A month ago, I said the following about Nolan Reimold, “Reimold is a personal favorite. He plays the game correctly. He runs out every ball, I love his combination of power and plate discipline. He has good athleticism. He’s had 625 Major League at-bats, and has had 30 doubles, 25 homers, 76 bb’s, 137 k’s, with a .763 OPS in that time frame. We know that as promising as his ’09 season was, his ’10 season was a wash. I’ve written previously that even though he doesn’t have good instincts in LF, that the defensive metrics showing him to be an absolute butcher were not telling the full-story. He was playing with a torn Achilles in ’09, and unable to cut after the surgery in ’10. In ’11, his UZR/150 is positive. Showalter was quoted the other day saying he thinks Reimold is playing as well defensively as Pie in LF. As much talk as Reynold’s Club Level HR rightfully received, Reimold’s blast in Toronto was just as impressive. Nolan really is a guy with capable power to all fields.
Still, no matter how much I like the positives about Reimold’s game – the opposing argument is still there. Reimold turns 28 in October, and as mentioned above, has had just 625 Major League ab’s. In 51 games, and 151 ab’s this year, his OBP is just .306. What the O’s have remains a mystery. If the O’s want to definitively improve in ’12, they need to limit how many mysteries they enter the season with. Like Davis, even if he produces some numbers to end the year, it will be hard for the O’s to hand him LF. I think Reimold will be part of the ’12 roster. I think there is a chance LF is his when the O’s begin next year. I think the odds are good the O’s will be looking for a more proven commodity this off-season.”
Beyond my summation above, if MacPhail is replaced as the President of Baseball Operations, that also has to be factored in. The new GM might have a much different vision of how they want to configure the roster.
That said, to Reimold’s credit, he is controlling what he can control and finishing strong. In his last 124 ab’s, Reimold has 5 homers, 2 triples, and 5 doubles. While he is still batting just .240 overall, his on-base % has increased to .327 (9 walks vs. 8 k’s in September), and he is slugging .438 overall (.765 OPS). He is hitting both LHP and RHP at near equal levels. Defensively, his Ultimate Zone Rating has remained positive. Even if you still believe Reimold to be a defensive liability, with the O’s unlikely to offer Scott arbitration, and Guerrero not returning; there will be an opening at DH.
I can understand the O’s be unwilling to hand Reimold a definitive spot in their everyday 2012 lineup, but I also think it is unlikely the O’s will obtain multiple options that are a better fit.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.