Zach Buchanan

zbuchanan@enquirer.com

The last time Billy Hatcher coached third base, it was 2000 and he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. The longtime Cincinnati Reds first base coach asked for the challenge of being moved over when Jim Riggleman was promoted to bench coach.

“He’s such a fan favorite. He has such a legacy in Cincinnati and he’s just invited himself to a world of judgement and criticism,” manager Bryan Price laughed. “Hey, you’re doing this to yourself, buddy. You could have kept your mouth shut and stayed at first.”

Price thinks Hatcher will be up to the challenge.

“I love it. Somebody that actually wants to do a job that’s a tough job,” he said. “It’s demanding and takes you out of a safer place. It puts you in a position to take on more scrutiny. I admire that he wants to do it.”

No headgear

If any Reds pitchers have tried out the new half-helmet to protect against comebacker line drives, Price hasn’t seen it.

The helmets are the latest in what have been a series of attempts to make the game safer for pitchers. None has gained wide acceptance.

“It does protect a portion of your head but you’ve still got your face, your temple and things like that still exposed,” Price said. “It doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide protection. There is also probably a weight differential there that affects pitchers. I know they’re available if guys want them but I haven’t seen any of our guys discussing anything about using one.”

Dayan impresses

While Price singled out many of his tight end-sized young starters as having impressed early in camp, he also threw some praise in the direction of 5-10 right-hander Dayan Diaz.

Diaz, a former Astros, Cubs and Red Sox prospect, signed a minor-league deal this winter. He’s posted an ERA under 2.00 each of the last two seasons across the three highest levels of the minors.

“I'm very impressed with him. HIs numbers last year in Double-A and Triple-A are off the charts,” Price said. “That's a really good minor-league performer that deserves a good chance here in camp.”