Franmil Reyes and Aristides Aquino Career Tied To DH

 

 

The Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds each have a young hitter with careers affected by the designated hitter rule.

Major League Baseball will keep the DH in the American League and not use it in the National League after long deliberations about adopting it in both leagues.  Although the rule will be different in both leagues for now, it is subject to change.

The Reds Aquino, 26, made a splash in the second half in 2019 with 19 home runs in his first 57 games of his career.  He was the fastest in Major League history in several milestones, including the fewest at bats to hit 15 home runs at 122,

Last season with a glut of outfielders on the roster, Aquino worked out in the Reds' secondary facility in Mason for most of the shortened, 60-game season.  He hit .170 in 23 games with two home runs.

This season the Reds want to get a good read on how he fits in.

"As great as that was for Aristides over a month as far as confidence and building off of that. There are challenges to it," David Bell said.  "I talked to him the other day face to face.  He was happy with the off season work he had and looked great.  He is determined, motivated and kind of on a mission.  We want to see a comfortable, confident player."

Aquino is more suited for the National League because he has a lot of power but is a good outfielder too.  

"He can help you in a lot of different ways besides hitting home runs," Bell said.

The Indians Reyes hit .275 last season in 59 games with nine home runs.  The 25-year old was the designated hitter in 57 of those games and played two in the outfield. 

There are two speeds which baseball analytics has uncovered about Reyes that affects how he will be used.  Reyes hit 37 home runs in 2019 between the San Diego Padres and the Indians.  His bat speed, the measurement of his swing, turned into an exit velocity of batted balls in the upper 10 percent in the Major Leagues.  Conversely, Reyes has slightly below average running speed and was in the bottom 20 percent on the average jump which is measured by the distance covered in the right direction towards the ball in the first three seconds after a ball is hit.

That makes him more suited as a designated hitter but the Indians are looking for fielding improvement to add roster flexibility.

"If he's not pigeon holed in the DH, it opens up opportunities for a lot of people," Indians manager Terry Francona said.  "Saying that you want to put your best defensive team on the field."

The Indians are looking at another position but are hesitant to go all in on a change.

"Franmil is taking some ground balls at first base," Francona said.  "But we really want to be fair with him.  We don't want to move him back and forth.  He will be playing right field a lot in spring."

Reyes turned an ankle three weeks ago but is progressing.  Still, the Indians will use Reyes as the DH early in the Cactus League schedule.

"When we go to National League cities, we want his bat in the lineup, especially if he's swinging it well," Francona said.