If you play beer league softball, or if you have kids that play baseball or softball, you might want to see if you can get a hold of the people doing the coaching for the Louisville Bats. Why? Well, in the span of just over a week, he's gone from someone who's defensive inabilities were so profound that there was simply no way he could play center field at the Major League level to a guy who, after successfully handling 13 fly balls, is now apparently ready to capably play the position in meaningful big league games.
If they can work wonders for Nick Senzel, perhaps they can do the same for you or your kids.
Some magical, incredible things happening down there at Louisville, huh? Either that, or the people evaluating how adept Senzel would be in the field aren't as good at their jobs as the Reds need them to be. Either way, it looks like Senzel is coming soon, perhaps as early as Friday, because someone who might come to the ballpark to see him on Friday will only come see him if he's not yet made his debut, I guess.
Or maybe, there are other reasons why Senzel didn't start the season in Cincinnati. Perhaps, right?
Why do I have the feeling that if Nick Senzel had come to the Reds two months ago with an offer to play for them for the next eight years for a sum of money that made financial sense for the club that he would've been the guy manning center on Opening Day?
But he wasn't. So instead, he went to Louisville. Where the coaching must be absolutely phenomenal.
*So who goes? Who cares. It might be telling that with a tough righty on the mound in the ninth inning last night, David Bell didn't call on Scott Schebler, instead opting for Kyle Famer - traditionally bad against righties - who came up big in a rally that ended up being wasted. If Schebler's the odd man out, then fine. He's been brutal in 2019, and maybe he could benefit from some of that magic coaching down there in Louisville.
Perhaps sometime soon Matt Kemp is no longer a Red, depending on his busted rib. Maybe they send Phil Ervin back. Really, all that matters is that Senzel plays every single day, in center, with Winker and Puig flanking him. There's going to be some bad that comes with that, and hopefully some good. If the former outweighs the latter, they can always call up the coaches in Louisville who apparently have such great gifts for instruction.
*Reds lose one inning later than they're supposed to. Credit for a stirring, almost impossible ninth inning comeback last night. Getting three straight two-out hits by Iglesias (after being down 0-2), Farmer (hitting where logic dictated you might see Schebler, and also after being down 0-2), and Peraza against a closer Jeurys Familia isn't exactly something you'd wager on. But it happened, and for a few minutes, it felt like last night and this series against the Mets could both be seminal moments of a season suddenly starting to show some promise.
Alas, they still lost. Not without some significant stuff happening. Mainly, Luis Castillo putting up another strong start. The Reds' long search for an ace seems to have ended.
What remains ongoing is the search for wherever Joey Votto's head is at times when he's running the bases.
*Two more leftover post-draft thoughts. Hope you're ready for these incredible takes.
1) The Bengals drafted with the idea of competing now in mind, instead of tanking. That's fine, and I hope it works. But if the idea is to make a major leap in the standings this year, we are doing without the grace period that would otherwise accompany a new, first-time head coach. The Bengals want to win now, then Zac Taylor should be judged by whether he does that.
2) AJ Green and Tyler Boyd are going into contract years, and even if the smart money is on both guys getting re-signed, it was still striking that the Bengals did not take a wide receiver, especially in the second round. Not wrong, mind you, but striking.
Why? Because not taking a wideout is a decent indication in their faith in John Ross. Yes, there are other guys on the depth chart, but if they weren't completely comfortable with the idea of Ross making an impact this season, the Bengals would've been more inclined to take a player at his position, especially with the second round being pretty heavy on wideouts.
And no, my former producer didn't make me type this.
*Ten more. Up 2-1 after a stirring game three win in front of an insanely loud crowd, the Columbus Blue Jackets are that many wins away from a Stanley Cup. This Sergei Bobrovsky is not even close to the same goaltender I've watched in previous playoff series, and even though they were out-shot.
And this deserves a suspension.
I'm a very casual Blue Jackets fan, but it's been a blast watching long-time supporters of that team get rewarded with a playoff run, and maybe equally fun watching a city get caught up in the excitement of a playoff run. It must be nice.
I'll spare you the requisite pining for a major league team that staged playoff games in the spring. I will share with you a good read on my favorite hockey team.
*Speaking of, there was a good NBA game last night. Warriors fended off the Rockets. Golden State spread the scoring all over the place. If Houston would channel the energy it's spent on the officiating toward making defensive rotations, they might be heading home tied at one. Alas, they're down 0-2 and there's very little to suggest the Rockets can win four of the next five.
Radio Show: Why the Reds rebuild really starts this week, and three hours worth of other incredible sports-talk radio topics, coming up at 3:05 on ESPN1530.
Follow me on Twitter:@MoEgger1530.
Email me:mo@espn1530.com