Yanks Jettison Womack To Reds

By Matt Meyers
December 8, 2005

The Yankees signed Tony Womack to a two-year, $4 million dollar deal before the 2004 season to try to solve their second base problem. When that didn't pan out, they tried to use him to solve their center field problem. After that didn’t work either, they made him the Reds' problem, sending him to Cincinnati for second baseman Kevin Howard and outfielder Ben Himes.

Womack's best tool is his speed, and even though he played 2005 as a 35-year-old, he stole 27 bases in 32 attempts. He has never been particularly adept at getting on base, posting a career on-base percentage of .316. After a career year in 2004 with the Cardinals, when he hit .307/.349/.385, Womack batted .249/.276/.280 last year.

Originally drafted in the seventh round by the Pirates in 1991 out of Guilford (N.C.) College, Womack will have a shot at the second base job with the Reds. Rich Aurilia got most of the playing time there in 2005 and has been offered arbitration, but it's not certain he will be back. Ryan Freel played 48 games there in 2005 and will be in the mix as well.

In spite of Womack's limited value, the Yankees got two hitters with some potential in return for him. Howard has always hit, starting in 2000 at Miami when he hit .413 and won Baseball America's College Freshman of the Year award. A fifth-rounder in 2002, Howard has never hit worse than .285 in any minor league season and boasts a career line of .289/.356/.412. He hit .373 in the Arizona Fall League in 2004 and led the AFL in hitting this year with a .409 average.

As a hitter, he is close to major league ready and has shown a consistent ability to center the ball with a smooth line-drive swing and adequate lefthanded power. What is holding him back is his defense. Though he played third base at Miami, Howard moved to second for the Reds. His actions there are unorthodox, his range is average and his arm is below-average. He went back to third in the AFL this year to get at-bats on a team stocked with second baseman. He was adequate there and it improves his versatility, making him a viable option for a utility role with the Yankees in 2006.

Himes was a ninth-round pick of the Reds in 2003 out of Oklahoma City College. The outfielder posted an abysmal .212/.280/.397 line at low Class A Dayton in 2004 but took a step forward offensively in 2005, hitting .320/.372/.533 between high Class A Sarasota and Dayton. He still struck out 104 times in 350 at-bats.

At 6-foor-4, 210 pounds Himes is wiry and runs well for his size, getting from the right side to first base in 4.1 seconds. The 24-year-old played primarily in right field and has an accurate arm with above-average arm strength. Himes has always been a little old for the level at which he has played and will need to repeat his 2005 performance, while cutting down on the strikeouts, before he can be considered a legitimate prospect.