The Resurgence of Josh Reddick
By Jason Burke
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Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Over the course of the past two weeks, Josh Reddick has been red hot. Since his return from the DL on July 22, Reddick is hitting .390 with 4 HR with 7 RBI. Ok, so maybe resurgence is a little drastic for a two week period. However, “Josh Reddick Returns to First-Half of 2012 Form” doesn’t really roll of the tongue. While the sample size is small, the case can be made that Reddick will continue his hot streak.
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The first, and most obvious reason being what his manager, Bob Melvin had to say about his recent approach at the plate. In a post-game press conference, Melvin said, “He’s balanced. He’s using his legs. [Reddick] is confident right now.” This was said after Reddick’s two-homer performance against the Royals on Sunday. Both Home Runs came against James Shields, a pitcher Reddick was hitting just .188 against in 16 ABs coming in to the game.
Another key for Reddick is that he isn’t striking out nearly as much as he was earlier in the season. In fact, he’s barely struck out at all since his return. In twelve games, he’s struck out twice. Over the course of those twelve games, Reddick has amassed 38 ABs. By comparison, in April Josh struck out 20 times in 79 ABs. In May, 19 times in 85 ABs.
Again, this is a small sample size, but Reddick is showing that he is still capable of being a productive hitter.
Many have speculated that the addition of Jonny Gomes could help revive Reddick down the stretch. Whether or not this is the case remains to be seen. For what it’s worth, Red is 6 of 10 since the addition of Gomes. Use that how you will.
All of this brings us back to the trading of Yoenis Cespedes. While fans are still getting over the loss of their beloved Yo, Josh Reddick is stepping up his offensive game to go along with his outstanding defense. While the rest of the offense is looking around for who will take the place of Cespedes in the lineup, Reddick is raising his game.
When asked if Josh Reddick may be moved up in the order to help the struggling bats, Bob Melvin said, “If we need to scoot him up in the order, we will.”
With the offense struggling, Josh Reddick has been the most consistent producer at the plate of late. If this surge can continue, Josh Reddick would be a welcome contributor come October.