TIKE REDMAN
3/10/77; '96 5th; Tuscaloosa, AL (HS)
L/L; 5-11, 166
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 1996 A- |
.294 |
.353 |
.424 |
170 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
17 |
30 |
7 |
3 |
| 1996 R |
.298 |
.368 |
.385 |
104 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
12 |
15 |
3 |
| 1997 A+ |
.251 |
.333 |
.347 |
415 |
18 |
5 |
4 |
45 |
82 |
21 |
8 |
| 1998 A+ |
.257 |
.298 |
.379 |
525 |
26 |
10 |
6 |
32 |
73 |
36 |
16 |
| 1999 AA |
.269 |
.332 |
.368 |
532 |
20 |
12 |
3 |
52 |
52 |
29 |
16 |
| 2000 NL |
.333 |
.368 |
.556 |
18 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
| 2000 AAA |
.261 |
.306 |
.375 |
506 |
24 |
11 |
4 |
32 |
73 |
24 |
18 |
| 2001 NL |
.224 |
.246 |
.296 |
125 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
25 |
3 |
5 |
| 2001 AAA |
.304 |
.347 |
.422 |
398 |
18 |
10 |
3 |
24 |
37 |
21 |
7 |
| 2002 AAA |
.270 |
.315 |
.344 |
311 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
21 |
24 |
16 |
7 |
| 2003 NL |
.330 |
.374 |
.483 |
230 |
16 |
5 |
3 |
14 |
18 |
7 |
3 |
| 2003 AAA |
.294 |
.357 |
.400 |
360 |
12 |
7 |
4 |
36 |
32 |
42 |
9 |
| 2004 NL |
.280 |
.310 |
.374 |
546 |
19 |
4 |
8 |
23 |
52 |
18 |
6 |
Redman appeared to have run out of chances with the Pirates, but a fairly good 2003
season in AAA and the trade of Kenny Lofton gave him one last opportunity and he
took advantage of it with the two best months of his career. Redman is very fast
and the Pirates hoped for years that he would develop the skills to be a leadoff
hitter, but he never hit well until 2001. That earned him a callup, but he hit
poorly and also disappointed the team with poor defensive play and baserunning.
He didn't have a good 2002 season and was dropped from the 40-man roster. He returned
as a free agent in 2003 and showed improvement in his hitting and plate discipline,
and for the first time became an efficient base stealer. After being called up he
hit extremely well, with surprising power. He went into 2004 as the regular CF and
leadoff hitter, but got off to a miserable start. He batted only 226/229/301 in
April and was almost completely unwilling to take a pitch—he drew just one walk
in 96 plate appearances. After Lloyd McClendon moved him down to the 7th spot in the
order, he began to hit better. Over the last four months, he hit 304/338/396. He
remains a very impatient hitter who often chases bad pitches. Redman has been prone
to baserunning blunders and seldom used his speed to help the team on the bases in
the early season. McClendon clearly was reluctant to let him run, as he had no
steal attempts in April and was only 3-for-6 in May. He showed considerable
improvement after that, however, stealing 15 of 18 the rest of the way. Defensively,
Redman is poor. Among 20 qualifying CFs in the majors, he ranked 17th in zone rating,
14th in fielding percentage, and tied for last in assists, as his arm is very poor.
He doesn't get good jumps and often misjudges flyballs, turning outs into hits.
Redman's improvement over the last four months has been taken by some as an indication
that he will improve in 2005, but there's little reason to believe he'll ever be
better than he was overall. At 27, he should already be at his peak, and his minor
league record suggests he'll be exactly what he was in 2004: a player who hits for
a decent average, with poor on-base skills and little power. Even with his strong
finish, he ranked 21st among 22 qualifying CFs in the majors in OPS. Counting only
his last four months, he still would have ranked just 19th. Combined with his poor
defense, that makes him a far-below-average CF even at his best. In addition, his
poor on-base skills make it difficult for the team to take advantage of his speed.
The Pirates' acquisition of Matt Lawton to play RF unfortunately is not likely to
get Redman out of the lineup. The early indications are that the Pirates will move
Craig Wilson to 1B and keep Redman in CF, instead of moving Jason Bay to CF. Redman
is a good example of the team's poor evaluation skills. The Pirates tend to think
in stereotypes and Redman seems to fit their stereotype of the "speedy CF," regardless
of the fact that his speed provides little advantage due to his poor defensive play
and his inability to get on base. The team also seems wedded to the outmoded view
that BA is more important than OBP or power, which causes them to think Redman is
better than he is. It's possible that, with Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth now on the
40-man roster, Redman will be challenged for his job as early as mid-season, but the
Pirates are always extremely reluctant to give opportunities to younger players when
they have older players available, no matter how bad the older players may be.
Redman is expected to bat 6th in the lineup, where he'll be a major liability.
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