't done that yet.

Since the Reds don't have a RH 1B, it seems more likely, as happy ol' dad noted, that Keppinger's appearance there could be a sign of things to come. I see no reason he can't get 15 ABs a week by way of a SS spot start and a couple starts at 1B, as well as a PH here or there.

 

By no means do I want to see him as the everyday SS or 3B.

The Dodgers would laugh at that one ...

 

Who is the Dodgers 3rd baseman right now?

Since the Reds don't have a RH 1B, it seems more likely, as happy ol' dad noted, that Keppinger's appearance there could be a sign of things to come. I see no reason he can't get 15 ABs a week by way of a SS spot start and a couple starts at 1B, as well as a PH here or there.

 

By no means do I want to see him as the everyday SS or 3B.

 

:thumb:

Since the Reds don't have a RH 1B, it seems more likely, as happy ol' dad noted, that Keppinger's appearance there could be a sign of things to come. I see no reason he can't get 15 ABs a week by way of a SS spot start and a couple starts at 1B, as well as a PH here or there.

 

By no means do I want to see him as the everyday SS or 3B.

 

Dating back to last year, what has he done to make you say you wouldn't want to see him as an everyday player? He is more steady than EE or Freel at 3rd. I haven't seen him misplay any balls at short either. He isn't going to make the "amazing" play, but he makes the routine plays. This is something, aside from BP, that the Reds don't do enough of.

He is very very limited defensively at SS. He has a great future but not a SS. He only dreams about getting to some of the balls Gonzo gets too.

 

And Gonzo only dreams of hitting like Kepp. While Kepp may not get to all of the balls Gonzo will, it is closer than most think according to range and zone stats.

 

Kepp has to play everyday! How can you justify him not?

Who is the Dodgers 3rd baseman right now?

 

Currently I think it is a prospect... I know they have had different guys there the past few years...

And Gonzo only dreams of hitting like Kepp. While Kepp may not get to all of the balls Gonzo will, it is closer than most think according to range and zone stats.

 

Kepp has to play everyday! How can you justify him not?

 

I never said he shouldn't play everyday just not at SS.

Dating back to last year, what has he done to make you say you wouldn't want to see him as an everyday player? He is more steady than EE or Freel at 3rd. I haven't seen him misplay any balls at short either. He isn't going to make the "amazing" play, but he makes the routine plays. This is something, aside from BP, that the Reds don't do enough of.

 

He has 3 errors in 25 games at third, that comes out to an error ever 8 games or 20 per 162. That isn't exactly Gold Glove level and only marginally better than the other two. He's also 3 years older than E-5 and doesn't have nearly the upside as a hitter.

Who is the Dodgers 3rd baseman right now?

Right now it's Blake DeWitt, a first-round draft pick in 2004 who had signed with Georgia Tech but took the a $1.2M bonus from the Dodgers. DeWitt got the job this spring because of injuries to Andy LaRoche, Nomar Garciaparra and Tony Abreu, and will probably be back in the minors for some more seasoning (he's only got half a season above Class A) unless he gets off to a hot start and keeps hitting.