But what we may have is above average offense at those positions, if we play our cards right and certain guys keep developing. Assuming he starts 2016 back in Dayton, which seems likely as a 20 year old with under 200 plate appearances in full season ball, there is a bit of a log jam that might happen. That may mean playing Senzel at SS and sacrificing some defense, or maybe it means trading away Senzel for a TOR arm that puts them over the top. That carried forward for the final 11 days of the month for Long, who hit .394 over the last nine games of the month.
The second baseman hit .391, but only one of his nine hits was for extra-bases. It was easily the worst month of the season as he hit .198/.287/.323 with 11 walks and 28 strikeouts in 108 plate appearances.For as tough as July was, August got out to as big of a start as could be imagined.
They are not going to get there with Gennett or Long and could be much closer with Senzel. He would finish the month on the disabled list though, finishing July by hitting .220/.304/.463 with five walks and six strikeouts in 47 plate appearances.The first few days of August were spent on the disabled list, but Shed Long returned on the 5th against Cedar Rapids, going 0-4 with a walk. The sample size was rather limited, as he began the year at the midway point and also missed some time on the disabled list, but overall he was impressive at the plate on his way to hitting .283 with 18 walks and 31 strikeouts as a 19-year-old in a pitcher friendly league.Listed at just 5′ 10″ and 180 lbs., Long isn’t physically imposing by any stretch of the imagination.
His hitting streak would reach 14 games before coming to an end on the 28th. The power played well int he month as he hit six home runs, but his line was just .219/.286/.469 with nine walks and 27 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances.The slump that ended May carried into June. In just a few years, the Reds' prospect is ranked as one of the top second basemen in the Minor Leagues. The strikeout remained high for the second straight month. The power showed up a bit in the second week, but he again went 4-21 that week. He can and does hit the ball hard to all parts of the field. The following week was about the exact opposite. He hit just .238, but four of his five hits were doubles. Things didn’t get out to the best start despite increased playing time for the new second baseman, going just 2-20 with a double and a triple in five games over the first week.
With his health back, the Cincinnati Reds sent him back to join the Blue Wahoos to begin his 2018 season.The first week of the season wasn’t how Shed Long was likely hoping it would go. And he’s got some speed to help him beat out some infield hits. But it also means he could still be in the minor leagues if and when he’s ready because he could have nowhere to play.Against left handed pitchers he walked 18 times and struck out just 19 times. Unfortunately he would go into a big slump over the final six games, going just 1-22 (.045). Decent, but not top of the line. Whatever is going to put the most competitive team on the field for the Reds is what I am for. He did show off plenty of pop along the way, with seven extra-base hits – including four homers – but also had just three walks and posted a .237 on-base percentage. Hopefully the better offense will outweigh the less than great defense…I was hoping for much more offensively from Long this year. He told me he was always a middle infielder as an amatuer until the Reds put him behind the plate to catch after he signed, so he has more middle infield experience than it might appear.
The power may even play up a little bit from there at his peak.There are some concerns about his swing, though. On June 12th Long would get his first start of the season as he joined the Dragons at home against Wisconsin. Although he is very good his development really seemed to stall this year. Despite that, he shows surprising pop in his bat and there’s some quickness to it that gives you the feeling he could hit for a good average in the future when combined with his speed and solid understanding of the strikezone at a young age. Things turned around from there, at least for a week. At second base he is seemingly blocked right now by Scooter Gennett and Nick Senzel. Shed Long homers in win over Angels. Along with India, who’s mainly blocked at the moment, those two should come up early and often in trade conversations for pitching.I see a path depending on what they do with Scooter. He hit just .196 in the first two weeks. That ballpark is built as about the worst possible place for a guy like Shed Long who doesn’t have moonshot home run power, but a lot of that mid-range pop to left and right.Doug do you see Long repeating AA some or does he have a shot at starting the year in AAA? There’s no real standout things with Shed Long’s game, but all of the parts seem to be solid or a little better.Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another. Fantasy Impact. The 19-year-old joined the Dayton Dragons in June after staying back in extended spring training and put the catchers gear behind him and traded it in for an infielders glove.