David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
I was one of those that doubted Shin-Soo Choo’s impact on the Cincinnati Reds when he was traded in the three-team deal between the Reds, Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks. Honestly, I looked at his numbers and I really thought the Indians would be much better off without him. They may very well be but the Reds are also better for having Choo at the top of their order.
It feels good to be wrong sometimes and this is one of those times for me. Choo is batting .339 with a .461 on-base percentage. What is a lead-off hitter supposed to do? The answer is to get on base and score some runs. The on-base percentage speaks to his ability to get on and his 14 runs scored talk about the other part of the job. For Choo so far it has been a job well done.
Through the Reds ups and downs early on this season, Choo has been a near constant. He has eight hits in the last ten games and has also been solid in the outfield. Though his stolen bases total is quite low, he has used his base running skills to score runs and that is more important than steals anyway.
As the Reds battle the crowded National League Central, Choo will be one of the most important parts of their team. When Joey Votto comes up to hit the ball out of the stadium, Choo’s job will be to make sure he is on base. As I said he has done well so far and appears to be in a steady grove that could continue all season long. Good trade after all, Reds.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
