If you watched any of the Cincinnati Reds Summer Camp, you saw plenty of doubles smoked into the RF corner off the bat of Shogo Akiyama. That sure matched the reputation he created through years of success in Japan, and certainly seemed to endorse manager David Bell’s earlier statements about him likely being his leadoff guy when in the lineup.
Well, tonight’s exhibition game (6:40 PM ET on Reds.com) sure seems to give an indication that Bell has settled on that concept for good, as Shogo tops what looks like a balanced, potent new Reds lineup.