Terry Francona Explains What a Young Reds Outfielder Must Fix

Right fielder Héctor Rodríguez had a big summer at Triple-A Louisville, where he hit 27 home runs with an .880 OPS over 104 games before his first big league call on Aug. 4.

His start in the majors was rough, as the 22-year-old went 4-for-34 with no home runs over his first 12 games, and he later admitted he was overthinking every trip to the plate.

He turned it around once teammates like shortstop Elly De La Cruz told him to go out and play his own game, and over his final 29 games starting Aug. 22, he hit .264 with six home runs and 15 RBIs for the Cincinnati Reds.

Manager Terry Francona went over a winter plan with him during exit interviews, and in a recent talk with MLB.com about the young hitter he praised the lefty's great hands and pointed to the one habit that keeps getting in his way.

"But we’ve got to keep his feet from bouncing around, because when they do, that’s when you see that fastball get by him or he’s chasing a breaking ball. That’s doable," Francona said.

His strikeouts show the same problem, since Rodríguez struck out 39 times in 152 plate appearances over 41 games and finished with a .229 average and six homers.

Lefties gave him the most trouble, with 15 strikeouts and no walks in 41 at-bats against them, and president of baseball operations Nick Krall told MLB.com that the young hitter has to shrink the zone and stop chasing so often.

Rodríguez will spend the offseason in the Dominican Republic working on his defense, and Krall noted that the club moved him from second base to the outfield before a broken ankle slowed him down.

Krall said his speed is finally back and that he has made strides in both corner spots, but his fielding is below average with a very good throwing arm.

De La Cruz has also offered to work out with him, since the two live about 20 minutes apart near Santo Domingo, and I think those sessions could help him as much as any drill.

MLB.com reported that the outfield picture is unsettled and that Krall could look for upgrades, which lines up with the outfield names that could be on the radar this winter.

Next spring, Rodríguez should compete with outfielder JJ Bleday, another lefty hitter, for time in the corners.

The club has also been linked to a possible run at a top free agent second baseman, and a cheap young bat who grows into a regular would give the front office more room to spend elsewhere.

Fans already have reason to be excited about pitcher Rhett Lowder's next step in the rotation, and I think Rodríguez deserves the same faith and a real shot at right field in camp, because he already fixed his approach once in the middle of his first season.

If his feet settle down the way Francona wants, I believe Rodríguez can be the everyday right fielder by Opening Day.