Reds Sign Bubba Crosby
By
Amanda
Posted at 11:38 am
The Reds signed Bubba Crosby, a 30-year old outfielder. And a good thing to, because this team's been without a Bubba for over eight months. Sez Reds.com:
CINCINNATI -- Looking to add some outfield depth and more competition, the Reds signed outfielder Bubba Crosby to a one-year contract worth $400,000 on Friday.
By signing him to a Major League deal, Cincinnati protected Crosby on its 40-man roster. But he's not assured a 25-man roster spot for Opening Day 2007. The 30-year-old will go to Spring Training and compete for a job as a reserve outfielder.
You don't care, right? Yeah, me neither. Seemed like a pretty unimpressive move. But then I saw the quote from general manager Wayne Krivsky:
“We're getting a guy that's been on winning teams, that plays the game the right way, that always plays it hard and can play all three outfield positions,” Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. “We're happy to have him.”
And that's when I put it together: guy from the Yankees who's been on winning teams? Light-hitter who plays the game hard, plays the game right?
Crosby is Kriv-dawg's Tony Womack. Hopefully he turns out to be as amusing.
Crosby = Womack? Maybe. Or maybe he’ll be 2007’s Brandon Phillips (guy-Wayne-got-after-somebody-else-gave-up-on-him type).
They didn’t just pull this guy’s name out of a hat, that’s for sure. For one thing, Reds’ bench coach Bucky Dent was his manager at AAA Columbus in 2004 and in 2005. For another thing, he was the Dodgers’ first round pick in the 1998 amateur draft. We can safely assume the Dodgers scouting department that year had something on the ball, based on our observations this year of another guy they drafted in 1998 – David Ross, who they took in the 7th round. So it really wouldn’t surprise me if whoever it was (presumably on the west coast) who tipped Kriv-Dawg off about Ross just threw Wayne another bone (pun intended, Bubba’s full name is Richard Crosby – if you don’t get it go read the thread about the Reds’ new pitching coach).
Crosby twice made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster in spring training, which can’t be easy to do considering the Yankees are a team with deep pockets that prefers to spend big bucks on established free agents rather than taking chances with rookies. He finished last season Red hot, hitting .321 (17-for-53) in 23 September games and .345 (20-for-58) over his final 31 games of the season. He also gained postseason experience by playing in three games in the ALCS in 2004.
Crosby has committed two errors in 182 major league games, and no errors in 245.3 innings in right field, where the Reds presumably have a hole to fill if they don’t convince Griffey to move over.
I guess this move also tells us something about what the Reds think of Heartthrob, as well as of Norris Hopper.
HMZ