The 2016 Cincinnati Reds have backed themselves into an interesting corner. Three of their top four outfielders are young and extremely talented. Billy Hamilton was the Rookie of the Year runner-up two years ago and followed that up with an elite defensive and base-running season in 2015. Jake Cave was drafted by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft to compete in left from the New York Yankees. Then there’s Yorman Rodriguez. He has all of the signs of being a great major league player but has not impressed in the big league camp the past two years. All three of these guys need help to understand how to be big league outfielders.
Usually in a situation like this you’d surround Jay Bruce‘s locker with the three kids and let him teach them. There are two issues with that. First of all, the Reds are trying to move the right fielder for some younger talent. Secondly, Bruce is an admittedly quiet leader. This cadre of outfielders needs someone with a bright outlook.
Ken Griffey Jr. has had some of the same comments made about him as Bruce. The difference is that Griffey’s solitude came from overexposure since his big league debut at the age of 19. He played his entire career under immense media scrutiny and fought against that by being quiet to many teammates, saving his energy for the game and the media.
There’s another reason why Junior makes sense here, as his father was Hamilton’s manager the year he set the record for steals in a single season. The connection there comes with a trust and casualness that cannot be bought. Hamilton is the key here, as he will be the veteran of the outfield once Bruce leaves and the franchise defensive player. The Reds need to save his career and only someone who understands running into the center field wall and having unrealistic expectations piled upon him can relate.
That’s why the Reds need to bring Junior back, at the very least for the entirety of spring training. For Junior, today it’s the Hall; tomorrow it’s coaching the three amigos in Cincinnati.
