Jake Cave looked like he belonged on the Cincinnati Reds opening day roster. The 23-year-old patient left-handed hitter was taken by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft.
Now, the Reds have returned Cave to the New York Yankees.
Nothing Cave did in spring training on the field betrayed the perception that he belonged in a Reds’ uniform. The addition of Cave looked like one right move the Reds had made in the offseason.
Cave slashed .255/.349/.364 in Cactus League play. He did suffer through an 0-for-9 skid midway through spring but bounced back.
Cave offered center field value as a backup to Billy Hamilton. He also played left field in the spring. He stood as a left-handed bat off the bench with the ability to take at-bats deep and get on base.
Ultimately, Cave lost his spot on the Reds’ roster to Tyler Holt, who is in his final year of options.
The right-handed hitting Holt made the Reds look like geniuses opening day after Reds’ manager Bryan Price inserted Holt into the game as a pinch-runner then defensive replacement in left field.
Holt scored a run then made a double-saving, diving catch down the left field line in the ninth inning of the Reds’ opening day win.
Still, the decision to keep the 27-year-old Holt over the younger Cave is questionable. Holt batted .208 this spring with a .309 on-base percentage and .559 OPS. Holt is hitting just .216 in 102 big league at-bats.
The younger Cave had advantages over Holt. Besides being four years younger, Cave bats left-handed and will most likely reach salary arbitration later than Holt.
The decision to lose Cave may not prove to be a loss like losing a Brett Gardner. Cave hasn’t shown the speed or power that Gardner has.
But his loss now does seem at the very least like the total loss of spring training opportunities for other Reds’ outfield prospects.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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