I think there is another subset of players where JHJ is average

The super sub. The bench player who rests a player once in a while. But not an every day starter

I took a quick look to find super-subs and really there aren’t that many
I looked at active players who have played 2B, SS, AND CF. Those players can probably play ANY position. I looked for players with who have played all 3 of those positions with at least 1500 PA.

There are 21 active players that meet that criteria. The top 4-5 are every day players who have happened to fill in at the other positions or moved their primary position; Soriano, Mora, Upton and Figgins.

Of the remaining 17 players, JRJ’s career OPS+ falls 7th.

I don’t mind JRJ on the bench. He’s just not an every day player

for example, the Reds don’t face that many lefties and Dickerson is really having trouble with lefties. If Hairston started in CF in a platoon with Dickerson when a tough lefty is starting we’d be in much better shape than we are with Taveras starting.
Hairston’s OBP vs lefties this season is .321 with a 96 OPS+

Yes, the point is that he is being used incorrectly. Its a problem.

The point of all this is that we all agree, I think, that his ONLY value is as a utility guy. So why doesn’t Dusty realize that?

Because Hairston is absolutely killing us as a starter and number 2 hitter.

All I said is that he isn’t good. And he isn’t good. He is a well-below-average hitter and a below-average to average fielder. He has a long history of not being good.

Now, I’m not saying he doesn’t have any value at all. In fact, I specifically said the opposite. But he has to be used correctly, because he gets exposed when he is used to much. Because he isn’t good.

If you really think JHJ is a good player, then we are just going to have to agree to disagree. There is nothing that is going to convince me otherwise, since all the evidence says he isn’t good.

Same thing at the plate. He’ll screw up sometimes but he’ll also come thru in a big moment sometimes, more often than many of the position players on this roster.

My main point is that when he screws up, you can bet it’s going to get a lot atention on this site. When he comes thru, it’s ignored. Yesterday after he came thru with the big leadoff single in the 9th and then screwed up with a chance to win the game in the 10th, I knew in advance that his failure in the 10th was going to get ample attention and his hit in the 9th would not be mentioned by anyone except me.

He has had emergency value to this team, given the injuries to EE and Gonzo. Without him we’d be seeing the likes of Rosales and Richar at 3rd base, and we would be further down in the standings.

I don’t even know if he’s a good player in his role. His role with the Reds is a #2 hitter and everyday player. His ideal role — supersub, playing 3-4 times a week at various positions — well, I think he’s adequate at that, but I wouldn’t call him “good”. He’s not a guy I would object to having on my team in that role, though (and, in fact, I haven’t objected to actually having him on the roster).

He can’t hit and his defense is average, at best. His only value lies in the fact that he won’t KILL you at a number of positions. True, there IS value in that, but I still don’t think there is any way to stretch the definition of “good” where JHJ is going to fall under that heading.

pinson, I disagree with you here. First of all, look at what I wrote in the Recap. I wasn’t hammering JHJ, I was hammering Dusty for doing exactly what you said in your post: putting him in a position where he’s likely to be unsuccessful.

I applauded the decision to bring JHJ back because of his versatility. But he’s not a good player, and there’s no way to spin that otherwise. He’s not good. He can help a good team in lots of ways, and I don’t mind having him around as a spare part, but if you are depending on him as a #2 hitter or as an everyday SS, you’re in big, big trouble.

At any rate, your point that Dusty should get the most grief for mis-using JHJ is absolutely correct.

Go Get’em tomorrow Homer! Only 2 games back, huh? and lets go!