Lopez making most of chance

[volzok]

CINCINNATI -- Before a game, you might find Reds infielder Felipe Lopez sitting and watching "Animal Planet," as he was the other day.

You might see him sitting in front of his locker, talking to clubhouse neighbor Sean Casey.

But ironically enough, when you won't find Lopez sitting is when he's allegedly, well, sitting -- as in not playing.

Because when he wasn't in the Reds lineup for much of the early portion of this season, he was doing quite a bit of work behind the scenes.

Whether working in the cage with coach Chris Chambliss on his hitting or working with coach Randy Whisler on his infield skills, Lopez was doing whatever it took to better himself as a ballplayer.

Whole article on MLB.com

[Sea Ray]

That's good to see. I've said for years that the issue with Felipe Lopez is "will he work?". If he does he can be the starting SS on this team. If he doesn't then he'll be next Willie Greene. He certainly has earned the starting SS job, Aurilia's injury notwithstanding.

I wish I read more about the work habits of Danny Graves and Austin Kearns. I think both of them look increasingly "soft" from several years ago and that has something to do with their current numbers

[Wally Mo Pena]

I think that's a good eye. With graves it might just be age catching up to him, but kearns certainly doesn't look like the horse who was leading the majors in RBI two years ago before he got hurt. It seems like the injuries and how the team has treated him have affected his desire to work hard. I think he has some legit complaints, but getting soft isn't the way to deal with them. J. Guillen had a lot of complaints too (legit or not) and he did what you need to if you aren't happy. Work hard, look good, and get delt.

[Sea Ray]

I think that's a good eye. With graves it might just be age catching up to him, but kearns certainly doesn't look like the horse who was leading the majors in RBI two years ago before he got hurt. It seems like the injuries and how the team has treated him have affected his desire to work hard. I think he has some legit complaints, but getting soft isn't the way to deal with them. J. Guillen had a lot of complaints too (legit or not) and he did what you need to if you aren't happy. Work hard, look good, and get delt.

Kearns cannot blame his problems on the Reds. He's had injuries but aside from them he's still producing in the low .200s for the past two years. With Wily Mo putting up the numbers he has in the same period of time, who's to blame for Kearns having a hard time getting on the field???

Kearns was not injured this past off season. In fact supposedly he was working hard on 3B. Why he showed up in Sarasota so out of shape baffles me

[missionhockey21]

Kearns work ethic does concern me. You rarely hear about Kearns workout in the offseason (other than him working at 3B, rehabbing, whatever) and it seems like each year he comes to camp with a few extra pounds. Now to some extent that should be expected with young guys as they fill out a bit. It's rare to hear about him and Chambliss working on his swing or developing him as a hitter (as you do with Dunn and Pena.)

Now I am not trying to rag on Kearns but I am concerned. Kearns was a natural to the game, plain and simple. Dunn played football for years and started in serious on baseball later. Wily Mo had to get good and get good quick, he had the tools, they just weren't polished at all. But to Kearns, baseball has been easy to him. He was a great infielder and pitcher in high school, and then quickly became a great outfielder with the Reds. Out of him and Dunn he was always labled the more balance and complete hitter. I am not saying the extra pounds are the causes for his early struggles but I wonder if it his work ethic. Not playing as long as he has (or inconsisently) is bound to make the best rusty and I just hope he is doing what is needed to get back on track. Of course consistent playing time from Miley (espicially while Wily Mo is on the DL) should help.

[missionhockey21]

"I feel confident, just because of everything I've been through," he said. "I've struggled so much that I've got nowhere to go but up. I've already been on the bottom. Even though bad things happened, it helped me tremendously with my confidence."

"I'm just playing like tomorrow I'm not going to play," he said. "I'm just getting in there, having fun, playing hard. Because you never know what's going on or what's going to happen. That's how I feel every day. I got an opportunity, and I'm going to take advantage of it."

This kid has the right attitude, tools, and determination to really make a name for himself in our lineup for several years. I love hearing about how he feels confident. When he first came up, he looked lost at the plate and really tried to press each AB. Seeing him now in comparison to then, there is just a world of difference. He's been one of the few bright spots in a so far miserable season.