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Reds Tidbits (2008 season)

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Jaxbuck;1118368; said:
The pro's:
2 new arms in the starting rotation to at least give us some hope
Youth at 1B to give us hope
corner OF, 2B and 3B are proven effective hitters
of those 4 2B is a plus defender and I still think 3B will be
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I agree, and I also think you have to add a proven closer, Weathers not the closer, and I want to add as a whole the organization if full of talent waiting in the wings, with Bruce, Homer, Roenicke, Rosales just to name a few...

The Con's:
Glaring holes at SS and C
CF-when you are picking between Freel,CPat and Hopper you have problems
The bullpen aside from our closer is still by and large pure crap
All that youth that gives us hope will initially take their lumps at the MLB level
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I agree here, but if Gonzo and Ross are healthy at least you take care of defense in those two positions...

As for CF that what I would really love to see happen is for Bruce to take over soon like say May, then have a huge year, allow us to trade Dunn or Griffey to clear space in one of the corner outfield spots, move Bruce there and then Dickerson have a big year in AAA, cut down on his strikeouts, take over CF for a year, until Stubbs continue to improve and he can take over...

Offense: we have 2 automatic outs at C and Castro with the CF platoon being a close 3rd. Add in the pitcher and any given night in April/May we will have 4 of our 9 lineup spots about as good with the bat as 4 random posters from here. Griff will make his scheduled DL trip, its just a question of when. Votto is young and will struggle. Can Phillips, Dunn and EE carry the offense all year? Dunno, but no one else can.
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I agree, but if you play Kepp he is a much better hitter, and Valentine is a solid hitter, but better in a PH hitting role...I agree for the rest of the lineup, but at least we have pitching this year to hopefully limit the runs...

Defense: Holy hell are we going to suck (again). I'm sure all the pitching upgrades are thrilled with our C, SS, and corner OF defensive options. We still resemble a mens beer league softball team except now we don't hit as many HR's.
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This will depend on how loing it takes till Ross and Gonzo to come back...With them back you are very solid up the middle, and where we struggle is the corner outfield spots...

SP: Harang is a stud, Arroyo is MLB average but eats innings, the kids might be good some day but you just know they will struggle some at first. I'm particularly worried about the mid summer dead arm+Dusty Baker=end of promising young career formula we saw in Chicago.
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I agree they will struggle some, but they have some electric stuff and hopefully they minimize their lumps and the bullpen doesn't blow games and cause them to try and over pitch...

BP: Proven closer and better than it has been lately but thats not saying a whole hell of a lot. Stanton and Coffey can go away anytime and it won't hurt my feelings a bit.
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I agree here somewhat, but it is great to have Weathers out of the 9th inning and you have he and Burton who should be solid setup guys...Hopefuly Coffey with his weight loss continues to show how he has in spring training...Hopefully Affeldt can get it done from the left side and we don't have to depend on Stanton and we cut Stanton in May and bring up Bray who has been solid since coming back from injury in ST...Then if coffey struggles we have Roenicke who I think should be up sometime this year...And hopefully Belisle does good out of the pen...

Overall the way we look right now I think .500 ball is the high end for this team but that just might be enough in the worst division in baseball. For the firs time in a long time the future does hold hope, lets just hope Dusty doesn't kill it before it can bloom.
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I would kill for a .500 season...We need to at least compete, because I truly believe if WK can make the right moves this season and on into next that next season with a rotation of Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez, and Bailey that we will be a force to be reckon with...

My steps would be sure up the pen, dump guys that aren't getting the job done and go with the youth in the system that is ready...

Don't overuse Volquez and Cueto this year and make sure Bailey gets innings in AAA and majors...

Play Votto and Bruce all season...

Move one of Griffey or Dunn and find a replacement for CF as you move Bruce to the corner position...Would like it to be Dickerson...

Then find someone capable for the SS and C positions...
 
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Fay's guess at the 25 man roster. Take it fwiw.

Starting eight
Corey Patterson CF
Jeff Keppinger SS
Ken Griffey Jr. RF
Brandon Phillips 2B
Adam Dunn LF
Edwin Encarnacion 3B
Scott Hatteberg 1B
Javier Valentin C
The skinny: This is assumes that Alex Gonzalez and David Ross begin the year on the disabled list. The only questions here are center field and first base. Patterson seems to have won the job in center with a good spring (.455 average) and he?s Baker?s guy. Norris Hopper will likely get a lot time against left-handers. Baker likes Joey Votto a lot. But Hatteberg?s hitting .382; Votto?s hitting .158. The Reds may want Votto to his bat going in AAA.

The bench
Norris Hopper
Ryan Freel
Juan Castro
Paul Bako
Andy Green
The skinny: I?m confident on the first four. Green, Jolbert Cabrera, Jerry Gil, Drew Anderson, Jerry Hairston and Andy Phillips all have made strong cases for the 25th man spot.

Starting rotation
Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Johnny Cueto
Edinson Volquez
Josh Fogg
The skinny: Homer Bailey and Matt Belisle have options. They?ll be a phone call way should Cueto, Volquez or Fogg falter.

The bullpen
Francisco Cordero
David Weathers
Jared Burton
Mike Stanton
Bill Bray
Todd Coffey
Jeremy Affeldt
The skinny: The Reds would like to keep Kent Mercker in the mix. He?d probably make the club if Stanton didn?t have a guaranteed contract. There?s also a chance Belisle could be shifted to relief.
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-OK, there is hope for the future but if/when Patterson, Freel, Hopper, Castro, Bako and Green make up 7 of your 13 position players you do not have a very good team.

-2 of the 5 SP's are rookies

-3 of the 7 relievers absolutely suck

Thats 10 guys on this projected 25 that probably wouldn't make a good team. Other than a couple of good dumpster dives and someone elses drafted talent beginning to emerge I don't see where special K has improved the franchise a whole hell of a lot. When he got here we had about half the 25 man roster comprised of guys who weren't really MLB quality players and we still do.
 
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Reds send reliever Brad Salmon to Royals for player to be named or cash - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

CINCINNATI (AP)?The Cincinnati Reds traded relief pitcher Brad Salmon to the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named or cash on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Salmon made his major league debut in 2007. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 26 games for the Reds, striking out 22 batters in 24 major league innings, allowing 22 hits and walking 10. He was called up from Triple-A Louisville four times during the season.
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I must have missed something with Salmon. He looked good to me. I don't know why the organization didn't have much use for him.

Bruce was sent down today. No surprise there.
 
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That freakin Stanton situation makes me sicker every damn day. I think Coffey could right his ship if he gets his mental problems taken care of and stay in better health, so I haven't completely given up on him yet but 40 some year olds taking roster spots is unacceptable when they're not able to compete.

I have no earthly idea why Joey Votto wouldnt be on the 25 man roster. The guy proved last year he could play, why not at least get him some at bats in a platoon situation or pinch hitting? Dont give me that crap about a guy playing in AAA to get more playing time, its not the same thing as bein in the bigs at all. The only way to get experience is to get experience and over and over again we see the organization fail these guys. Maybe if Cueto and Volquez and the call ups produce right off the bat they'll take the reigns off some of our talented guys. I can only hope.
 
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Bestbuck36;1120697; said:
That freakin Stanton situation makes me sicker every damn day. I think Coffey could right his ship if he gets his mental problems taken care of and stay in better health, so I haven't completely given up on him yet but 40 some year olds taking roster spots is unacceptable when they're not able to compete.

I have no earthly idea why Joey Votto wouldnt be on the 25 man roster. The guy proved last year he could play, why not at least get him some at bats in a platoon situation or pinch hitting? Dont give me that crap about a guy playing in AAA to get more playing time, its not the same thing as bein in the bigs at all. The only way to get experience is to get experience and over and over again we see the organization fail these guys. Maybe if Cueto and Volquez and the call ups produce right off the bat they'll take the reigns off some of our talented guys. I can only hope.
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I've given up on Coffey. He has the stuff, but his head is firmly wedged up his ass. I'd rather he work out his issues with another team.

Votto shouldn't come north with the big club if he isn't ready to hit. He has struggled all during spring training, while Hatteberg has hit. You know what you're gonna get out of Hatteberg. You also know what you're gonna get out of Votto, but with him supposedly being a slow starter, who knows when you're actually gonna get it? He should work out those issues and show he's warmed up and ready down in Louisville. The Reds have enough automatic outs in the lineup already. There's no sense in having Votto in the lineup being another one for a month or however long it takes him to get it going. I just wish the Reds were just as concerned about the other struggling and/or useless bats in their employ. In the meantime, you get a chance to showcase Hatteberg for a potential trade.

For all the talk about how good Bruce and Votto can be, and how insufficient Hatteberg, Patterson, Freel, Hopper, etc. are - when it comes down to it, neither Bruce nor Votto did what needed to be done to unseat these guys and earn the job out of camp.
 
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I understand the need to showcase Hatteberg but by now the other clubs should know exactly what they are going to get from him. I just cant see some of the other garbage on our bench when the young guys could be learning the trial by fire way in the bigs. By having Votto or Bruce out of the lineup doesnt make this team a contender so whats the difference really? Might as well let them see Major league pitching vs the minor league stuff on a daily basis.

We're going to suck most likely. I'd just rather suck with the future of our club on the field vs the geriatric POS's we're going to put out there in their stead. I get where you're coming from though Jib. We've already tried that route before though, why not try something innovative such as I don't know, winning?!
 
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Josh Hamilton

With awe-inspiring batting practice blasts, Josh Hamilton has been turning heads at the Texas Rangers' complex all spring. Balls ricocheting off the clubhouse building beyond the left-center field fence, scorching liners into the outfield gaps. The scene is repeated again and again, not only in a single BP session. "He's something that I've never seen before as far as tools-wise and what he's able to do," teammate Ian Kinsler said. The center fielder had hits in 12 of his 14 spring training games and was hitting .556 (20-of-36) before Wednesday, the Rangers' only scheduled day off this spring. He had nine extra-base hits (five doubles, two triples, two home runs) and a major league-best 13 RBI. "Dunks, bullets, pounders," manager Ron Washington said. "Just wait until he breaks out his bunt." There was a stretch last week when Hamilton reached base in 13 straight at-bats, with 10 hits and three walks
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.....sigh.....:so:

The only thing keeping me from jumping off the bridge is that Volquez appears to be the real deal, nigh unhittable this spring. Couldn't we have traded someone else to Texas for him though!? Bummer.
 
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Dispatch

WORD FROM REDS CAMP

Friday, March 21, 2008 3:02 AM


HOME FIELD: ED SMITH STADIUM, SARASOTA, FLA. WEB SITE: WWW.REDS.COM


Yesterday's game: Lost 4-0 to the Twins. Homer Bailey gave up three hits, two walks and a run in four innings, lowering his ERA to 6.75. It was much better than his last outing, when he gave up six runs and seven hits in only 3 1/3 innings against Boston.

Continued.....
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