Mark Payton Best Red This Spring

[kevin]

Outfielder Mark Payton leads Reds in hitting, homers, stolen bases, slugging, on base %....This guy should be starting Opening Day. ....Now I know how it works, they will say the awful baseball word OPTIONS to keep a guy batting .100 and send to minors their best hitter, and many always say that makes sense, BUT it will NEVER make sense to me. You should field your best team, and Mark Payton as of March 20th is the best player the Reds have so far in 2021.

[grampahol]

I liked Payton when they first picked him up on the rule five pick.. 

[kevin]

(03-20-2021, 06:47 PM)grampahol Wrote: I liked Payton when they first picked him up on the rule five pick.. 

Rule 5 means you put him on Major League team or you lose him.  I like that. They can't send him to Minors.  I like that.  His old team could reclaim him or some other team could claim him if not kept all season on Reds Major League roster. Reds are forced to actually keep somebody having a great Spring, I Love It.  Reds have no OPTIONS. Put best player this Spring on Reds or lose him to another team. That awful word OPTIONS does not apply here. I did not know he was Rule 5, thank you Grampahol. That is Good News.

[grampahol]

I think, although I'm not 100% sure the rule 5 rules only apply that first year. He was picked last year so he's officially a Red.. 

[kevin]

OK, he was RULE 5 in 2019. He is not RULE 5 now. So I'm back to worrying. He is leading Reds in all batting stats this Spring, and often if a Red has a great Spring, they send him to The Minors, because Why Would You Want PLAYERS THAT ARE HITTING.