Cincinnati Reds in Review: OF Roger Bernadina

One of the numerous “under the radar” off-season acquisitions, Roger Bernadina expected to compete for a spot on the Cincinnati Reds Major League roster in 2014 with a strong showing in Spring Training.

Having spent the majority of his career with the Washington Nationals, the Reds knew him well from seasons of facing him down in D.C. Bernadina would start the year in Cincinnati, but not last very long.

Roger Bernadina – Outfielder

Born in Willemstad, Curacao, Rogearvin Argelo Bernadina has crafted himself out quite the modest Major League Baseball career. Having been apart of a big league roster every year since 2008, the man nicknamed “The Shark,” has proven to be a reliable left-handed bat off the bench with more than adequate speed and a proficiency to clobber a fastball.

Bernadina’s six-year tenure with the Nationals came to an end midway through 2013 when he hit waivers and was immediately nabbed up by the Philadelphia Phillies. He would finish the season out there before joining the Reds in Goodyear for Spring Training.

In the past handful of seasons, the Reds have had players fill a role nearly identical to Bernadina’s in the form of Laynce Nix and Xavier Paul. When Skip Schumaker dislocated his shoulder diving for a fly ball in Arizona in March, it became a near certainty that Bernadina would be heading north with the club.

He would last all the way until mid-June with both the Reds and their Triple-A affiliate in Louisville before being put on waivers and ultimately claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In what would be his final game of 2014, Bernadina would clobber his first home run of the season in game 53 and drive in four runs. All season long, he had accumulated just five runs batted in.

Bernadina’s Stat Line:

.153/.286/.206, 59 AB’s, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 3 2B’s

Top Roger Bernadina Moment:

For a player that batted far below the Mendoza line in his less than 60 at-bats with the club, there aren’t many moments that would qualify as grand. Yet, there was one night in Arizona when Bernadina proved his worth.

It was May 30 and the Reds were still coping with the loss of superstar first baseman Joey Votto. They would try Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier and Brayan Pena at the position for the majority of the season, but many forget that Bernadina started once as well.

What is impressive beyond going 2-for-3 with a double, was that Bernadina had never so much as played first base in a Major League game before. He would go on to finish the game without committing an error as the Reds topped the Diamondbacks, 6-4.

Low-Point of the Season for Roger Bernadina:

After his high point on May 30, he would not so much as collect another hit with the Redlegs. While he would finish 0-for-8 with the Reds, and then he began 0-for-5 with the Dodgers as well, before collecting two hits (one being the home run) on the season’s final day of September 28. He would have to wait nearly four months between hits.

Final Grade: F

Ultimately, Bernadina did not contribute a whole lot to the cause. The optimism he stirred up in Spring Training by showing an ability to hit the fastball was dulled down when fans realized a left-handed hitter who couldn’t touch a breaking ball was the best option off the bench.

Bernadina will be another player who will go by the wayside in the memory of Reds fans who want nothing more than to forget the debacle of 2014.