3.14.10 BY: MEH FRANCISCO BLASTS TWO
AGAINST CUBS
REDS' PROSPECT JUAN FRANCISCO DRIVES IN THREE RUNS, WITH TWO HOME
RUNS, IN LOSS AGAINST CUBS
(Photo:
Carl Kline)
The Cincinnati Reds
lost Saturday to the Chicago Cubs 11-4 in Mesa. Micah Owings, John Adkins,
and Pedro Viola all struggled against Lou Piniella's ball club allowing ten
of the Cub's eleven runs. John Adkins got hit the hardest, allowing five
earned runs on seven hits over just one inning of work. On the other hand,
Homer Bailey quietly showed his new found maturity again on the mound.
Bailey pitched three innings allowing one run
on three hits. Bailey pitched in front of 11,825 on Saturday. His last two
starts were attended by no one.Bailey on
this spring:
"I’m
under the radar. Chapman is going through a lot and throwing really well.
That’s good to see. I don’t know what the plans are for that fifth spot in
the rotation and it’s none of my business."
It's hard to deny the fact that Homer Bailey may be growing up. Bailey is no
longer the "top prospect" bleeding arrogance and inexperience. He is the No.
4 pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds' rotation and one of the many keys to the
Reds' success this season. Paul Daugherty
wrote about Bailey's conversion to maturity:
We’ve been taking Bailey’s emotional temperature for three springs at least,
ever since it became possible he’d be pitching in Cincinnati at some point
in the summertime. We looked for signs of mental growth, because the
physical gifts were so obvious.
One spring, Homer was “defensive’’ or “surly.’’ The next, he was
“approachable’’ perhaps, or “less guarded.’’
Homer was an arrogant know-it-all one year, so we believed. He was “coachable’’
the next. This is his fifth season in major-league camp and still we’re
passing judgment on Homer’s head.
“Comfortable,’’ we’ve decided. “Humbled.’’
How any of that impacts how he pitches, is anyone’s guess. He went 6-1 in
his last nine starts last year. His reaction to that burst of success is
telling.
“So what?’’ Bailey says.
An
uninjured Scott Rolen was scratched from Saturday's lineup for
Juan Francisco. Batting cleanup, Francisco confirmed his
"Heavy Artillery" tag for a day. He blasted two home runs, one in the
second inning and again in the fourth. Francisco was named MVP of the
Dominican Winter League hitting .302 with 11 HR and 42 RBI.
Also, I couldn't help but notice #90 in this picture from
Jaime Ramsey's blog.
RHP Forest Cannon was drafted by the Reds during the 34th round of the 2009
MLB June Amateur Draft. Cannon didn't impress much in Billings last year (7
games, 10.1 innings, 4.35 ERA), but it sure is hard to hate on a guy with
such a explosive last name.
At approximately 1:30 in the
above video, Jeff Brantley starts a wonderful rant while talking to Thom
Brennaman. Brantley was asked "What is so great about ribs? You talk about
them all the time!" by an anonymous Reds fan during a rain delay on FSN.
Seven minutes of hilarity ensue.
Aroldis Chapman made his
second appearance this spring on Friday. Chapman threw 35 pitches over two
scoreless innings allowing two infield hits. Struggling with his control at
times, Chapman once again hit 100mph on the radar gun and seemed confident
on the mound.
Everyone seems to want Chapman in the Opening Day rotation, but four innings
of work during spring training isn't Major League Baseball. A great fastball
from the left side of the mound can be deadly, but rushing a 22 year old you
just spent $30 million on is NOT a intelligent move. Just because Chapman
seems to be dominate in his very short time with the Reds at camp, it
doesn't make anyone smarter than the people who work for great baseball
organizations like the Cincinnati Reds. We shall trust the people Bob
Castellini pays to make the decisions who have track records proving their
knowledge and understanding of the game and it's development. No matter how
bad we want to see Aroldis Chapman pitch at Great American Ballpark we must
be patient. If Chapman does make the rotation on Opening Day, and pitches on
April 10th against Chicago, it will be a decision made only by Walt Jocketty
and Dusty Baker. The importance of trusting them is great. If they decide to
place Chapman in the minors to further develop, we will wait. Patience is a
virtue.
The Reds beat the Dodgers on Friday by a final score of 3-2. Bronson Arroyo
started the game pitching three scoreless innings. Jonny Gomes hit a two-run
home run in the fourth and Chris Heisey hit a solo home run in the sixth.
3.11.10 BY: MEH THE CAPTAIN IS BACK
FORMER SHORTSTOP BARRY
LARKIN IS BACK IN A REDS' UNIFORM
(ap
photo)
Former Reds' shortstop
Barry Larkin was in camp Thursday wearing a Reds' uniform for the first
time since he retired in 2004. Larkin was inducted into the Reds' Hall of
Fame in 2008 and is currently on the ballot for MLB's. Joining former 1990
World Champion teammates Eric Davis and Billy Hatcher in Reds' Spring
Training camp this year, Larkin will be a roving instructor with the club
for the next ten days. Former teammate Sean "The Mayor" Casey will also be
visiting the Reds' camp sometime this spring. Larkin had this to say about
having a number 11 uniform waiting for him in the Reds' locker room:
"I have so many Reds uniforms at home. I was looking at them
before I came out here. I remember when I retired, I had a Nationals uniform
with No. 11 – before Ryan Zimmerman was 11 – I couldn’t put it on. It will
be very comfortable putting the Reds uniform on."
"They asked me to come back. It’s great. I’ve often thought about it. It’s
time and it’s good. I’ll do whatever they want me to. I know that they have
young shortstops in the organization. I think that’s one of the reasons they
brought me back as well as Sean Casey. I think the last time this
organization won is when we were playing. You can have the different pieces,
but I think there’s an aura they’re trying to create. I commend them for
having all the guys back. I know when I was playing, having the veterans
come back gave me a sense of the history, the proud history."
Improving their spring record to an even 3-3 this spring, the
Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers at Goodyear Ballpark Thursday by a final
score of 3-1. Starter Johnny Cueto improved on
his last spring start
pitching three scoreless innings allowing only one run and striking out two.
Nick Masset, Daniel Ray Herrera, and Enerio Del Rosario all pitched
scoreless innings. Jared Burton allowed the only Brewers' run in his inning
of work. Joey Votto highlighted the offense notching his first hit of the
spring, a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning.
Alexander Smit, Jose Arrendondo, Chris Denove, Brandon Yarbrough, and Danny
Dorn were all cut Thurday. All five players will all be re-assigned to minor
league camp.
3.10.10 BY: MEH MIKE LEAKE IS GODZILLA
REDS' NO.1 PICK MIKE
LEAKE IS A FAMILIAR NAME IN ARIZONA Michael Raymond
Leake was selected by the Oakland Athletics during the seventh round of the
2006 MLB draft. Opting to go to college at Arizona State University, the
5'10" right-hander was nothing short of brilliant. In three years he posted
a 40-6 record with a 2.91 ERA. Leake led the Sun Devils to three straight
PAC-10 titles and won 10+ games in all three of his seasons at ASU (He was
one of only two Sun Devils to ever do so). His Junior year in 2009 was by
far the best of Leake's career and possibly one of the greatest in Sun Devil
history. Going 16-1 (leading the nation) with a 1.71 ERA (leading the
PAC-10), Leake won the PAC-10 Pitcher of the Year Award for the second
straight year (the only player to ever win the award in back-to-back
seasons) and was named the 2009 National Player of the Year by the ABCA.
Leake also proved in college that he's no automatic-out at the plate. He
batted .299 during his time at ASU in almost 100 at bats. His best year at
the dish was 2008 when he batted .340 in 47 at bats hitting 2 home runs and
driving in 11. Mike Leake is no stranger to success. During high school in
San Diego, Leake led the Fallbrook Warriors to three league titles in four
years. It seems that winning may be in his blood.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Mike Leake during the first round (eighth
overall) of the 2009 MLB draft. After pitching in the '09 Arizona Fall
League (Leake
talks about the AFL here) he is currently training with the Reds in
Goodyear, Arizona, once again in the state where he culminated his
baseball career. When Reds' beat writer John Fay mentioned Leake's status in
Arizona prior to Wednesday's game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, he grinned and
said, "I'm Godzilla". Dusty Baker had this to say about Mr. Leake:
“He has that quiet confidence. He has a great idea about how to pitch at
such a young age (22). He has great command of the strike zone. I remember
talking to Bob Welch (former Dodgers, A’s pitcher) who saw him at ASU and he
told me, ‘You’re going to like this young man. He keeps that cheese around
the knees.’ What I’ve noticed about him is that unlike most young guys he
recognized very quickly how a hitter reacts to a certain pitch. He doesn’t
throw a fastball past a hitter then come in with a breaking pitch to let a
hitter catch up. Nor does he throw a breaking pitch that a hitter is way out
in front of then come back with a fastball that enables the hitter to
adjust.”
So far this spring, "keeping that cheese around the knees", Leake has
continued to pitch according to his resumé. In two games so far he has pitched three
scoreless innings allowing only one hit while striking out two.
Joining a brigade instilled with some of the most talented young pitchers in
baseball, Leake and his pitching colleagues are doing what they can to
reinvent the Cincinnati Reds.
With the help of
Mike "Godzilla" Leake, the Reds beat the Angels on Wednesday shutting them
out 6-0. Mike Lincoln rebounded after his terrible
first spring outing. Imitating
teammate Homer Bailey, Lincoln hurled two perfect innings striking out a
pair to start the game for the Reds. Fifth spot candidates Mike Leake and
Travis Wood both pitched two scoreless innings allowing only one hit each.
Veterans Kip Wells and Arthur Rhodes also got some work in on Wednesday.
Both continued the youngsters' trend by pitching scoreless innings (Rhodes
1ip, 1h and Wells 2ip, 0h, 3bb, 2so).
Todd Frazier had no lingering effects after being
hit by an Aroldis Chapman
fastball in Friday's Spring Opener. Frazier led the Reds' offense
driving in two runs, after Laynce Nix and Corky Miller both hit RBI singles,
capping a five run eighth inning.
3.9.10 BY: MEH HOMER PERFECT/CHAPMAN DEBUTS
CHAPMAN AND BAILEY LOOK MORE LIKE OPENING DAY STARTERS THAN SCHEDULED
STARTER AARON HARANG
(Photo: Brian
Baker) With only puddles remaining in Arizona after
heavy rain caused Sunday's game to be cancelled, Homer Bailey started
Monday's "B" game for the Reds. Facing the Brewers, Bailey pitched two
perfect innings while striking out two. Carlos Fisher followed Bailey pitching two scoreless
innings (1BB, 1SO). The Reds went on to defeat the Brewers by a score of
4-2. The intriguing Enerio Del Rosario closed the game working a perfect
ninth. Del Rosasrio has been a major surprise during camp so far. After
Sarasota pitching coach Tom Brown got Del Rosario to pitch sidearmed, his
pitches began to move (In 50 relief appearances last year in the minors he
was 3-1 with 12 saves and a 1.68ERA). With a nasty sinker, expect to see Del
Rosario for some relief help sometime this season.
Bronson Arroyo started the Reds' "A" on Monday. Working two innings, Arroyo
threw 26 pitches and retired all six batters in order striking out one.
Arroyo on his start:
"I felt good. I had command of everything pretty much, which
was surprising. The first time out, you usually feel pretty
uncomfortable. I threw everything - the changeup, a back-door breaking ball,
sinker and everything was pretty good."
Nobody was there to see Arroyo though. Monday
was Aroldis Chapman's spring debut and he delighted all hitting 100mph on
the radar gun. 2,017 showed up to watch Chapman's spring debut as the Reds
beat the Kansas City Royals 15-4. Chapman pitched two innings allowing only
one hit and striking out three. To some Chapman seems to earning his $30.25
million already. His final pitch was a slider that struck out Rick Ankiel.
He had this to say:
"The one strike, he threw a little different one, it was smaller, I don't
know if he tried to do that. With two (strikes) it was a
little bigger."
Despite the presence of Aroldis Chapman thickening the air, the Red's
offense was ample. The Reds scored 15 runs thanks to home runs by Drew
Stubbs, Jonny Gomes, and Danny Dorn. Scott Rolen and Jay Bruce also had
solid days each going 2-3 and scoring a run. Needless to say, Monday was a
good day for the Redlegs.
On Tuesday, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was a different story.
Opening Day starter Aaron Harang was scheduled to pitch 3 innings, but after
allowing three earned runs and four hits during 1 1/3, he reached his pitch
count of 50 and was pulled. Matt Maloney also struggled on Tuesday after a
very good first outing. Maloney pitched just 2/3 of an inning allowing four
earned runs and four hits. Francisco Cordero pitched one perfect inning,
while Jay Bruce tried to salvage the Reds' day going 2-3 with a home run.
The Reds lost the game by a final score of 10-4.
Next up is Mike Lincoln for the Reds Wednesday at 3:05et. This may be the
fifth-spot candidate's last chance to prove himself. Here is a list of
the starters for the next week.
Wed at LAA: RHP Mike Lincoln vs LHP Trevor Reckling
3:05et
Thu vs Mil: RHP Johnny Cueto vs LHP Chris Narveson 3:05et
Fri at LAD: RHP Bronson Arroyo vs LHP Clayton Kershaw 3:05et
Sat at Cubs: RHP Homer Bailey vs TBA 700 wlw, 3:05et
Sun vs WSox: LHP Matt Maloney vs TBA 700 wlw, 3:05et
Mon vs Oak: RHP Mike Lincoln vs TBA 3:05e
3.8.10 BY: MEH
Twenty years ago
the Cincinnati Reds won their fifth World Series beating Tony La Russa's
Oakland Athletics in a four game sweep. WhackReds.com is celebrating the
20th anniversary of the Reds' last World Championship, and the beginning of
the 2010 season, by dissecting each aspect of the respective teams. This is
part 1/12 of the WhackReds.com 2010 Season Preview. 1B: JOEY VOTTO/HAL MORRIS
2010 CINCINNAT REDS:
SEASON PREVIEW First base this season is owned by Joey
Votto, but before the 1990 season began the Reds had two players fighting
for the position. Hal Morris and Todd Benzinger went into Spring Training
1990, both having the same intentions to start the season at first base.
Benzinger got the nod, but during the regular season they split the time at
first virtually in half (Benzinger started 82 games at first and 8 in the
outfield while Morris started 80 games at first and 6 in the outfield). Both
Benzinger and Morris helped propel Cincinnati to the post-season in 1990,
but due to Morris' longevity with the Reds, career accomplishments, and flat
out awesome haircut, we're marking him down as the the 1990 Reds first
baseman.
3.7.10 BY: MEH A CASE OF THE MONDAYS
AROLDIS CHAPMAN TO PITCH AGAINST THE ROYALS ON MONDAY (Photo:
Bull/AP)
The Aroldis Chapman era
in Cincinnati will officially begin when he pitches in Monday's game against
the Kansas City Royals. His arrival to the Reds was shocking to not only
Reds fans, but to the entire league. The small market Cincinnati ball club
managed to sign Chapman, out-bidding all other suitors, with a $30.25
million dollar contract. The move not only expresses owner Bob Castellini
and GM Walt Jocketty's plans for the future, but it shows the demand for
winning now. With some of the most intriguing and talented young prospects
in the league residing in the Reds' up-and-coming rotation, the Reds should
be anticipated contenders this year and for many more to come.
3.6.10 BY: MEH TAKING CUETO STEPS
JOHNNY CUETO DOESN'T IMPRESS IN HIS SPRING DEBUT
(Photo:
Mark Duncan/AP) Johnny Cueto pitched
two innings and allowed all four of the Cleveland Indians' runs during
Saturday's game is Goodyear Ballpark. The first two runs were scored in the
first inning after first baseman Joey Votto was charged with a throwing
error. Cueto was not responsible for those runs, but in the second inning
Andy Marte blasted Cueto's first pitch out of the ballpark with former Red
Austin Kearns on first base. The Reds answered in the sixth when Miguel
Cairo hit a two-run shot of his own. Neither team produced any more offense
after that and the Reds ended up losing 4-2. Dusty Baker had this to say
about Johnny Cueto's progression:
"He
threw the ball good. After we made the error, that opened the gates. He was
working on his change and his cutter. He made some quality pitches, but he
got some balls in the heart of the plate."
"I hope he keeps taking steps. I can't judge how big the
steps are. There are a lot of guys around the league that got here early.
Everybody is not Tim Lincecum. Look at guys like Matt Cain in San Francisco.
They're still learning, but they're only 23 years old and have two years in
the big leagues already. We're helping to get this finished product. We all
want this finished product. Sometimes you have to let the product finish.
It's like that story about the little kid that plants a seed
and the plants started growing and he pulled on it to help it grow and
killed it. Sometimes you've got to let it grow - just water it sometimes."
After Cueto left the game, the Reds' pitching staff allowed
only two hits in the following six innings. Kip Wells and Francisco Cordero
both allowed one hit while veteran Arthur Rhodes, AA phenom Travis Wood, and
first-round pick Mike Leake all looked impressive throwing hitless ball.
Dusty Baker on Travis Wood's two innings of work:
"He knows what he's doing. He'll cut the ball
in on you. He'll run it away from you. He has a pretty good changeup."
3.6.10 BY: MEH LINCOLN
NOT A "HOT ROD" CHANCES FOR MIKE LINCOLN TO
MAKE THE REDS' STARTING ROTATION DWINDLE (Photo:Reuters) Mike Lincoln didn't
impress anyone as he allowed seven hits and four earned runs in only 1 1/3
innings in yesterday's Spring opener against the Cleveland Indians. The
story on the Reds' offense is extremely similar. The Reds collected five
hits (only two by starters) and scored only 2 runs. Both runs were scored in
the bottom of the eighth inning after the Indians had already taken a 9-0
lead. Miguel Cairo drove in the first run scoring Ryan Hanigan with a
double, and Paul Janish drove Cairo in with a sacrifice fly. Rotation
spot-seeking pitcher Justin Lehr also looked dismal allowing two runs and
five hits in two innings of work. The Reds ended up losing 9-2. The Reds and
Indians will go at it again today at 1:10pm. Johnny Cueto will start the
game with right hander Mike Leake also planned to get some action.
Maybe some of our pitchers can benefit from this video on baseball physics.
3.5.10 BY: MEH FRAZIER OKAY, SO IS CHAPMAN
TODD FRAZIER OKAY AFTER TAKING AN AROLDIS CHAPMAN FASTBALL TO KNEE
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
During Thursday's intrasquad game while Aroldis Chapman was on the mound
during the second inning, and Todd Frazier was at the plate, a 95mph
fastball drilled Frazier in his knee.
“I’m hoping it’ll be OK,” said Frazier. “We’ll see how it is tomorrow. Got
me a nice bone bruise. It’s the same knee I had surgery on and it was just
getting back to full recovery.”
Frazier's knee should be okay. He will not receive x-rays and will be looked
at more carefully when the swelling goes down. Chapman and Bailey were both
hitting 97mph on the radar gun yesterday. Pitching coach Bryan Price had
this to say:
“At the beginning of spring training, you could tell the guys
came in in shape — in good throwing shape and good cardiovascular shape.
That was evident. They were crisp. They threw a lot of strikes. Guys were
down in the zone. They had a pretty good feel for their off-speed stuff. I
was pleased over. (Chapman) was impressive. You guys all saw it. He had a
terrific fastball. He threw a real nice change-up to his last hitter for his
final out. The slider is progressing nicely. With Frazier that didn’t too
good, a fastball off the back knee. But he was around the plate with three
pitches. He looks live and is athletic around the mound. I wasn’t
disappointed in any way.”
3.4.10 WELCOME TO GOODYEAR
THE GRAND OPENING OF A BRAND NEW BALLPARK IN ARIZONA
(Photo:
C.Trent Rosecrans) Joe Morgan will be
watching the Reds' intrasquad game today. He is visiting camp observing
players and wearing a BP jersey with a classic number 8 on it. Aroldis
Chapman will pitch. Dusty Baker said this:
3.4.10
PLACE YOUR BETS
2010 CINCINNATI REDS
SCHEDULE It's time to over
analyze and let the preseason optimism sink in. The Reds will play Spring
Training game one tomorrow against their facility-sharing rivals. The Reds
will be the home team placing Mike Lincoln on the mound against the
Cleveland Indians. Tune in at 3:05pm ET on either FSO or MLB Network for all
the play-by-play action. The game will also be on 700wlw. Go Redlegs!
3.4.10 BY: MEH HARANG TO START ON OPENING DAY
REDS' FOUR-TIME ACE GETS THE NOD
ON OPENING DAY ONCE AGAIN
(Photo: Mark Lyons/Getty Images) For the fifth
consecutive year, right-hander Aaron Harang will open the season for the
Cincinnati Reds. After two considerably bad years (6-17 in '08 and 6-14 in
'09), Harang will attempt to reestablish himself as the Reds' ace in 2010.
His previous two 6 win seasons followed two 16 win seasons ('06-'07) and two
10+ win seasons ('04-'05). During his first year with the Reds in '03 he
posted a 4-3 record after being acquired in a trade with the Oakland
Athletics for Jose Guillen.
Harang's struggles the past two seasons jeopardized this year's Opening Day
nod. Many believed that Bronson Arroyo, according to his numbers (15-11 in
'08 and 15-13 in '09), would get the ball on Opening Day. While Harang's
record went significantly down during those two years, Bronson's seemed to
stay consistent to his two 14 win seasons in '05 and '06. Here is what
Arroyo had to say about pitching on opening day.
"I’d rather enjoy that day and soak in all the festivities,” Arroyo said,
“then pitch the next day or the day after that. It’s not a big deal for me
to pitch in the 1 hole. I pitched in the 5 hole in Boston. I ended up
throwing against five No. 1s in one season. Once you get a rainout, one off
day, somebody’s a little sore and they get bumped back a day, matchups don’t
matter — until you get to the playoffs."
"I’ve always said no matter what his record is the last couple of years,
Aaron is better equipped in that role anyway. His stuff never changes. On
the days he doesn’t succeed, he’s still 90, 92 with his slider. He doesn’t
vary a lot. For me, I feel like when my days are bad, they’re really, really
bad. My stuff isn’t as consistent.”
It's definitely hard to argue with that. Although Arroyo didn't turn down
the start, he made his opinion about Opening Day and teammate Aaron Harang
extremely clear.
Let's take a look at Aaron Harang's previous Opening Day starts:
April 3rd, 2006 vs. Chicago/ Reds lose 7-16/ 5ip 9h 6er 3so 1hr
April 2nd, 2007 vs. Chicago/ Reds win 5-1/ 7ip 6h 0er 5so
March 31st, 2008 vs. Arizona/ Reds lose 2-4/ 6ip 3h 2er 6so 2hr
April 6th, 2009 vs. New York/ Reds lose 1-2/ 5ip 7h 1er 2so 1hr
This year he will face the St. Louis Cardinals. His fifth consecutive
opening day start ties him for the club record with Pete Donohue (1923-27)
and Mario Soto (1982-1986). Soto holds the club record of six. Here's what
the humble Harang had to say about starting on Opening Day this year.
“Dusty let me know
yesterday. I’m excited about it. It is an honor to get to start Opening Day
in Cincinnati.”
“I went in and told Bake: I want the ball. If you’re giving it to anybody, I
want it. We talked about it. Everybody talks about matchups. After the first
week of the season matchups don’t mean anything. Rotations get changed up
all the time.”
After Harang the rotation will be Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey
and (fill in the blank).
In honor of the
20th anniversary of the 1990 World Champion Cincinnati Reds we bring you
"Wire To Wire". If you haven't seen it yet, it's a definite must for any
Reds fan.
"I look at it like this.... If we score 8 runs a game, we're gonna' win
alot of ballgames. If we start out and win our first 30-35 games in a row
we're gonna' be in first place." -Randy
Myers
3.3.10 BY: MEH WHO WILL BE IN LEFT? WHO WILL BE NO. 5?
THE REDS HAVE MANY QUESTIONS TO ANSWER DURING SPRING TRAINING 2010 With Spring
Training advancing to actual games this Friday against Cleveland, the
discussion of who will make the opening day roster will start to become more
and more intriguing until the St. Louis Cardinals come to town on April 5th.
All of the infield positions are already locked up and so are the bullpen's.
Right field is Jay Bruce's and center appears to be Drew Stubbs' to lose.
That leaves left field as the only vacant position. Jonny Gomes is likely to
get the majority of starts in left (thanks to his major league contract),
but will there be a platoon including the likes of Laynce Nix, Chris
Dickerson, Wladimir Balentien, and Chris Heisey or can Gomes emerge to
finally become an everyday player in the bigs? Gomes could potentially put
up some huge numbers if he could produce like he did last year (281 AB, .267
AVG, 51 RBI, 20 HR) for an entire season. Obviously only time will tell.
MARC HULET ON CHRIS
HEISEY
The Reds club recently re-signed Gomes to a big-league deal so he's the
favorite for playing time in left field. However, there is a rather
unimpressive backlog of outfielders, includingChris
Dickerson,Wladimir
BalentienandLaynce
Nix,
vying for playing time at the position. Heisey could end up being the best
of the bunch, although his long-term outlook is probably fourth outfielder
due to his average power for the outfield corner.
The only other vacant position would be the fifth-spot in the rotation. With
Edinson Volquez out until at least the All-Star break, Homer Bailey avoids
any competition for the role. He will be in the rotation on Opening Day
along with Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Johnny Cueto. All four have
enjoyed major league success and it should continue with veterans Harang and
Arroyo playing for contracts, while Bailey and Cueto solidify their skills.
All of the candidates for the fifth-spot bring something to the table, but
these five definitely stand out.
LHP Aroldis Chapman (Top prospect from Cuba, 100mph+ fastball)
LHP Travis Wood (13-5 1.77 ERA between AA and AAA last year)
RHP Mike Leake (3 straight seasons in PAC-10 with 10+ wins)
LHP Matt Maloney (28/8 so/bb ratio last year with the Reds)
RHP Justin Lehr (13-3 3.31 ERA in AAA during 2009)
It could be hard though to judge their abilities at the Reds' new facility
in Good year, Arizona.
FROM C.TRENT:
I talked to Justin Lehr a bit about pitching in Arizona, he’s been in
several camps out here in his career.
He said you’ll see monster ERAs from guys during the spring and then they’ll
have nothing else. Last year Zack Greinke had a 9.64 ERA in the spring. Lehr
noted established guys will just work on their stuff and throwing to spots.
If you’re not fighting for a spot in the rotation, you’re working on things.
With the elevation and lack of humidity, the results aren’t as forgiving.
And then there’s the infield — Zack Cozart said if it’s not just a couple of
feet from your right or left, you’ve got no shot.
He played in the Arizona Fall League and pointed toward Logan Ondrusek who
pitched well in the season and got batted around in the AFL, not because he
wasn’t good, but just because that’s what happens out here.
It could be the making for a very interesting
battle between pitchers. Only one will make the rotation with the others
retreating to Louisville to create a damn solid rotation in it's own right
for manager Rick Sweet. They will all share a common goal though, and it's
not to wear purple this season.
3.2.10 DUSTY ON DEFENSE
REDS MANAGER DUSTY BAKER ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFENSE
DUSTY BAKER (1st
row, second from right)
On Votto: "He works at it, he really works at it. That was
the knock on him when I first got here. He works, he went out earlier and
worked with Jackson down in Florida because he saw Rolen and Cabrera and
Brandon out there. He didn't want to be left out of that excellent infield."
"Everyone talks about the Big Red Machine's hitting, the Reds
had Gold all over the field. The best teams I had had Gold on the field. I'm
big on defense. Biggest thing I'm most proud of, the awards I've won, is the
Gold Glove. That's work. Hitting's fun. Playing defense is work. It's
something you've got to take pride in. You go out to a Little League field,
everyone wants to hit, once they hit, they go home. They're ready to go in.
How many kids do you know who like to shag? They like to hit. I look at
Concepcion and Morgan and Geronimo and Bench and Pete -- most people don't
know he has a couple of Gold Gloves -- and Griffey. If nothing hits the
ground in the outfield and nothing gets through the infield, you're not
going to score runs, it makes your pitching better. You've got to catch the
ball."
"(In the outfield) You look up there, I've seen Anderson, he
looks good going to get that ball. Anderson, Bruce, Nix, Stubbs, Heisey,
Balentien, Gomes is working at it. I don't know much about Dorn. Jonny
works. All those guys, they've got some speed. (Nix) is very good to me. He
looks easy to how he gets to it and he's got something to throw with. What
we may lack in some areas, we're extremely good in other areas."
PROPS TO C.TRENT
3.1.10 BY: MEH YONDER ALONSO IS VERSATILE?
WHERE WILL THE YOUNG PROSPECT
LAND IN 2010?
(Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images) I would like to
start off by saying that I am just as excited as anyone else to see what
Yonder Alonso can do in the big leagues. But, did I ever think that he would
be doing it at any position other than first base? No way. Not to
discredit any first basemen out there, I just always assumed it was more of
an offensive position and the Reds knew that they were recruiting a bat.
With the emergence of players like Albert Pujols and potentially our own
Joey Votto, I humbly correct myself.
Could the former No. 7 draft pick reinvent himself and become a versatile
player defensively? Could he end up in the outfield, third base, or even
behind the plate? (Dusty Baker has mentioned that Alonso is built like a
catcher.) With the Reds' solid infielders and barrage of outfielders, Alonso
knows acknowledges the need for utility.
“I’ll do whatever I can to get on the field,” he said. “Give Joey a day off.
Give Scottie (Rolen) a day off. Play left a day.”
With an attitude like that he could very easily be on his way to the big
league club if/when the eventual injuries occur. His bat alone may land him
in a Reds uniform this season, but let's just hope that his optimism can
translate into a decent fielding percentage when the time comes. No matter
what happens, we can only hope that the Reds get the offense that they
bargained for. Anything else, in my opinion, would be sprinkles on a
doughnut.
Even if we don't see Alonso this season his arrival is still highly
anticipated. He is a cog that provides hope to Reds fans who believe this
organization is heading into new direction. A direction towards winning. And
his desire cannot be denied.
