Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker place a high emphasis on defense, even to the point of sacrificing offense.
Their high regard for defense is why last winter, after signing Edgar Renteria, both Jocketty and Baker called Paul Janish to reassure him he was their short-stop.
Baker commented then that Janish could be part of the offense by being a great defensive player. He reminded people that Dave Concepcion was not polished when he first came up.
"Davey was a skinny, little kid that got bigger and stronger and better. He hit around .200. If that happened now, they'd be ready to lynch everybody," Baker said.
Janish struggled during the 2011 season and in July Zack Cozart was called up to replace him. Cozart played well hitting .324 with two home runs and three RBI in 11 games before an elbow injury led to season ending surgery.
Heading into 2012,Cozart appears to be the leading candidate at short-stop. John Fay, Cincinnati ...
Original Story:
