Give Bruce a Chance!

The Reds are rumored to be pursuing Kenny Lofton. Apparently they want him to hit leadoff and play centerfield. There is little doubt that Lofton is one of the best leadoff hitters of his generation. The problem is that he is 40 years old and his generation is passed. Why would we want a 40 yr old CF? We have a "can't miss" prospect in Jay Bruce. We have Norris Hopper. We have Ryan Freel. All of whom are better options than Lofton.


Let's be honest, we need someone who can play well defensively and cover significant ground in CF. Griffey doesn't play the field as well as he once did. Unfortunately, Adam Dunn plays the field as well as he always has. Hopper and Freel can cover some huge amounts of ground out there. Either of them would make up for some lack of range in LF and RF. It's said that Bruce's range isn't fantastic. However, Jay Bruce had more HRs last year than Freel and Hopper have in their careers combined. As important as defnese is, you cannot win without pushing across some runs.

So, how important is a leadoff hitter? Is it important enough to justify signing a very seasoned veteran instead of taking a chance on a young prospect? I'm a fan of speed. I love the stolen base. I love bunting. I love anything that makes the defense move around. It creates holes. It creates opportunities for mistakes. It forces the defense to play perfectly and defenses don't always play perfectly. But a leadoff hitter is only guaranteed to hit leadoff once per game.

Jay Bruce is the future of this franchise. The Kenny Lofton of the 90's would be an All-Star on this team. But this is 2008. It's time for some youth and promise. Bruce is the only logical choice to play CF. Hopper and Freel both have a tremendous amount of value to the club. Freel can play the backup role at several positions. Hopper can be used at any of the OF spots, as a pinch runner, late-inning defensive replacement for Dunn or as a pinch hitter. We have no need of Lofton. If we're going to go out and sign another OF, then why was Josh Hamilton traded to Texas? I suppose it could be worse.....there are some suggestions that they've talked to Corey Patterson....