Raising Reds

I wonder...

2006-08-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

if the Reds could get LaRue through waivers and trade him to the Red Sox for one of their young pitchers. I would take any of them. I think they are going to be pretty desperate seeing Varitek going on the DL for a month. What are your thoughts?

Trade deadline post

2006-07-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

First off, I feel like I need to apologize to everyone for not posting lately. I have not been feeling good and have spent a lot of time in bed lately. I have not been able to follow through on some of the things I have wanted to do but I am hopeful in doing those soon.

I am going to examine these trades seperately. I like the trade for Cormier. I do wish we wouldn't have given up Germano given our relative lack of pitching depth. I thought he could be our 5th starter down the stretch and now that looks like that could be Lohse. I wish we would've given up Burns, Michalak or Gosling cause it seems like none of these guys have a future in our organization, while Germano is still young and I believe held his own in his first major league start. Cormier is much older but has the best ERA in the NL at the moment. I think he is basically Mercker, which makes me wonder about Merckers health and what we do when he and Belisle and Claussen come off the DL. I guess we say goodbye to Shackelford and Standridge. Another guy out there is Balfour, but I'm not sure what is going on with him. I guess I need to check on that.

Now to the Lohse deal. I have liked him for some time now and think he is the definitive change of scenery guy. He has done much better since being demoted and being brought back up and pitching in the pen. I think he is going to be in our rotation or Belisle. It seems as though Belisle hasn't done well in the rotation if I remember correctly. It seems as though he has always done better out of the pen.

Well those are my thoughts. I like both of these trades. I do wish we could have kept both of the guys we gave up but it seems like this was a rough market to try to deal with. So far, with all of these moves that Krivsky has made, the only one that I really don't like is getting rid of Cody Ross. He would look really good as our 4th outfielder right now. Mays was a flyer as was Yan and they didn't cost us much. I do wish we would just release Mays. I would hate to think he has a future with us. I am very thankful that Krivsky didn't trade the farm for anyone. We still have all of our top prospects, (except Germano, who was a middle tier prospect anyway), including Votto who I thought was going to be gone after the Hatteberg resigning. I am glad to see Votto here and I hope he gets a September callup, although I'm not sure he will.

This is an exciting time to be a Reds fan. Under the previous regime, I'm not sure anything happens today. In Krivsky I trust. Go Reds!!!

Thompson debut

2006-07-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Daryl Thompson made his debut for the GCL Reds last night. He started the game going 3.2 innings, allowing 2 hits with 0 runs, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Not bad in his debut. I think in a few years he might be in our rotation and one of the bigger names in this trade. I think this trade may have been more to get Harris, Bray and this guy.

All ye naysayers

2006-07-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this list.

Antonio Alfonseca, Joe Borowski, Chad Bradford, Doug Brocail, Jim Brower,
Rheal Cormier, Vic Darensbourg, Octavio Dotel, Joey Eischen, Ala Embree,
Keith Foulke, Ryan Franklin, Aaron Fultz, Eric Gagne, Jeremi Gonzalez,
Jason Grimsley, Eddie Guardado, Chris Hammond, LaTroy Hawkins,
Dustin Hermanson, Roberto Hernandez, Mike Holtz, Kevin Jarvis, Steve Karsay,
Byung-Hyun Kim, Ray King, Steve Kline, Dan Kolb, Matt Mantei, Tom Martin,
Brian Meadows, Kent Mercker, Jose Mesa, Trever Miller, Guillermo Mota,
Terry Mulholland, Jeff Nelson, Darren Oliver, Troy Percival, Cliff Politte,
Mike Remlinger, Dennys Reyes, Arthur Rhodes, David Riske, Felix Rodriguez,
J.C. Romero, Julio Santana, Scott Sauerback, Scott Schoeneweis, Rudy Seanez,
Justin Speier, Russ Springer, Mike Stanton, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Timlin,
Ron Villone, Jamie Walker, David Weathers, Rick White, Bob Wickman,
Esteban Yan

This is next years free agent class for relief pitchers. Anay names on there same very interesting or likely for the Reds. Most of the are retreds or will be out of our price range. Guardado, Mercker and Weathers are on this list also. I am hoping Guardado gets resigned but I'm not to sure about the other 2. I think they have almost outlasted their usefulness. As far as the above list goes, I like Franklin as a long reliever but I think he will be priced off of our team. I have always like Mota and Romero. I think Romero could replace Mercker. Other than that I don't think there is much out there to pick from. I don't know what everyone wanted Krivsky to do. The only way we were going to improve our bullpen was by making a trade or bringing someone up. I think if we had been out of contention, Krivsky would have brought someone up and not made this trade. I think this trade, of course, was made for this year. I have always heard that the year you win picks you and I would have to agree with that.

Drew Stubbs review from BBTF

2006-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is what Baseball Think Factory thinks of our man Drew Stubbs. I love this site and go there often to get info.

Drew Stubbs #8
Crap swing. I reviewed his video more closely and discovered that his hands and his torso disconnect severely. In other words, his torso/hips/legs don’t really help him much in getting the bat moving towards the ball. When so much of the review is based on swing mechanics, it is easy to overlook the other parts of his game. OK, he looks like he’s a good athlete, so there’s hope. That said, I don’t like this pick here, not this high.

Grade: C-

Stubbs is hitting 247/374/370 in 92 plate appearances for the Billings Mustangs.

Venafro gone

2006-07-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

This move confuses me too. Unless Venafro asked to be released, which I believe is possible after the trade the Reds just made, he might not see much of a future with this team. Venafro pitched in 36 games with a 2.45 ERA. He had 2 saves in 22 IP allowing 19 hits, 6 ER, 8 BB and 18 K. Not to shabby. Better than Standridge. I guess he is a 40 man casualty, but I could make an argument for removing Burns from the 40 man and adding Venafro. He's a lefty. He's a younger, cheaper version of Mercker. Goodbye Mike.

I'm confused

2006-07-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Sorry for not posting in a while. My life has been very busy lately. I am going to work on a prospect profile tomorrow and hopefully be able to do a couple a week. Anyway, the reason I am posting tonight is I have been sitting back and listening to what everyone has had to sat about "The Trade." And while I may have had some objections to it, I do approve of it. I loved Kearns. Still do. But Krivsky needed to do something and he addressed all of the weaknesses this team had, relief pitching and defense. I know Majewski hasn't started out that well, but I believe he will be fine. Bray looks awesome and Clayton is just Clayton. Has the offenese dropped off that terribly? I don't like Clayton or Castro playing everyday. I am almost hoping that Clayton tanks it and we bring Olmedo up. He has been hitting well and has done pretty well up here also. Narron needs to do a better job of managing this bullpen. If there are people out there that he is not comfortable with, we need to get rid of them. If Standridge isn't cutting it, then bring someone up. Narron can't keep calling on the same 3 guys. They won't have arms for the playoffs. I think this trade improves our team. We will make the playoffs I think. As the wild card. I still think Krivsky has another deal in the works. LaRue might be gone by now if Ross hadn't gone on the DL. I think we need to take a sigh, a deep breath, and let this trade play out. Go Krivsky and Go Reds.

In Krivsky I trust

2006-07-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well....I said this a few months ago and I guess now it is time to actually put faith into action. At first I hated this trade. Kearns is my favorite Red. I think we will hate the day we traded him, unless of course this group of players takes us to the playoffs, and possible World Series. Kearns will be an All-Star in the future. I knew someone would be traded, and someone that I might not necessarily want to see go and I was hoping it was Dunn. I think Kearns is a better overall player than Dunn. Oh well. I don't really care about Lopez or Wagner. Wagner may just need a change of scenery and I think Lopez takes too many plays off.
I do like thse bullpen guys though. Majewski has been goof for a couple of years now and Bray is really good. I think Majewski could possibly be our closer in a few weeks, with Guardado setting him up. I also like the Thompson kid they picked up. Baseball America speaks very highly on him and says he could've been in the Nats rotation by 2008. They mention that he needs to bulk up but I think he could be an impact pitcher in a few years. Brendan Harris and Royce Clayton are jus throw ins. I am hoping that Claytons contract expires this year and the Reds can then move Phillips to SS and bring up Olmedo who has done very well in limited time this year. Harris was a third basemen who has been moved to second. He could possibly be a fill in if something happens with Encarnacion. I do like that this gives Denorfia a chance. He does deserve it. I think Krivksy has made a trade that improves us right now and helps our future. Now get rid of LaRue.

July 7 Game Recaps

2006-07-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Billings vs. Helena
L 5-6
Logan Parker 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI (10), .389
Chris Valaika 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI (11), 1 K, .297
No one pitched well
Jamie Arneson took the loss (0-1) 13.50 ERA

GCL Reds vs. GCL Red Sox
postponed

Sarasota vs. Fort Myers
postponed

Dayton vs. Quad Cities
W 6-3
Jay Bruce 2-4, .317
B.J. Szymanski 2-4, 1 R, 2 K (115 K in 289 AB), .232
Adam Rosales 2-4, 2 R, .237
Habelito Hernandez 1-4, 2 R, 1 2B (9), 1 RBI (34), .260
Craig Tatum 1-3, 2 RBI (21), .254
Carlos Fisher 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 3.17
Daniel Donaldson W (1-0), 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0.00
Jose Rojas S (1), 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.00

Chattanooga vs. West Tennessee
L 1-3
Joey Votto 2-4, 1 2B (29), 2 K, .327
Miguel Perez 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (10), 1 K, .238
Eddy Valdez L (5-4), 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 3.49
David Shafer 1.1 IP, 1 K, 2.12

Louisville vs. Columbus
W 5-1
Matt Kata 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B (14), 1 K, .292
Chris Denorfia 1-4, 1 2B (14), 1 K, .348
Aaron Herr 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (1), 1 RBI (1), 2 K, .500
Jesse Gutierrez 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (19), 2 RBI (43), .298
Jeff Bannon 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (3), 2 RBI (24), 1 K, .259
Chirs Michalak W (8-4), 7.2 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 HR, 2.60

Our future catching situation

2006-07-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Minor League Catchers

AAA
Dane Sardinha 38 G, 128 AB, 11 R, 28 H, 6 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 36 K, .219/.246/.289
2nd round pick in 2000 draft has never been able to hit. He's only played in 2 major league games collecting 5 at bats and, you guessed it, 0 hits and 2 K. He was DFA'd before this season.
Ryan Jorgensen 42 G, 126 AB, 17 R, 32 H, 6 2B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 22 BB, 24 K, .254/.373/.421
Jorgensen was acquired by Krivsky for minor league infielder, Carlos Piste. He did play 4 games for the Marlins in 2005 going 0-4 with 3 K.

AA
Miguel Perez 66 G, 235 AB, 15 R, 54 H, 7 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, 51 K, .230/.289/.285
Miguel is the only other catcher on our 40 man. He was briefly called up for 2 games last year going 0-3 with 1 K.
Ryan Hanigan 37 G, 81 AB, 13 R, 19 H, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 11 BB, 13 K, .235/.326/.259
Rafael Motooka 3 G, 8 AB, 2 BB, 0 K, .000/.182/.000

A
Craig Tatum 53 G, 187 AB, 19 R, 47 H, 12 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 21 BB, 38 K, .251/.327/.364
3 round 2004 draft.
Chris Denove 33 G, 99 AB, 11 R, 19 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 21 K, .192/.241/.253
32 round 2005 draft.
Chris Kroski 36 G, 107 AB, 6 R, 24 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 29 K, .224/.270/.290
John Purdom 62 G, 207 AB, 25 R, 45 AB, 7 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 8 BB,
40 K, .217/.281/.285

R
Javier Rumbos 3 G, 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .250/.333/.250
Fernando Encarnacion 3 G, 10 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 K, .300/.300/.600
Tyler Hauschild 3 G, 3 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .333/.600/.333
Jake Long 8 G, 25 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 K, .360/.360/.440
37 round 2005 draft. Did not sign until this year.
Rey Gonzalez 3 G, 5 AB, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, .000/.167/.000
Justin Tordi 7 G, 22 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, .182/.308/.227
41 round pick 2005 draft. Drafted as a SS.
Anthony Esquer 4 G, 14 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI, .214/.214/.214
24 round pick 2006.

I have thought for some time now what we were going to do in the future with our catching sitution. I am really hoping on a LaRue trade and Ross becoming our full-time catcher and locking him up for the nextcouple of years. He has shown he can produce when given the opportunity. Looking forward though, things look kind of bleak. This has to be our worst organizational position. I do like Jorgensen. He was another pick up by Krivsky that went unnoticed and could have an impact down the road. Jorgensen has the highest average of any of these guys with a .254 average. We have a lot of light hitting guys in the system. I hope the Reds make a run at Francisco Pena, which I have heard that they are. I say we offer him whatever he wants and I think he would become our best prospect at this position.

July 2 Recaps

2006-07-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Billings vs Great Falls L 7-6 in 10
2B Justin Turner 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, .385
1B Logan Parker 2-6, 1 2B, 2 RBI (7), .405
3B Jason Louwsma 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B (5), .289
OF Chris Heisey 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (1), 2 RBI (6) .447
Miseal DeJesus 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K, 6.94 ERA
Kyle Huddy 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
Terrell Young L (0-1), 1 BS, 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 8.75 ERA
Terrell has struggled this year. He was demoted from Dayton after going 0-1 in 4 games with an 8.10 ERA.

Sarasota vs. Lakeland Postponed

Dayton vs. Cedar Rapids W 4-3
SS Adam Rosales 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (1), 2 RBI (5), 1 BB, .235
OF Jay Bruce 2-3, 1 RBI (55), .313
OF BJ Szymanski 0-4, 1 BB, 3 K, .227
DH Bobby Mosby 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR (7), 1 RBI (27), .258
Carlos Fisher 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 3.21 ERA
Logan Ondrusek Win (3-2), 1 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 3.86 ERA
Justin Mallett Save (3), 2 IP, 2 K, 2.40 ERA

Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville W 4-0
OF Chris Dickerson 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (15), 1 RBI (19), 1 SB (13), .219
1B Joey Votto 2-3, 2 RBI (52), 1 SB (15), .324
Homer Bailey Win (3-0), 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 0.00 ERA
In 3 starts at AA Bailey has pitched 17 innings allowing only 7 H, 4 BB and
22 K.
John Coutlangus 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 2.38 ERA
Carlos Alvarado 2 IP, 2 K, 1.34 ERA

Louisville vs. Columbus L 6-5
3B Edwin Encarnacion 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B (2), .381
1B Jesse Guiterrez 1-5, 1 HR (7), 3 RBI (41), 1 K, .296
2B William Bergolla 2-4, .253
Chris Michalak 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 2.72 ERA
Mike Burns 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 1.14 ERA
I think he is officially a AAAA guy.
Scott Chiasson 1 BS (3), 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2.89
Jake Robbins Loss (1-1), 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3.12 ERA

July 1st Game Recaps

2006-07-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

VSL Reds vs. VSL Orioles/White Sox W 4-3

Not much to mention here.
CF Jorge Tang 1-4, 1 RBI, .304 AVG
2B Jose Gualdron 1-4, 1 2B, .316 AVG
Yoel Contreras recieved the win going only 0.2 of an inning. He is 3-1 on the year with a 1.40 ERA.
Nestor Delgado picked up his 7th save and now has an ERA of 0.48 on the season with 13 BB, 29 K, in 18.2 innings.
We could see these guys in Billings or the GCL in the near future.

Billings vs Great Falls W 11-3

Let me just say I love this team. Lots of stars in this game.
SS Chris Valaika went 1-4 with 2 R. .256
OF Drew Stubbs went 1-3 with 1 R. .273
3B Jason Louwsma went
OF Chris Heisey went 3-4 with 1 R. He is batting .471 in 34 AB. He's mashing it right now.
Rafael Gonzalez picked up his first win in his second start. He pitched 6 innings allowing 3 H and 2 R with 2 BB and 2 K. It is good to see him put up a good performance.

GCL Reds vs. GCL Pirates L 3-2

Well there aren't alot of highlights here either.
2B Kevyn Feiner, in his second game for the GCL squad went 3-3 with a homer and 2 RBI. He is batting .750 in a very small sample size of only 4 AB.
Brandon Rice got lost in his second start for the team going 3 innings giving up 3 hits and1 ER, striking out 1 and walking 0. He did lower his season ERA from 16.62 to 7.71.
Richie Gardner didn't fare any better going 3 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 K. His season ERA for the GCL team is 2.25.

Sarasota vs. Lakeland L 4-1

Not much offensive output from this team today. They were only able to muster up 6 hits, all off of Lakeland's starter. They were shut out for the last 1.2 inning of the game.
Ramon Ramirez suffered his 3rd loss, (0-3 on the season). He did lower his ERA to 3.60 on the season.
Abe Woody, who I think might be a contributor in the majors, went 2.1 innings allowing 1 hit, and 1 ER, with 2 K and 0 BB.

Dayton vs. Cedar Rapids L 7-2

I don't know if anyone is noticing a trend here, but our teams haven't fared so well today.
Basically no offensive notables tonight except for Jay Bruce hitting his 31 2B, and 54 RBI on the season. He is batting .310 on the season. I am thinking he must be promoted sometime in the near future and Stubbs will be brought up to replace him.
On the pitching side, Travis Wood got shelled, going only 1.1 allowing 7 H and 7 ER with 2 BB and 1 K on the evening. This is however his 1st loss on the season as he is 6-1. Russ Haltiwanger came in and shut them down for 4.2 innings allowing 4 H and 0 R, with 2 K.

Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville W 5-2

Another win. Yeah!!!
Joey Votto went 2-3 with 1 R and his 28 2B. His average on the season his .321.
Javon Moran went 2-4 with 2 R and his 9 SB. He is batting .343 for the year.
Both of these guys need a call up.
Edward Valdez picked up his 5th win, (5-3), while lowering his ERA to 3.56. He pitched an impressive 7 innings allowing ony 4 H with 1 R. He also struckout 5 while walking 1.

Louisville vs Columbus L 7-2

Not much to mention here offensively either.
OF Chris Denorfia went 0-4 but is still hitting .343 for the year. I'm not sure what else he needs to do to get promoted.
SS Ray Olmedo went 1-2 with a double. He is hitting .333 on the year. He needs to be given an opportunity also.
DH Jesse Guiterrez went 3-4 with 2 2B, (18), and raised his average to .298.
3b Edwin Encarnacion went 1-4 with a 2B on his rehab assignment.
Phil Dumatrait has not fared very well since his promotion. He is now 3-3 for the year after suffering this loss. He went only 3 innings allowing 9 H and 7 ER. He gave up 3 BB and only 1 K.
One person I'm not sure why they haven't called up, other than he's not on the 40 man roster is Mike Venafro. He pitched 1 inning giving up nothing. He has a 2.29 ERA in 19.2 innings with 7 BB and 15 K. He is a lefty with major league experience. I wish he would have been brought up instead of Shackelford.

Hammond gone

2006-06-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

This will be real quick cause I have something to do. This needed to be done and I don't mind Shackelford being brought up, but most importantly this opens up a spot on the 40 man for Homer Bailey. Krivsky said on Lance McAlister's show that other than a September call up, if they bring Homer up they want to make sure he is here to stay. To do that he must be on the 40 man. I hope they make this happen. There is still some more work to do. This should be a notice to Weathers, Mercker and Yan.

Lots of Minors News

2006-06-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Reds have signed a few more of their draft picks and assigned them to their rookie league teams.
5-Josh Ravin-GCL
10-Josh Roenicke-GCL
30-Lee Tabor-GCL
32-Danny Dorn-unassigned

Also, a couple of guys have already been promoted from Billings up to Dayton.

Jose Rojas
Bil 2005 stats 2 W, 4 L, 5.90 ERA, 4 SV, 39.2 IP, 21 H, 26 ER, 22 BB, 34 K
Bil 2006 stats 0 W, 0 L, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Career 28 W, 20 L, 3.65 ERA, 6 SV, 431.1 IP, 369 H, 194 BB, 385 K
Somehow we got this guy out of the Dodgers farm system. Maybe as a minor league free agent.

Daniel Guerrero
VSL 2005 stats 2W, 1L, 3.08 ERA, 49.2 IP, 39H, 17 ER, 9 BB, 42 K, 0.97 WHIP Bil 2006 stats 2W, 0L, 0.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 6H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0.50 WHIP
Looks like he has nice control. Could be on the fast track if he keeps these numbers up.

I have also been trying to figure out what happened to Milton Loo who I was very excited about. He was on Billings roster for a few days before their season started but now he is nowhere to be found.

Ross full-time catcher?

2006-06-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,
I'm going to try to start posting more. I haven't had much time lately. The Reds seem to be back to their winning ways. Arroyo didn't have his best outing the other night but hey, you can't win them all. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ross catching Ramirez today. Is this a sign that he is our regular starting catcher now? I believe his performance this year deems him worthy of a starting roll. I have been calling for this for some time now. It was nice to have Valentin catching Ramirez due to their language barrier and now knowing what we were going to get from Ross, but now, Ramirez doesn't need a personal catcher. Go with the hot bat. Now we just need to fix this roster by getting some relief help and getting rid of LaRue and McCracken.

Anthony Gressick made his Reds debut in Billings last night. Keep an eye on this guy. I think he will be very good. Also, Logan Parker, who I mentioned was a good choice back on draft day is tearing it up in Billings so far. Stubbs is doing pretty well also.

On a totally unrelated note, my Mavs got robbed!!!

Bailey time?

2006-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

I know it's early yet but it is the 5th inning in Chattanooga and this is Bailey's line.

5 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 6 k's.

He has benefited from some great plays by his fielders and has given up one double. All strikeouts are swinging. I'm not ready to anoint him the savior or anything but if he keeps this up we are going to at least have to consider a September call up.

UPDATE: Bailey exited the game after the 6th inning allowing 5 hits and 7 k's. I would call that a successful AA debut.

Bye Bye Bullpen

2006-06-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

I think it is official. I do trust in Krivsky and I am sure he must be working the phones to find some relief help but this bullpen needs to be dumped and started over from scratch. I pretty much think we should keep Belisle, Coffey and Claussen in the bullpen. If Claussen has options I send him back down but I don't believe that he does. I also don't think we should give up on Standridge as he hasn't done anything wrong yet. I also think that Coffey needs to be moved back into the set up role. I don't know who then becomes our closer. I'm not sure that person is in the organization right now. I'm also not sure who is available on the market but Krivsky needs to get on the horn and not pick up these waiver wire dumps and trade one of our catchers or middle infielders and get some relief help. I am sick of seeing this good starting pitching performances blown by a bad offende or a bad bullpen. I would hate to be a starter on this team. I was pleasantly surprised by Mays performance tonight and think that this is what we will get from him pretty much all the time. He is going to allow a lot of hits. He is going to let people get on base. I think with our vaunted offense that we can outscore our opponents.

I am also excited to see our rookie leagues get going. I am going to really try to focus on these clubs and on our newer draftees. Both teams won their first games. Billings really lit up Great Falls. Michael McKennon has 7 rbis and Daniel Guerrero got the win by pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball while walking none and striking out 3. Drew Stubbs was 1 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout. He was also hit by a pitch twice. This is going to be a team to watch. Lots of good pick ups out of this years draft that are going to contribute I believe. Watch out for Logan Parker also. He was our pick from the University of Cincinnati that is a first basemen. The GCL team started yesterday also and guess who got the win. Richie Gardner. He pitched 3 innings of relief with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts with no walks. Now that sounds great, but he is way old for this league and should dominate it. He needs to make hay here and be promoted right away. He must prove his worth now.

White's Gone :-)

2006-06-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Thank God. I hate for someone to lose their job, but he just wasn't performing. I do think this is just the beginning. I am confused by the Standridge call up. I know that Krivsky doesn't like for people to skip levels. He has said so in the past. So I knew my preferred call up, Coutlangus, would not be coming up, but I would think since we were opening up a spot on the 40 man that we might use it on someone that we have not seen before. I think we pretty much know what we are going to get out of Standridge. His numbers have been pretty good in Louisville this year and I am wondering if he might be a spot starter depending on what we get out of Mays and what happens with Belisle and Claussen. Standridge has started in the past. There are a few other people on the Louisville roster I would have rather seen brought up. I think Tom Shearn, Brad Salmon, Scott Chiasson or Mike Venafro deserve a shot. Venafro has big league experience and has been doing very well down in AAA. This team is going to have some decisions to make once everyone is healthy. I think we will probably see the end of Burns once Belisle comes back. I think we are going to have to trade one of our catchers once Edwin is healthy, preferably LaRue if we can get someone to take that contract. I don't know who would. We are going to have to eat some of it, which I am okay with. We need to make some changes. This homestand was pretty terrible. I was at the game today and it was disgusting watching our bullpen and hearing the crowd chanting, "Lets go White Sox." I was glad to hear about the White move after the game and hopefully we will do something else. I think Burns, Yan and Mercker should be let go. Someone might take Mercker off our hands but I think the other 2 will just be DFA'd. In a related note, the Reds have updated their rosters for their GCL Reds and Billings teams. Milton Loo will be in Billings. I am excited to see what he can do there. If the Reds are possibly thinking about moving Edwin across the diamond Loo could be the long term replacement at 3rd. I am excited to see these rookies perform and see what Krivsky has brought into this organization. In Krivsky I trust.

Welcome back Juan and other news

2006-06-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well Juan Castro is back and I am kinda suprised by that move but this is what I think might happen and I haven't heard anyone else mention this. I do think there might be another move being made but unlike some people who have mentioned Lopez being shipped off, I think it might involve Hatteberg. I think Krivsky could package him and LaRue and get something that could help us. We then either hand over 1B to Aurilia with Dunn subing or move Encarnacion across the infield. I think either one of these makes sense. I don't like the idea of getting rid of Lopez. He is still young and him and Phillips will make an exciting tandem for years to come. I like Olmedo though and wish he had a place on this team. He should be traded also as well as Denorfia. They belong on a major league squad. Maybe not as starters, but neither of them have much left to prove at AAA. I would definitely like to get rid of McCracken instead but I don't know if that will happen. They are going to have to make some kind of move once Encarnacion and Belisle come off the DL. A long shot could be bringing up Votto. He's on the 40 man.

Stubbs signed yesterday and has been assigned to Billings. I don't expect him to be ther very long. Watch out for the outfield of Stubbs, Bruce and Szymanski in Dayton. Those 3 can rake it and cover a lot of ground. Possibly the best outfield in the minors. They have also singed 2nd round pick Sean Watson. Stubbs is the only signee to be assigned to a squad so far.

In a related note. I could stand to see White and Mercker go away.

Belisle has been assigned to Dayton for his rehab assignment.

Random thoughts and updates

2006-06-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Robert Manuel made his first start of the season for the Dayton Dragons yesterday. He went 6 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 strikeout. He lowered his ERA to 1.15 after 5 games since coming over to us from the Mets in the Dave Williams dumping. Looks like another good pickup by Krivsky.

Richie Gardner has been demoted to the GCL rookie league team. He was lit up yesterday. He only went 3.1 innings while giving up 8 runs on 10 hits. Ouch!!! I think it might be time for the Reds to cut bait with this guy.

The Reds have started signing some of their picks from this years draft. I will be updating their status once they are assigned to a team. No one has been assigned yet. Still waiting for Milton Loo and Jake Long to be assigned. Stubbs hasn't signed yet, but the did sign Justin Reed who had a scolarship to play football with Mississippi. That was a little surprising.

We need to overhaul this bullpen. Coffey is really the only one that I trust anymore. I'm still not sure why Mays is on this team and I am curious what we are going to do once Belisle is ready to come off the DL. Mercker has not been the same since he came back from the DL. Yan hasn't really impressed me. He throws gas but he can't control it. White just needs to go. Hammond has been decent lately but at some point his arm is just going to fall off. I did read an article today that said the Yankees could be interested in Weathers. I say we take that deal, although he just left the game with stiffness in his shoulder. Now is the time to bring Germano back or call up Chick or Coutlangus and see what they can do.

The Phillies but Lieberthal on the DL yesterday. Think they might be interested in LaRue? I think Krivsky should make a call and check that out. Ross is the man and should be our full-time catcher.

In Krivksy I trust.

All the picks

2006-06-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, here are all the picks. I am having trouble finding info on the high schoolers. Everyone should also remember that the Reds recently signed 2 draft and follow prospects from last years draft, a catcher, Jake Long and Milton Loo, the highly regarded shortstop/third basemen. Initially, I like this draft. We could really have a surplus of position players in the next few years. I love the selection of Logan Parker from UC. I think he projects as a Sean Casey type. I also like Joey Votto too, so we will see what they do there. I also like Carson Kainer, an outfielder who was a teammate of Drew Stubbs. I think the outfield talent in this system has to be one of the highest in the majors. Right now they are in the low minors, except for Denorfia. I love Bruce and Szymanski and I think we will all like Stubbs also. Javon Moran is a speedster also. I think we might be able to trade some of these guys in the next few years to make our run at the World Series. I'm definitely excited about the future of this team. Now let's get these guys signed and playing.


8-    Drew Stubbs        R/R     CF   6-4   200   SR  
52-   Sean Watson        R/R    RHP   6-2   215   SR  
84-   Chris Valaika      R/R     SS   6-1   180   SR  
114-  Justin Reed        L/R     CF   5-11  179   HS  
144-  Joshua Ravin       R/R    RHP   6-4   195   HS  
174-  Jordan Smith       R/R    RHP   6-4   210   JR  
204-  Justin Turner      R/R     2B   5-11  180   SR  
234-  Travis Webb        L/L    LHP   6-4   205   SR  
264-  Jeremy Burchett    R/R    RHP   6-2   215   SR  
294-  Joshua Roenicke    R/R    RHP   6-3   195   SR  
324-  Brandon Rice       R/R    RHP   6-4   210   HS  
354-  Logan Parker       L/L     1B   6-3   225   SR  
384-  Kevin Gunter       R/R    RHP   6-0   220   SR  
414-  Carson Kainer      R/R     OF   6-1   195   SR  
444-  Rafael Sanchez     L/R     3B   6-1   200   JR  
474-  Jamie Arneson      L/L    LHP   6-5   195   JR   
504-  Chris Heisey       R/R     CF   6-0   195   SR  
534-  Ryan Wehrle        R/R     SS   6-3         SO  
564-  Derrik Lutz        R/R    RHP   6-0   210   SR  
594-  Eddy Rodriguez     R/R      C   6-0   205   SR  
624-  Chris White        R/R    RHP   6-2   205   SR  
654-  Adam Pointer       R/R    RHP   5-11  170   JR  
684-  Tony Brown         L/L     LF   6-0   190   HS  
714-  Anthony Esquer     R/R      C   6-1         SR  
744-  Michael McKennon   L/L     RF   6-3   210   SR  
774-  Anthony Gressick   R/R    RHP   6-3   215   SR  
804-  Keltavious Jones   L/L     CF   5-9   170   JR  
834-  Tyler Hauschild    R/R      C   6-0   210   JR  
864-  Jason Louwsma      R/R     3B   6-3   225   SR  
894-  Ronald Tabor       L/L    LHP   6-2   175   SR  
924-  Eric Schaler       R/R    RHP   6-4   210   SR  
954-  Daniel Dorn        L/L     LF   6-2   190   SR  
984-  Justin Curry       R/R    RHP   6-3   225   HS
1014- Benjamin Ihde      L/L     1B   6-2   205   HS  
1044- John Touchton      R/R    RHP   6-3   220   HS  
1074- Nicholas Wandless  R/R    RHP   6-2   220   SR  
1104- Jarrod Gaskey      R/R     CF   6-2   200   HS  
1134- Trevor Coleman     S/R      C   6-1   205   HS  
1164- Todd Waller        R/R     3B   6-1   195   HS  
1194- Tyler Dewitt       R/R     RF   6-3   220   HS  
1224- Jeremy Erben       R/R    RHP   5-10  190   HS  
1254- John Housey        L/R    RHP   6-3   180   HS  
1283- Geraldo Leal       R/R    RHP   6-3   195   HS  
1312- Jason Chapman      R/R     CF   6-0   180   HS  
1341- Michael Lachapelle R/L    LHP   6-3   170   HS  
1370- Jordan Tiegs       R/R    RHP   6-3   190   JR  
1398- Freuny Parra       R/R      C   5-11  195   JR  
1426- Jordan Shadle      S/R     SS   6-3   165   JR  
1454- Cameron Bayne      R/R    RHP   6-3   200   HS  
1482- Blake Benveniste   R/R     3B   6-2   195   HS

Day 1 picks

2006-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, here are some of the Reds top picks from day 1 of the draft. I haven't
been able to locate any stats for the high schoolers. From just seeing stats
I think this is an okay draft. The Roenicke pick is confusing. He doesn't
seem to do anything real well. I at first was disappointed with the Logan
Parker pick thinking they wanted to pick a local product, but it looks like
he could be a steal. He shows great plate discipline. He might be my
favorite pick so far, even though I don't know much about all of these guys.
I'm going to try to research the high schoolers tomorrow.


Drew Stubbs - OF
       G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
04    71 266 51 80 16  3  8  47 28  6 28 75   4  7  3 .301 .372 .474
05    72 283 67 88 20  4 11  46 32  6 32 71   3 21  2 .311 .384 .527
06    62 243 65 83 14  4 14  58 26  6 41 60   2  1  1 .342 .429 .580

Sean Watson - RHP - RP
      W L  ERA  G GS CG SH SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO WP WHIP
04    4 5 4.54 15 14  0  0  0 75.1 73 54 38  5 47 51  6 1.59
05    7 3 2.85 29  6  0  0  7 79.0 64 31 25  4 47 82  7 1.41
06    4 3 4.61 29  0  0  0 11 41.0 42 23 21  7 17 47  0

Chris Valaika - SS
    G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
04 54 222 46 77 15  3  7  38  7  4 19 37   6  0  1 .347 .411 .536
05 18  72 12 15  5  0  0   4  1  1  5 20   0  0  2 .208 .253 .278
06 54 227 44 76 12  1 10  57  4  0 12 47   4  1  4 .335 .372 .529

Justin Turner - 2B
     G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
03  62 224 40 73  9  1  1  39 13  5 31 22  10  2 12 .326 .412 .388
04  64 253 45 77 16  0  0  34  7  1 20 44  15  9  7 .304 .380 .368
05  62 244 54 79 17  2  3  41 11  3 17 32  12 11  3 .324 .391 .447
06  57 248 56 88 14  4  4  37 19  6 15 26   8  6  2 .355 .407 .492

Travis Webb - RHP - RP
    W L  ERA  G GS CG SH SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO WP WHIP
05  0 5 9.08 23  3  0  0  0 37.2 49 40 38  2 29 28  2 2.07
06  4 0 2.17 21  0  0  0  8 29.0 22  8  7  1 10 31  2

Josh Roenicke - RHP/OF Haven't heard how we will use him
     G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
06  45 157 18 39  6  0  1  23  1  4  5 23   0  5  2 .248 .268 .306
   W L  ERA  G GS CG SH SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO WP
06 2 3 3.46 16  0  0  0  4 13.0 13  7  5  0  7 13  3

Logan Parker - 1B - bats: left
       G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
06    58 221 61 76 18  7 11  69 13  1 54 31   1  0  6 .344 .465 .638

Carson Kainer - OF
       G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HBP SH SF  AVG  OBP  SLG
06    61 231 37 84 25  3  4  66  4  1 21 36   6  8  3 .364 .425 .550

Draft: Day One

2006-06-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I slept through the beginning of the draft. I mowed part of my yard this morning so I was a little worn out. Thats beside the point I guess. I wake up and the Reds have selected an OF. Kinda surprised with the lack of pitching depth we have in our minors, but I am a firm believer that you take the best available talent that is out there. You never know with these guys who is going to make it and who isn't. From what I have read about Stubbs, he is a five tool player, who strikes out a lot and can play CF in the majors now. I feel like that is a good pick. Jay Bruce or Stubbs might be ready when Griffey is ready to move or is no longer in a Reds uni. I say, "Good going Reds. Now go get some pitching."

Dewayne Wise

2006-06-05T06:54:00.001-07:00

Dewayne is finally playing ball again for AA Chattanooga. He has only played in 2 games so far, so we will have to keep an eye on him. He was raking in Spring Training this year. I would love to see him up her instead of McCracken. That would require a 40 man move, but as far as I am concerned they could DFA McCracken. Wise can play all outfield positions and would give us some more speed on the bases.

David Shafer

2006-06-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

David Shafer is 24 year old right handed pitcher drafted by the Reds
in the 32nd round (966 overall) of the 2001 draft. He is 6'3, 170 lbs
and went to school at Central Arizona College. He doesn't show up as
a hot prospect until Baseball America's 2005 Prospect Handbook, where
he was ranked 13th. He went 16-5 in two years as a starter for his
college team, where he played for the Juco Championship. He throws
a 88-92 MPH fastball that works well with his slider. He throws them
both for strikes. He has advanced command of both pitches. He is
working on a changeup. The Reds have used him as a starter on
occasion but projects as a reliever. He could be a closer, which is
what is he is doing in AA this year. He dropped doing to 26 in the
2006 Prospect Handbook. He is holding batters to a .188 average this
season. He is currently second in the league in saves and would be
second in WHIP ifhe had pitched enough to qualify. He could be in
our bullpen beforetoo long, either as the closer or setup man to
Coffey.

Career Minor League Totals
  W  L  ERA   G GS CG SHO GF SV    IP   H  R ER HR BB  SO
 13 14 2.66 125  7  0   0 55 37 196.0 163 82 58 12 58 217

Chattanooga Lookouts-This Year
  W  L  ERA   G GS           SV    IP   H  R ER HR BB  SO
  0  0 1.53  18  0           15  17.2  12  4  3  1  6  20

Germano up-----Yan???

2006-05-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

I really like that Germano got the call up. I am concerned to see what is going to happen to him when Yan joins the team tomorrow. I would be more in favor of sending Shackelford back down or releasing Rick White. I think we need to start seeing what we have with these kids in AAA or AA. Krivsky recently said that he doesn't have people skip levels, so they need to get on the move with Coutlangus and get him up here. I think he will be a solid middle relief option for us. Yan is nothing more than another White or Hammond. I don't really see why we made this move. It didn't cost much, other than a roster spot for someone who can help us long term. Yan will not do that. He already has a 6+ ERA. I also have to wonder if Mercker is actually healthy. He has been getting torched since coming off the DL. Keep Germano.

Minors Hitting Against Average

2006-05-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I thought there might be a few people out there that might find this informational beneficial.

Hitting against average


AAA             AA              High A         Low A
Germano-.299    Kelly-.270      Bailey-.198    Wood-.195
Mays-.227       Pelland-.288    LeCure-.238    Fisher-.220
May-.233        Dumatrait-.200  Vazquez-.271   Cueto-.151
Gosling-.277    Valdez-.278     Avery-.267     Ward-.207
Michalak-.274   Chick-.261      Gardner-.231   Valiquette-.304

Chiasson-.243   Shafer-.183     Woody-.218     Hendley-.250

Shearn-.258     Guevara-.190    Bohorquez-.245 Stevens-.266
Wagner-.333     Coutlangus-.169 Edens-.336     Haltiwanger-.235
Standridge-.250 Medlock-.198    Schmidt-.293   Lanier-.162
Robbins-.355    Kozlowski-.237  Lundgren-.347  Manuel
Venafro-.244    Till-.236       Abbott-.273    Ondusek-.185
Salmon-.158     Alvarado-.073   Paduch-.298    Ursin-.286
                Hall-.425                      Huddy-.326



stats for their current level

Johnny Cueto

2006-05-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

This guy has been getting a lot of pub lately so I thought I would do a profile on him. He is a 5'11'', 174 lbs right handed pitcher out of the Dominican Republic. He was signed as a free agent out of the Reds Dominican Academy. He is at the ripe old age of 20. I have not been able to find a whole lot of info on this guy. He was not ranked in Baseball America's 2006 Prospect Handbook. He had a pretty good debut last year in the Reds Rookie league. He does not seem to have a lot of the control issues that young pitchers have. He was promoted to High A ball at the end of last year and did okay in a very small sample size. He has been in Dayton so far this year and has been doing just fine. He is holding opposing hitters to a .159 average, better than Mr. Bailey's even, (.195). He was named the Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. He went 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA in four starts. What's even better is he fanned 29 while walking only 2. I think with Cueto and some of the other young pitchers in A and AA ball, the Reds might have a pitching plethora a few years down the road. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?

Johnny Cueto

Year Level W L ERA   G GS CG SHO SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO WHIP
2005  Rk   2 2 5.02 13  6  0   0  1 43.0 49 31 24  2  8 38 1.33
2005  A+   0 1 3.00  2  1  0   0  0  6.0  5  2  2  0  2  6 1.17
Totals     2 3 4.78 15  7  0   0  1 49.0 54 33 26  2 10 44 1.31

2006 numbers
W L  ERA G GS CG SHO SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO  AVG
5 1 2.49 9  9  2   2  0 47.0 25 13 13  4  6 59 .159

Manuel debut

2006-05-27T18:33:00.001-07:00

Robert Manuel made his debut for the Dayton Dragons tonight. It is actually his first game of the season as he was in extended spring training with the Mets. He was not really impressive but I say we give him time. I think Krivsky may have found a diamond in the rough with this one. 4 groundballs, 2 flyballs, in case you were wondering.

               IP H R ER BB SO HR  ERA
Manuel (H, 1) 2.2 2 1  1  0  1  0 3.38

Run Support

2006-05-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a little research on run support. It seems to me that we have wasted a few good to great pitching performances due to, for some unknown reason, us not being able to score any runs. I never really thought that would be an issue with this team. I really can't figure out why either. It must be driving Narron mad! I wonder if everyone is going up there just tryiong to crush the ball. I don't think that is the reason because they seem to be playing small ball a little more, which I like. Well here are my findings. Arroyo has losses with 1 run and 2 runs. One of Harang's losses we were shutout and Claussen has 2 losses with 0 runs, 2 with 1 and 1 with only 2 runs. Milton has 1 loss with 0 runs, Ramirez 1 loss with 1 and 1 with 2 and Williams has 1 loss with 0 runs. I hope everyone can follow that. As you can see below, only 2 of our pitchers are under league average for run support, Claussen and Ramirez. Our problem is we will blow someone out and then go 3 or 4 games scoring 1 or 2 runs. This offense should be whipping up on these lesser knowns. As I am writing this we just lost 7-0 to Juan Cruz. Of the over 5 ERA. This should not happen. I'm tired of looking at numbers for the moment. Uggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

League Average for Runs per Game 4.89

Name     Games         Runs Scored   Run Support  Record   ERA        
Arroyo     10             52               5.2      6-2    2.29
Harang     10             66               6.6      5-3    3.82
Claussen   10             34               3.4      3-5    5.25
Milton      5             27               5.4      2-2    5.52
Ramirez     5             18               3.6      2-3    3.72
Williams    8             45               5.6      2-3    7.20

Yanks Looking for a Catcher

2006-05-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Krivsky! Here is our chance. The Yanks do have some good lower level talent that we could take off their hands. Here is our chance to cut one of those heads off our 3 headed monster. Give Cashman a call tonight.

2006 Prospect Watch

2006-05-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

I am going to compile a list of our top prospects out of the 2006 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, with a couple of my favorites thrown in for good measure. I will update as much as possible, hopefully daily. Hopefully you'll see it soon.

So long, Dave Williams

2006-05-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, once again I believe Krivsky pulled a fast one on another GM. Poor Omar Minaya. The pitching thin Mets think that Dave Williams might help. Have they not seen any of his games this year? For a team pushing for the pennant, I think this is a crazy move. Although they didn't really give up much, Robert Manuel has a great upside from what I can tell in his small sample size. He does have only 4 walks compared to his 54 strikeouts in his minor league career. Another possible diamond in the rough. I am disappointed though that this is all we have to show for trading Sean Casey. I always thought that we should have been able to get more in the first place. Maybe Ian Snell or something. Well, good luck Mets. He does have another option so if I were you I would stash him away in AAA until he proves he can pitch. They haven't added him to their 40 man, so that looks like that is what they are going to do. I will be wondering what the Reds do with Manuel. Starter or reliever? He has done both and seemed to do well in boh roles. If he starts, someone will need to be promoted. This will start a logjam further up and someone might need to be released along the way.

Update---I heard Krivsky in an interview on 700 before the game on Friday night say that they are going to work him into the rotation in Dayton. Some people are going to have to move around.

Robert Manuel (minor league totals)

W L  ERA  G GS CG SHO GF SV   IP  H  R ER HR BB SO WP BK whip
8 1 2.04 14  5  0   0  0  0 61.2 60 20 14  3  4 54  1  0 1.04

3 Headed Monster

2006-05-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering for a while now about our catching situation. I don't think this team can go the whole season carrying three catchers. I also wish there was a way to find out how consistent these guys can be having a lot of days off. If you look at the numbers below, LaRue should be our regular starting catcher. Valentin's numbers aren't far behind LaRue's with less K's also. However, I have really been impressed with Ross. He isn't going anywhere as long as he is Arroyo's personal catcher and they keep up their current pace. I would also argue that Ross calls a better game than the other two,and that his arm is right up there with LaRue's. I think Krivsky should try to find a trade partner for LaRue. He would save us the most as far as contracts go and I think Valentin's year last year was a little bit of a fluke. He is no more than a back up, and a good one at that. I vote for Ross to become our full-time catcher.

3-Headed Monster Career Averages

           
           G  AB  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB  SO  Avg  Obp  Slg  Ops
Ross     162 406 43  88 18  1 18  47  0 34 130 .217 .288 .406 .694
LaRue    161 512 60 124 30  1 19  71  2 42 149 .243 .326 .421 .747
Valentin 162 441 47 106 21  1 14  60  0 39  81 .241 .302 .397 .699

No posts

2006-05-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys. I haven't put anything up for a few days. I have been sick and not really leaving my bed. I have a few things I am working on so hopefully I will start feeling better and get some things up. Thanks for checking out the site. I would also like to congratulate JinAz on the birth of his child. Good times.

Eric Crozier

2006-05-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Reds have sent Josh Hall to AA-Chattanooga to make room for Joe Mays and to make room for Josh they have released OF Eric Crozier.

Eric Crozier

 G AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG
33 86 13 23  4  1  3  15 38  6 33  1  0 .315 .442 .267

Terrence Long

2006-05-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Terrence Long has been promoted to the Yankees. I think they must be pretty desperate, seeing how we just gave up on the guy a few days ago. He did start to kick it up a notch for the Yankees but it is a very small sample size. I don't see him as a vast improvement over what they already have. They are reaching. He wasn't going to go anywhere with the Reds barring some major injuries, with all of the options that we have and he was definitely behind Denorfia on the depth chart.

Terrence Long

 G AB R  H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG
15 48 2 11  3  0  0   6 14  2 10  0  0 .260 .292 .229 AAA-Lou
 4 17 3  6  1  0  1   2 10  2  2  0  0 .421 .588 .353 AAA-Col

Paul Janish

2006-05-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Paul Janish a 6'2, 180 lbs, right handed shortstop who was drafted by the Reds in the 5th round of the 2004 draft. He was born in October of 1982, which makes him 23 right now. He was drafted out of Rice University where he helped win the College World Championship in 2003. He has hit 93 mph off the mound, but will stick at shortstop. He was ranked 74 out of the top 100 college players coming into the draft. He started out great with the Reds rookie league team in Billings, where he was named Reds MVP of the Instructional League and was ranked the 10th best prospect in the 2004 Baseball America Prospect Handbook. He was promoted to low-A Dayton, where he started in a slump and just as he was starting to come out of it he slid in to first and tore his elbow ligament. He has to have Tommy John surgery and was shut down for the rest of the year. The 2005 handbook also ranks him the best defensive infielder and the best infield arm in the system. He dropped to 14 in the 2006 handbook due primarily to the injury plagued season that he had in 2005. He was still ranked the best defensive infielder, but Adam Rosales was ranked the best infield arm. More on that later. He has been compared to Adam Everett. His bat will never be his strength, he has good plate discipline, but his swing tends to get long and lacks power. He is a very fluid, solid defender.

He has just been promoted to High-A Sarasota where Adam Rosales is also residing. This puts the Reds in a pickle. Rosales was ranked 15 in the 2006 handbook, one spot behind Janish. Rosales is also highly regarded by the team and it will be interesting what they do with both of them in Sarasota. I don't believe Rosales is readfy for AA. Janish was leading the league in AVG and OBP when he was promoted. It will be nice to see what he can do in High-A.


Paul Janish
Yr Team        G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG
04 R-Billings 66 205 39  54  11  0  2  22 45 45  7  3 .406 .346 .263
05 A-Dayton   55 208 30  51  10  2  5  29 29 38  5  2 .346 .385 .245
Totals       121 413 69 105  21  2  7  51 74 83 12  5 .355 .366 .254

               G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG
06 A-Dayton   26  98 19  39   6  0  5  18  7 10  0  0 .435 .612 .398

Are the Reds looking at my site?

2006-05-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hey out there! Sorry I haven't put anything up in a couple of days, but I haven't been feeling that well. I wonder if someone told Krivsky about my site, (this is totally tongue in cheek), cause I mentioned keeping Ramirez up here cause he totally deserves to be over Williams and I mentioned picking up Mays also. I do believe that Mays shouldn't be on our major league roster until he can prove he is capable at AAA. This pickup doesn't cost us a thing, which I think is good. I am sorry to see Buchanon go. He had a great spring but just couldn't put it together at AAA. I will hopefully be posting a new prospect profile tonight or tomorrow.

Possible pick ups

2006-05-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

Just a couple of guys that are on the scrapheap right now, having just been released by their perspective clubs. Mays would have been in the top 10 in the league in groundball to flyball ratio had he pitched enough to qualify. If the Royals infield defense is not significantly better this season, with Mays’ extremely low strikeout rate this could make Lima’s 2005 not look so bad. He has struggled with his command, but could help us in long relief. He was also an All-Star in 2001, so he can put it together. Maybe a change of scenery guy. His very high groundball to flyball rate would look great at GABP. Obermueller I'm not so sure about but I thought I would include him. Atlanta was trying to sell his contract to Japan but something fell through. Also struggles with his command a little but I would take either of these guys over Hammond and White at this point and it wouldn't cost us much. We could possibly get Mays on a minor league deal since KC still owes him a million.


Joe Mays
           W  L   ERA   G  GS   INN    H  ER  HR  BB   K
o6 Zips    5 10  5.49  29  23 136.0  169  83  19  39  47
06 stats   0  4 10.27   6   6  23.2   38  27   7  14   9
Career    48 69  4.98 199 152 970.0 1090 537 134 317 496

Wes Obermueller
           W  L   ERA   G  GS   INN    H  ER  HR  BB   K
06 Zips    6  9  5.06  31  23 160.0  174  90  18  66  85
06 AAA     0  2  2.45   2   2  11.0   12   3   1   3   4  
Career     9 19  5.65  62  41 256.1  307 161  35 105 131

Reds Current Starters Zip Projections
Name       W  L   ERA   G  GS   INN    H  ER  HR  BB   K
Harang    12  9  4.21  29  29 184.0  190  86  21  48 140
Claussen   9 12  4.85  28  28 156.0  161  84  21  61 123
Ramirez    7  9  5.01  28  24 151.0  181  84  24  29  83
Wilson     6  9  5.22  25  25 150.0  171  87  22  51  89
Williams   6 11  5.50  26  25 131.0  138  80  21  61  96
Milton     7 14  5.55  33  33 188.0  213 116  38  59 132
Belisle    7  8  4.73  40  19 135.0  145  71  16  47  92
Arroyo    11  9  4.09  33  30 185.0  188  84  19  48 130


Reds Minors Possible Starters Zip Projections
Name       W  L   ERA   G  GS   INN    H  ER  HR  BB   K
Germano    8 11  5.02  29  28 165.0  185  92  29  40 124
Standridge 6  7  5.12  36  16 116.0  128  66  13  52  70
Hall       6  8 5.16   27  27 157.0  174  90  19  63 106
Gosling    5  9 5.22   30  24 138.0  149  80  19  57  89



P.S.  Rob Stratton has signed with the Yankees 
and is now playing for AAA Columbus.
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG
3 13 1 3  1  0  0   3  4  0  5  0  0 .214 .308 .231

Louisville Players of the Month

2006-05-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Denorfia and Michalak earned these awards this last month. I think Denorfia doesn't have much more to prove in AAA but with our logjam, I'm not sure what they are going to do. And with Cody Ross being Krivskys guy, they really are stuck. McCracken should go and will have to to make room for Ross or we loose him to waivers. Michalak is another story. I think he needs to get a shot at a rotation spot if there is another injury. He is doing pretty well in AAA but has never shown much in the majors.

Game Thoughts - 5-16

2006-05-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

This team needs a roster shake up bad. I'm not suggesting anything serious. Just a little manuevering. The bullpen needs to be dealt with, either within or outside of our system. Anyone on the 40 man should be fair game to bring up. I think everyone already knows how I feel about Coutlangus. I think Gosling could be an improvement also. As of right now, I would like to see a bullpen of Weathers, Belisle, Ramirez, Coffey, Gosling and possibly Coutlangus at least until Mercker comes off the DL. I think Burns showed a little of what he is capable of tonight. He does pound the strike zone, almost to a fault. He proceeded to load up the bases and somehow was able to wiggle out of trouble. This is typical for him. I am also hoping that when Aurilia comes back, this offense will pick up. They also have to decide what to do when Cody Ross is going to have to be called up. He has hit 3 homers in just 9 games in AAA. He might just be another great pick up by Krivsky. What a great talent evaluator. They are going to have to make some decisions. I wouldn't mind if McCracken went away but I'm not sure if management feels the same way. I would also like to see David Ross getting some more playing time. He has come up with some great pinch hit at bats and I think might do better offensively with more regular playing time. He is our best offensive weapon at catcher and for some reason this team needs to have its best hitters in every game. We have got to get out of this funk!!! 4 L's in a row.

Jay Garthwaite

2006-05-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Jay Garthwaite was born in 1980, which makes him 25 right now, which also right away makes him a little old for how far he has reached in the minors. The Reds claimed him off waivers so he didn't really cost us anything. He is a 6-2, 215 lbs, OF who has played all OF positions. He started out as a right fielder who could play center if he had to. He has done that in short stints, but he is now listed as a left fielder. He has descent speed for his size, but an average arm. He was drafted by the A's in round 12 in 1999 but decided to go to the University of Washington. He was then selected by the Diamondbacks in the 14th round of the 2002 draft. Baseball America ranked him 19th in their 2004 issue. They think hecould show 30 homer power in majors, but is very raw. He was also a football player and is still picking up the game. They also mention that he is a consumate pro and has great character. He is not ranked in any of their other issues but did get a mention in their 2006 handbook for leading the Diamondbacks in K's with 131. Not a good sign.

I believe he might have turned a corner this year. He did not fair well with a promotion to AA. I don't know if he is ever going to help the big team out and if he did it would be as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He definitely needs work on his plate discipline as it seems he is getting worse with each promotion. He did just hit for the cycle last week. If he is ever going to make it to the bigs I think he is going to have to make a move very soon.

Minor League numbers

Year L    G   AB   R   H  2B 3B HR RBI SB CS  BB  SO  AVG
2002 A-  14   51   6   9   5  0  1   3  0  0   3  12 .176
2002 A   46  162  21  40  10  2  2  18  2  2  11  62 .247
2002 A+   7   11   2   4   0  0  1   3  0  0   2   7 .364
2003 A+ 113  437  82 130  33  2 22  87  3  5  30  97 .297
2004 A+  63  238  49  74  17  3 12  41  5  3  17  55 .311
2004 AA  42  122   9  23   5  2  2  13  2  0   5  37 .189
2005 A+ 124  487  81 146  36  4 21 102  1  3  33 131 .300
Totals  409 1508 250 426 106 13 61 267 13 13 101 401 .282


2006 Minor League numbers  currently in Sarasota High A
 G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS  OBP  SLG  AVG28 117 15 32  8  2  6  19 62  2 34  3  1 .292 .530 .274

Game Thoughts 5-14 P.S. Why Mike Burns?

2006-05-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

I don't really have much to say about todays game except for what happened to our offense. Once again we wasted a good pitching performance from Claussen. These young guys need to go out thinking that if they can get a few runs and only give up a few they have a great chance to win. Right now I would have to wonder about the confidence of our pitchers in our offense. I cannot wait for Aurilia to come off the DL. Well enough of that. On to other things.

Why Mike Burns? When I heard this I was confused. Didn't we just give this guy an audition and he realy screwed it up? I think this guy has proven that he is a AAAA player. Baseball Think Factory thinks he is nothing more than a journeyman. He is fair as far as flyball/groundball goes, which is good in our ballpark. They also think he has done much better since being converted to full time relief.

He has been doing a good job in AAA but I predict he will fall apart again. I remember him starting out the season pretty well and then he started getting torched and I think that will happen again. I would have rather called up someone else on the 40 man and see what they could have done. We have seen this guy. I also think if he fails this time he will be released. He was a waiver wire pick up and didn't cost us much. We do have other options on the 40 man. Gosling, Germano, Dumatrait, Chick, and Wagner. Wagner has been doing horrible and I think it might still be too early for Dumatrait and Chick but I would have liked to see any of the other guys. Gosling would have given them another lefty since we lost Mercker. I like Gosling and I don't think he got enough of a view in the Majors this year. He had a decent Spring Training. I would have brought him up.

2006 Major League totalsIP W-L SV ERA Ks BB8.1 0-0 0 7.56 5 3

2006 Minor League totals
W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO1 0 1.84 9 0 0 0 0 14.2 11 3 3 1 2 17

2006 Zip Projection (Mike Burns)
W L G GS IP H ER HR BB SO ERA3 4 54 0 63 64 33 10 18 50 4.71

Game Thoughts 5-13

2006-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. What an offense we have. We have wasted 2 pretty good pitching performances from our 2 worst starters. I mean, if we could get from Ramirez and Williams what we have gotten out of them in their last 2 starts, I think everyone would be happy. And this team is seriously missing Aurilia. We need him in our lineup. He is so undervalued on this team. Just had to get that off my chest. I was impressed with Hamels yesterday night, it makes me wonder what Homer could do. Hamels is going to be good for years to come. I'm not sure if he was having first game jitters but he is going to have to work on his command. He does have a good delivery. Very smooth and he copies it well. I'm not sure what we are going to do when Aurilia comes off the DL this week. My guess is Olmedo is gone although he has done well in his brief appearances. Then what happens when Uncle Milty comes back. I would like to see us move Elizardo to the pen and release White or Hammond. I doubt this would happen, but one can hope. A rotation of Harang, Arroyo, Milton, Claussen and Williams, I could live with. Or flip-flop Williams and Ramirez and put Williams in the pen. That would also give us some options in long relief because Belisle still makes me nervous. Really, I just want to see White and Hammond off our roster.

Jon Coutlangus

2006-05-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first attempt at a prospect profile and I have quickly discovered that it is alot hard to find good statistical information on minor leaguers than major leaguers. So for anyone who has seen JinAz's player profiles, which I would definitely recommend checking out, these won't be anywhere near as good as those.

Jon Coutlangus was born in 1980 which would make him 26 right now, which I am thinking is kinda old for AA. He is 6-1, 1851. He was drafted as an outfielder by Milwaukee in the 33rd round in 2000, but did not sign. He then went to school at the University of South Carolina and was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 2003 draft, 19th round, as an outfielder. He was made a left handed pitcher after his batting average plummeted in his second minor league year. He was put on San Franciscos 40 man roster, but released him before the 2006 season. Wayne Krivsky decided to take a flyer on this guy and was one of his first signings. John Sickels ranked Jon number 16, a C+, on his top 20 Giants prospects. He did mention that they do have a fairly weak farm system. Baseball America ranked him 20 in their 2006 Prospect Handbook. He wasn't ranked in any o their previous issues, although in their 2003 draft analysis he was rated the fastest runner with a 55 on the scouts 20-80 scale.

Year Team Level W L ERA G SV IP H ER HR BB SO AVG.
04 Giants R 0 0 0.00 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
05 San Jose A 4 0 3.04 50 3 77 64 26 3 29 79 .234
Career 4 0 3.00 51 3 78 65 26 3 29 79 .234

This years numbers from AA-Chattanooga as of 5-14-06
W L ERA G SV IP H ER HR BB SO
1 0 1.33 16 2 20.1 8 3 0 10 20

Zip Projection (for major leagues, could be better in minors)
Name W L ERA G GS INN H ER HR BB K
Coutlangus 2 2 4.67 50 0 79.0 80 41 10 27 53

I believe Coutlangus was an excellent pickup by Krivsky. He didn't cost us anything, except a spot on our 40 man. If he keeps pitching as expected, he should definitely be a September call up and could be a key addition in our playoff push. Keep an eye on this guy.

Whew!!!

2006-05-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

We really squeeked by with that win. What about Jr? Put all those doubters at ease. I looked over at my wife and said, "If Griffey hits this out they win." That was awesome. And did everyone see Griffey play with Kearns' ears and vice versa? That was hilarious. Also, what are we doing wasting roster spots on Hammond and White? We need to get some of these youngsters up here and break them in. We have plenty of AAA and AA players that could fill their roles. Coutlangus is on the 40 man and has been doing a great job in AA. I will try to profile him soon. Anyways, very encouraged with this win. We fought back and beat a team we should have beat.

Jr. off the DL

2006-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it finally happened. Jr. is off the DL and some might say just in time. The offense has been struggling and he WILL make everyone better. This WILL make the bench better and the lineup produce more. Almost everyones AVG has dropped since he went on the DL, (except Kearns, Aurilia and Phillips), and I think this has definitely shown that Freel is not an everyday player. As for switching positions, I think that is crazy. Griff is the best CF on this team, although I would like to see what Denorfia could do every day. Leave him in center, leave Dunn in left and keep the platoon between Hatteberg and Aurilia going at first. This team was clicking big time when Griff was in the lineup and will click again.

My first post

2006-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hello to anyone who might read this. My name is Daryl and I love the Reds. I hope that you might enjoy this blog. I am going to be focusing more on the Reds farm system and up and coming Reds. I will also be discussing all things Reds, such as Jr. coming off the DL today. Thank you for checking this out and let me know what you would like to see.