Josh Reddick spent two months in Dodger Blue and he didn’t make many fans, posting a .643 OPS and making four errors in right field. After coming over in the trade that brought fan favorite Rich Hill to Los Angeles, the Dodgers were happy to let Reddick walk after the 2016 season.
The next year, he had the best offensive season if his career, batting .314 with an .847 OPS and a 130 OPS+, all career-highs. That was for the Houston Astros. The 2017 Houston Astros. Remember those guys?
Yes, Josh Reddick’s best offensive season came when we know the Astros were cheating. Data suggests that Reddick might have cheated less often than his teammates, although the analysis was only able to check for the banging of trash cans — the most famous part of the disgraceful cheating — while the commissioner’s report on the cheating cheaters says they also used clapping, whistling, and yelling at time, and also that the lack of a bang while the banging scheme was in place simply meant a fastball. So, in reality, we have no idea how often any specific player cheated, which is part of what makes it all so frustrating.
Reddick, of course, wants to paint his actions in the kindest way possible, so it’s in his best interest to insist that all teams cheat the way the Astros did. He has a willing audience, too, as many Houston fans were quick and loud to declare that the poor wittle Astwos were being singled out and scapegoated by the commissioner.
Last week, Reddick, now playing for gimmicky...
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