Reds Tidbits (2009 season)

[Fungo Squiggly]

Mitch/ray/cock hole, whatever he goes by. That fat no talent bastard ruined Kearns.

Glad to hear it seems to be the best base running team in ages (I haven't been watching and they have been winning so I am not going to break the mojo), of course that isn't saying much but we'll take what we can get.

The non Tavaras base stealing numbers are still dreadfull.

Definitely aren't stealing a lot of bases....but they aren't repeatedly running themselves out of innings, either, which is definitely an improvement.

 

[Dryden]

(I haven't been watching and they have been winning so I am not going to break the mojo)

You wouldn't believe it, they've got like, 25 real MLB caliber baseball players and everything now. You wouldn't even recognize them.

Since the Gomes callup moved Zippy Chippy off the 25-man roster, I would assume that makes Janish the odd-man out when EE comes off the DL.

I would like to point out that it is May 28, and the Reds have a winning record against every other team in the NL Central. I Hope I can say that again in two weeks! :)

 

[Honor&Glory]

Wow, you write your own stuff or did you need help with that?



.

it practically wrote itself.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Definitely aren't stealing a lot of bases....but they aren't repeatedly running themselves out of innings, either, which is definitely an improvement.

15 for 25 for the team outside of WT (the other day when I looked) is below the 70% success rate you need for it to not have a negative effect on run production. In a sense they are running themselves into outs they don't need to and can't afford to do.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

15 for 25 for the team outside of WT (the other day when I looked) is below the 70% success rate you need for it to not have a negative effect on run production. In a sense they are running themselves into outs they don't need to and can't afford to do.

I'll concede that, outside of Tavares, they aren't a good base-stealing team.

Last year, the team was 85-132 (64.4% - 47 outs given away in 162 games - 1 CS per 3.4 games), this year 28-40 (70.0% - 12 outs given away in 46 games - 1 CS per 3.8 games). Excluding WT, it's 16-26 (61.5% - 10 outs given away in 46 games - 1 CS per 4.6 games).

I still think they are a much better base-running team. Far fewer mental errors on the basepaths and much better about taking an available extra base.

 

[Mike80]

Have you seen Hollidays #'s of late? .261 6 HRS and 20 somthin RBI's. It would obviously take more than Bailey, but not too much more for a rent a player.

Have you seen Bailey's?

to even think of him as any possible part of a trade, RIGHT NOW, to the A's for Matt Holiday is a joke. Take the homer glasses off already.

The Reds need a RH bat, ok, fine but it's not going to happen for a while. Let some teams with dreams falter a bit (I'm looking directly at the Royals here) before dreaming about a big trade.

I'm absolutely not convinced the Reds should be buyers right now anyway.

 

[Jaxbuck]

.

I'm absolutely not convinced the Reds should be buyers right now anyway.

When I picture what this FO thinks of as a good player and I get Tavaras smiling back at me I don't know that I want them to be buyers either.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I buy maybe not for this season but for the furture...Get someone that can help the next 2-3 years...Whether that be mid season this year or next year...

With the young talent we have on the pitching staff and young hitters, and hopefully Alsonso, Stubbs, Frazier, Bailey are guys that could be put in a trade or be ready either next year beginning of season or late next season...

 

[Dryden]

When I picture what this FO thinks of as a good player and I get Tavaras smiling back at me I don't know that I want them to be buyers either.

You're being awfully hard on Taveras. His speed puts a lot of pressure on catchers, and given the fact that virtually every single catcher not named "Pudge" or Yadier in the NL is pretty awful, defensively speaking, I'm reasonably certain Taveras has to be leading the majors in XBH on balls that didn't even leave the batters box.

Just two days ago he hit a ball four feet and wound up on third.

Honestly though, all the club did was swap out the Freels and Pattersons and Hoppers with Taveras, which is a push at the plate and on the basepaths, but an upgrade defensively. Through 46 games this year the RS/RA is 213/199. Last year it was 202/226 (through 46 games on May 20). The season is a quarter over already. It's time to acknowledge that the offense is better and the defense, particularly the OF, specifically the corner OF, is waaay better. Replacing Josh Fogg with Micah Owings is an upgrade, but not a 27 RA upgrade. This is, after all, virtually the same pitching staff as last year.

 

[Dryden]

Another big road trip for Reds | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com

Johnny Cueto, Aaron Harang and Micah Owings will start the three games in Milwaukee. Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto and Harang will start the four games in St. Louis.

Somebody noted in the comments on that article, for the past eight years you'd look at the pitching matchups and wonder if the Reds could win one game in a series, now you look at them and wonder if they can pull off a sweep.

 

[Jaxbuck]

You're being awfully hard on Taveras. His speed puts a lot of pressure on catchers, and given the fact that virtually every single catcher not named "Pudge" or Yadier in the NL is pretty awful, defensively speaking, I'm reasonably certain Taveras has to be leading the majors in XBH on balls that didn't even leave the batters box.

Just two days ago he hit a ball four feet and wound up on third.

Honestly though, all the club did was swap out the Freels and Pattersons and Hoppers with Taveras, which is a push at the plate and on the basepaths, but an upgrade defensively. Through 46 games this year the RS/RA is 213/199. Last year it was 202/226 (through 46 games on May 20). The season is a quarter over already. It's time to acknowledge that the offense is better and the defense, particularly the OF, specifically the corner OF, is waaay better. Replacing Josh Fogg with Micah Owings is an upgrade, but not a 27 RA upgrade. This is, after all, virtually the same pitching staff as last year.

I don't dislike him personally so much as what he represents. Smart teams don't pay extra for something they already have in house. The Reds can't be anything but smart if they are going to be legit contenders going forward.

I know his speed is elite but he is OBP challenged because his OBP is BA driven. He doesn't have any skill set to fall back on to get on base if he isn't hitting .300. Don't forget the Rockies (who aren't exactly the '27 Yankees) just flat cut the guy so they didn't have to risk going to arbitration with him. They decided to not pay him and pay their own unproven young CFer league minimum for what will probably be the same type of production.

Unless Tavaras has a year that he has no history of showing himself capable of, he'll finish with a BA near .250 and an OBP just north of .300. NL average for a CF'er was right at .350 OBP last year. The Reds wen't out and spent extra, gave a 2 year contract and named him the starter from day 1, for a player that will have to have a career year to be NL average and odds say will do worse than NL average.

Thats why I get so pissed about him, he represents stupidity and one of my (many) charachter flaws is I don't deal well with stupidity. I get pissed off when I see it, call it out and keep pounding on it. I have no social grace whatsoever when I come in contact with stupidity and the Reds and their media have been like a stupid factory working 3 shifts full out for the better part of 15 years now.

 

[Dryden]

I know his speed is elite but he is OBP challenged because his OBP is BA driven. He doesn't have any skill set to fall back on to get on base if he isn't hitting .300. Don't forget the Rockies (who aren't exactly the '27 Yankees) just flat cut the guy so they didn't have to risk going to arbitration with him. They decided to not pay him and pay their own unproven young CFer league minimum for what will probably be the same type of production.

Astros? World Series to worst team in the NL Central in four years.
Rockies? World Series to worst team not assembled by Jim Bowden in only two years.

If the Reds cut Taveras now, they'll lose 100 games next year.

It's the curse of Willy T.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Astros? World Series to worst team in the NL Central in four years.
Rockies? World Series to worst team not assembled by Jim Bowden in only two years.

If the Reds cut Taveras now, they'll lose 100 games next year.

It's the curse of Willy T.

Good point. Forget everything I said, he's pure gold. Walt's a genius.

 

[Thump]

Dusty's not bunting Chris Dickerson in the 8th with two men on and no outs was a BIG mistake.

 

[jlb1705]

Dusty's not bunting Chris Dickerson in the 8th with two men on and no outs was a BIG mistake.

Yes. On the radio they pointed out that sacrificing isn't part of his game. In that case, I think you use somebody like Arroyo as your PH since your're reasonably sure he can get the bunt down. Then, even if it shakes out in a way that Arroyo gets on base, you can use Dickerson as a pinch runner.