Cincinnati Enquirer article on Rob Stratton’s attempt to make the team as the 25th man, how he changed his approach to hitting shortly before getting his release last year from Fresno, and how he seemed to turn around in Louisville (and carried through to this spring).
If you believe that someone can win a job on the bench in the spring, then he should probably make the team.
I was really surprised they did not give him a look see at the end of last year. When I saw he was with Louisville, I looked at the stat sheet and saw Dave Kingman-like information.
Then, seeing him play, I found it hard to believe it was the same guy listed on the sheets. He was rifling line drives all over the field, including over the fence.
It would possibly be “prudent” to see if he can continue to play that way to start the season in Louisville, and it may even be wise to let him continue to hit that way every day in Louisville for a month or two to help establish his consistency and rhythm rather than sitting waiting for pinch hit opportunities. It’s always possible he could revert to old form if playing only in pressure situations and irregularly.
If he continues to hit like he’s hitting now, I want him on my team…
that’s a well-timed article, given he was just cut!