Out of Left Field

If you are a member of Reds Country, then you already know that the 2015 campaign of the Cincinnati Redlegs has been less than stellar. Pitchers have underperformed, the bullpen has been mostly a mess the entire year, and at times it seems like the bats of the Reds are almost nonexistent. Injuries have also played a role as Homer Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery, Marlon Byrd has a fractured wrist, and Devin Mesoraco has a hip impingement. However, Mesoraco still might play this year, but he will not be behind the dish. At the time I write this post, the plan of the Reds for Mesoraco, which seemingly came from out of nowhere, is to have him be the new left fielder.

The hip impingement Mesoraco has prevents him from crouching in the catcher’s position behind home plate, and he has not caught since April 12. The Reds tried to use him as a pinch hitter when they played in National League stadiums and as a designated hitter when they played in American League stadiums before finally placing him on the disabled list on May 25. When the team pulled the trigger and put Mesoraco on the DL, I thought that meant he would have surgery on his hip and start rehabbing so that he would be good to go for the 2016 season. That is not the case however, as the Reds sent him to Columbus to play with the Louisville Bats on June 8. The Bats are the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Reds.

I do not know how I feel about this decision. Part of me is thrilled at the possibility that Mesoraco could rejoin the team in a starting role and bring his slugging ability to the lineup on a fulltime basis. However, another part of me is concerned that Mesoraco could further injure his hip or another part of his body that could set him back even further. In my opinion, this is a high risk high reward gamble for the Reds, and if I were in charge, I would have already shut him down and told him to get ready for next season.

Mesoraco is one of my favorite players on the team and is the best Reds catcher that I have ever seen. (Please note that I was not born until 1992 and therefore have never seen Johnny Bench play.) He calls good games, he hits well, and most importantly and what I like best about him, he is the definition of hustle for this Reds team. Every time I have watched him play, it seems that Mesoraco is always giving it his all and is constantly in high gear. That is why his presence is so important to the Reds. However, is having him on a team who, at the time this post was written, is currently 13 games out of first place and seven games under .500 worth the gamble of further injury?

I say no, but the Reds and Mesoraco say yes. In fact, Mesoraco was open to the idea of playing left field since he cannot catch this year. (If that does not show his hustle and how determined he is to help this team win, then I don’t know what does.) It is no secret that left field has been a huge hole for the Reds over the past few seasons. Will Mesoraco’s presence in that position be enough to turn it around for the Redlegs? Only time will tell. All us members of Reds country can do is hope and pray that Mesoraco does not suffer a debilitating injury and that his new position for the 2015 season is what ignites this Reds team and sends them on a playoff run.

Go Redlegs!