Reds Tidbits (2008 season)

[coastalbuck]

I know we need the arms, and baseball wise, this is a good move. I'm not too excited about it though! Good luck kid, use your head..

[Jaxbuck]

Link to Rangers blog. Mixed reviews but OF was a need for them it appears. Their concern is Hamilton falling off the wagon obviously.

The more I read about this kid the happier I am and the more I hope the Bedard thing is dead. Volquez, Homer and Cueto all project as front end starter types, are all at/near MLB ready and are all young. Our rotation could be legit in the next couple of years. Harang and Arroyo aren't old by any stretch.

Volquez appears to have a blazing sinking fastball with a wicked change up. He has good GB:FB and K rates and believe it or not comes from a more hitter friendly park in a better hitting league. He should be our #2/#3 from day 1.

[DaytonBuck]

Someone convince me this franchise has a future besides trying to win the this central and get bounced from the playoffs in the first round.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by DaytonBuck

Someone convince me this franchise has a future besides trying to win the this central and get bounced from the playoffs in the first round.

I think not selling off the good young china for Bedard shows they aren't running down that trail(thank God).

We now have a good young corp of players including some promising pitching, and while we are waiting for it to develop we have the luxury of being in the worst division in baseball. We can still be competative.

I'm actually in decent spirits regarding the future (assuming Dusty manages/develops the kids well which is a huge assumption)

[coastalbuck]

I'm with Jax here, the pieces are starting to line up pretty well but Dusty is the wild card. He could run it all into the ground in 60 games next year, or patiently contend for a Central div. championship. IMO it's on him.

[Bestbuck36]

Does this mean that Belisle goes to long relief?

IF that happens then I might be changing my tune regarding this pitching staff as a whole. We're looking at possibly a good to great bullpen by only making a coupld of moves which if we'd have said that outloud we'd have been committed for sure.

Harang
Arroyo
Volquez
Bailey
Cueto

No Lefties in the starting rotation kind of hurts though.

Belisle
Livingston

Either one of those guys could be starting and the replacement would fit in here as well with Bailey or Cueto.

Coffey
Burton
Weathers
Coutlangus

If they can pitch like they did last season, this would be a very good setup crew.

Cordero

Will Cordero continue to pitch well or fall apart after the big contract?

Is this an actual possiblility this year? I dont want to get my hopes up but if this comes to fruition, I'll like our chances.

[bearonu]

I don't think there's any chance at all three of Volquez, Bailey, and Cueto being in the rotation at the start of the season. Belisle is going to get every chance to prove himself, good or bad. How close is Cueto to being major league ready? I was always under the impression that he is more of a 2009 target.

[Jt4prez]

I tend to think the rotation will look something like this:

1. Harang
2. Arroyo
3. Belisle
4. Bailey
5. Volquez

Cueto, depending on how well he does in AAA will probably get a shot in the pen sometime around the middle of the season. If(and it's a big "IF") Belisle can pitch to his potential and Bailey/Volquez figure it out our rotation will be competitive. I think we will be fairly competitive this season, but '09 is the season we should all be looking forward to.

[Bestbuck36]

I didnt specify the start of the season or even by the All-Star break. By the turning point of the season I'm hoping we can see something in this realm though.

[crazybuckfan40]

I would of loved to see Hamilton and Bruce in the outfield together...

They both have cannons for arms, and I do believe that Hamilton will be an all star in time...

Also I know nothing about Volquez, but hopefully this deal works out for us...

Cueto will not be ready to make a splash in the rotation until 09' IMO...

Hopefully Homer has worked on the control of his offspeed stuff and can throw it for strikes...

I still like Livingston, and wouldnt mind him as the 5th guy...I like Belisle stuff but he always seemed to get riled up as the game would go on, so I think he might make a better pitcher out of the bullpen...

Really like the direction that WK is taking this franchise and some of his moves have been down right steals...

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by bearonu

I don't think there's any chance at all three of Volquez, Bailey, and Cueto being in the rotation at the start of the season. Belisle is going to get every chance to prove himself, good or bad.

Dead on. I'm not even sure we'll see HB unless he's much improved from the last we saw of him.

I still like having Volquez, HB and Cueto as the young pitching nucleus going foreward.

[CausticMick]

Tonight was a proud night for me as a Reds fan.

One of my uncles was a great baseball advocate for me when I was younger, helping me understand the game while watching AAA baseball with him for over 15 years. He was one of the people in my life that helped me grasp the intricacies of the sport and earn an appreciation of the game considered our National Pastime before the NFL took the reigns as we know it today. Sitting together at our family Christmas party, I was speaking with him about baseball and the upcoming Reds season. Now, he started following baseball when he was young- watching the (Columbus) Jets, then the Clippers, and followed the Yankees in his youth because he was able to watch home grown talent as they came through AAA. Despite the fact a lot of the top talent is plucked from AA these days, he stayed with the Clippers and, in hand, the Yankees.

After some conversation, he communicated to me that since the Clippers were dropped by the Yankees, he no longer felt the loyalty to the Yankee organization he once did. He told me there was no way he could follow the Indians due to some tough experiences in Cleveland as a Yankees fan, so he's "hopping on the Red Bandwagon in 2008." I felt a sense of pride that such a great baseball fan was going to be joining our fan base, and warned him I think we're years away from any success. He acknowledged such and sees it as an opportunity to watch the Reds on TV as well as be able to attend more games more often. He's one of those guys that will sport his colors proudly, and said he will probably now feel more passionate about his MLB team from a "home grown" perspective.

Welcome aboard, Sammy. It'll be a bumpy ride, but I hope one day you too can feel the same joys I did in 1990 watching Chris Sabo, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Billy Hatcher and the like bring one home on the old AstroTurf against the mighty A's in a four game sweep.

[schwab]

I was able to convince a friend a few summers ago that while the Reds weren't gonna win the Series that year, they will turn into a franchise worth watching and following. He was about half-Indians fan, and had no reason to even think I wasn't just lying to him. He's a sports nut, and I couldn't believe he didn't already have a team. He agreed to give the Reds a shot, (not that I was asking, just presenting)and to this day, I am getting texts from him about moves the Reds make before I even know about them. Much in the same manner me and OSBBJ were still posting in the '07 thread . I didn't expect him to just pick up on the Reds like he did, and it makes it all the more worth it to me to know that I'm not the only idiot still riding this bandwagon .

Ah yes, Go Reds!

Merry Christmas

[GrizzlyBuck]

Caustic, "in 1990 watching Chris Sabo, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Billy Hatcher and the like bring one home on the old AstroTurf against the mighty A's in a four game sweep."

I remember most people thought the Reds had no chance against the juggernaut Athletics of McGuire and Canseco, the Bash brothers. Remind you of anything? Hopefully the goodguys (Bucks and Reds) can suprise and shut up the naysayers this year too.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all from GrizzlyBuck and family

[Jaxbuck]

I know one thing I'd like to see them do to get a little better, trun Freel into something other than a sunk cost.

Hopper and Keppinger make Freel redundant, older and expensive. I don't know how they could or what they could get back but they could still use plenty of help.

Especially a RH bat and or a true leadoff hitter. Still a lot of work to do before April Wayne.