R.I.P: Ryan “Crazy Asshole” Freel

Ryan "Crazy Asshole" Freel (2003-2008) was an energetic young man who carved a niche for himself in Cincinnati the old-fashioned Charlie Hustle way. Without the possession of a natural skill set, Freel found his way into the line-up by running all the way to first base on routine ground balls and diving into the stands for balls clearly out of glove's reach, often times inflicting tremendous pain upon innocent fans. Crazy Asshole accidentally manslaughtered a handful of old ladies and babies over the years using the momentous force of his hardened skull with a 270-ft. running start. Those fans who were not murdered absolutely loved it. Freel was a super-utility man, filling in at second base, third base and all three outfield positions. Because of this, no fan was ever safe.

When he wasn't injured or resting his skull, Crazy Asshole was a fairly-productive player. He knew how to get on base (career .357 OBP), something that many current Reds have trouble with (.321 OBP team avg. in 2008). And while I believe OBP is an extremely valuable statistic, and therefore am still a supporter of Adam Dunn (career .381 OBP--startling when considering his lifetime .243 BA), Reds management thinks otherwise. They like players with low OBP (see post below).

STAT WATCH: Let's see who has the better 2009 on an at-bat basis, Ryan Freel or newly-acquired Willy Taveras. This would certainly be the year that Freel decides to hit .330, smack 25 dongs and drive in 100.