As reported by John Fay:

From the Reds:

SS Alex Gonzalez has been diagnosed with a compression fracture of his left knee. He will be evaluated again in 3 weeks.

Good news for Keppinger and Castro, I’d think. And Gil, if you believe today’s Baker rant.

There’s about half of an interesting article about Dusty on the Sporting News website.  Sean Deveney sets out to look at Dusty’s history with young pitchers, but seems to lose steam halfway through, and the article just ends.  Worth a quick read, though.

Homer Bailey will make his debut today against the Rays at 1:05. I’m still trying to find out if it will be broadcast anywhere (doesn’t look like MLB.tv is carrying it).

Meanwhile, Dusty Baker had some comments about Homer:

“I think he’s in better position because his mechanics are better, allowing him to throw better strikes,” Baker said. “From what I hear, he was all arms and legs last year.”

There were whispers last year that Bailey wasn’t very coachable. Baker hasn’t seen that.

“Sometimes you need to fail to really listen,” Baker said. “He’s been all ears basically, which you like in a young player. But sometimes they have to fail before they listen.”

And apparently, it’s working.

“Dick Pole told me his side (sessions) were very good,” Baker said. “It’s getting better each side. I talked to him and he feels he’s improving, getting better, which is what you want to see.”

Following Bailey on the mound will be Edinson Volquez, so it should be an interesting afternoon in Sarasota.

UPDATE: Looks like WLW won’t be covering the game today, but the next two days — with Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo pitching — will be broadcast.

–Meet our new closer, Coco! This guy is gonna help.

–Sad to see that Chief Bender passed away.

–Two awesome articles here, one about Adam Dunn and Jay Bruce (don’t miss this one) and the other about Bruce and Joey Votto.

Goodness, I can’t wait for Opening Day. There are lots of things I love about the current roster; Dunn, Bruce, and Votto are at the top of that list. Can’t wait to see these guys.

Lotsa pitchers and lotsa outs today — including good outings by Matt Belisle and Josh Fogg — as the Reds beat up on the Twins.

I think it’s clear now that the Reds are the best team in the majors.

In response to Mike Coolbaugh’s tragic death, MLB is requiring base coaches to wear protective headgear. At least one aging little elf is none too happy, because he thinks it makes him look uncool. One spring training game in, Braves first base coach Glenn Hubbard was already bitching and moaning (from the AP):

Glenn Hubbard trotted on the field Wednesday wearing a helmet — and feeling downright ridiculous.

“You know what it feels like?” he asked before a spring training game. “Look at that kid over there.”

Hubbard pointed toward a young batboy standing at the edge of the Braves dugout, his head dutifully covered by a helmet.

“That’s what I feel like,” Hubbard said, not bothering to hide the disgust in his voice. “A batboy.”

Poor Glenn. God forbid a 50-year-old man, who wears knickers to work (not to mention ill-fitting blue-blockers, a mini-mullet, and an abysmal goatee), be made to look silly. Yes, it’s truly unfair for Glenn Hubbard to look anything less than his usual cool as he slaps younger men’s butts and safeguards their discarded batting gloves.

I’m sure his family would definitely risk the chance of traumatic brain injury, if only Glenn could maintain that dapper, professional look that he spent so long cutivating. You know, like this:

At least he had his dignity.

It’s February 28, and I’m sick of Gary Majewski already. Sheesh. You just know GM Wayne Krivsky has to cringe every time he looks at the Majewk Man.

But, hey, Jay Bruce is batting .500!

As much as I rip on the crazy thing Dusty Baker says, I will hopefully be just as quick to praise the really great stuff, like this (from Fay’s blog):

Fay asked if Cueto, Voltron or Homer will be sent down if they don’t make the rotation:

“Not necessarily,” Dusty Baker said. “I come from the Dodger way. With young guys, the next best thing is long relief. It’s in between starting and relieving. It’s probably the less pressure on the staff because most of the time you’re coming in when you’re behind. We did it with Dave Burba in San Francisco, and he ended up winning nine, 10 games.

A lot of young guys start out in long relief,” Baker said. “If a guy’s not going to start, that’s the next best thing.

I’ve been banging this particular drum for years (Steve P. wrote about it back in ‘05). This used to be standard operating procedure for developing pitchers. Earl Weaver’s Orioles were the best pitching-development shop in baseball for a couple decades, and that’s how they did it. Fay mentions Nolan Ryan, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Don Gullett and Roy Oswalt.

It’s more true for some than others (Oswalt spent one month in the ‘pen; Santana spent the better part of three years), but I think it’s a brilliant idea, in general. As Fay notes, guaranteed contracts for Mike Stanton and Todd Coffey are an issue, but according to Fay, it “[s]ounds like Baker would like to go with 11 or 12 best arms.”

Occasionally, I’ll check Redleg Nation’s referral logs to see how you guys are getting here. Last night, someone performed this Google search, and ended up here (at this post).

Heh.

I wish that I had started compiling, back in Adam Dunn’s rookie season, a list of humorous anecdotes surrounding the big guy. It would make a funny book someday.

Now that the season is back in full swing, we already have one anecdote to be added to that list, and today I’ve found another:

Speaking of Dunn, he was taking bunting practice off a machine and was asked by a coach why he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Said Dunn, “If I hit myself in the head, it’s my own fault.”

Indeed.

For all the bellyaching about Adam Dunn’s perceived weaknesses, and the need for him to change his approach, nobody mentions that he already did it.

Maybe if you geeks would get your heads out of the ballpark and actually pick up a stat sheet once in a while, you’d notice these absolutely insane numbers:

Adam Dunn after August 1 (47 G, 195 ABs)

.275 .441 .584 1025 OPS, 13 HRs, 43 BB (5 IBB), 39 K.

The 1025 OPS would’ve ranked 2nd in the league last year (Chipper, 1029). But look at those K/BB numbers - more walks than strikeouts? And a 45 HR pace? Jeepers.

Blogger/etc. “Mr. Redlegs” has noted the difference in Dunn’s late season approach a couple times, but I really don’t recall any mention in the mainstream press. And it certainly sounded like Dusty Baker’s somewhat-pointed “base clogging” comments were aimed at big #44. I guess Dusty could still be mad at Hee Seop Choi, but Reds fans are still having the same debates.

Dunn seems to have changed his approach. Maybe we should too.

From John Fay’s blog:

For those that dreamed of Keppinger getting a shot at the SS job…forget it.

I asked Dusty Baker about the great Jeff Keppinger/Alex Gonzalez debate. He stopped short of the calling Gonzalez his shortstop but said:

“Well, you don’t get any better defensively than Gonzalez. Keppinger’s a good player. Gonzalez has more range. Gonzalez is one of the top shortstops in baseball to me. Keppinger did a fine job. You like have a guy like Keppinger on your team. Keppinger’s working out at first base, third base, shortstop, second base.

“I know he can hit, and he knows he can hit.”

Baker said he doesn’t have a number of at-bats in mind for Keppinger.

“Not really,” Baker said. “It works itself out. You’ve got help stay ready. It’s up to me play everybody enough to keep them ready. So they’re ready when they have to play everyday.’

I never did think it was a realistic idea. The Reds are paying him too much $$ to not start. Keppinger’s just been “typecast” as a utility/part time guy.

When Baker was asked who would hit leadoff when Ryan Freel and Norris Hopper aren’t playing, he said: “I hope one or the other is in the game.”

That would appear not to bode well for the Jay Bruce’s chance. But it should be noted that not one game has been played. Josh Hamilton went from an after thought an everyday player with a great spring.

Sure doesn’t bode well. Seems to mean that Bruce will need to have a BIG SPRING to make the team. I hope he does, but every day and with seemingly every comment, he seems more likely to start the year in Louisville. Hope I’m wrong.

This is what I get for being upbeat about Dusty Baker in my last post. We all know Dusty’s ridiculous statements regarding on-base percentage. Well, for those who think he’s learned anything on that point, I give you this:

Baker has repeatedly talked about the desire to have a do-it-all leadoff hitter with speed. What kinds of hitters is he looking for further down the lineup? Does he want guys with lofty on-base percentages? The answer will likely not sit well with fans of the book “Moneyball,” because Baker said he believes the OBP statistic is overvalued.

“I’m big on driving in runs and scoring runs,” Baker said. “Guys in the middle should score about close to equal to what they drive in. On-base percentage, that’s fine and dandy. But a lot of times guys get so much into on-base percentage that they cease to swing. It’s becoming a little bit out of control.

“What you do is run the pitcher’s count up, that helps,” Baker said. “You put him in the stretch, that helps. But your job in the middle is to either score them or drive them in. The name of the game is scoring runs. Sometimes, you get so caught up in on-base percentage that you’re clogging up the bases.”

“[C]logging up the bases.” He said that in the last day or two.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Prospectus released its 2008 hitter projections this evening (their book is shipping now). Everyone but catchers are subscriber-only, but the Jay Bruce projection is particularly exciting:

That’s the “weighted mean” projection, and assumes a full season (654 PAs). Rate-stat-wise, it’s not quite as good as Josh Hamilton last year, but those counting numbers would almost guarantee a Rookie of the Year trophy.

A couple other tidbits:EE is just about as productive, but with fewer extra-base-hits but better contract (.285, .356, .493).

They project BP to lose about 40 points of SLG (-10 HR), and keep that level of production for the remainder of the deal he just signed.

Not great news for the idea of using either Mr. Freel (.260, .334, .370), or Mr. Hopper (.288, .324, .342) as a leadoff man. Keppinger will come back down to earth, but will still be a very useful hitter.

Finally, PECOTA doesn’t adjust for organizational stupidity, so they only have this guy (.226, .266, .318) getting 57 PAs.

Some interesting comments from manager Dusty Baker regarding young 1B Joey Votto:

But early comments from Baker suggest the guard could change this year.

“What’s Hatteberg? Thirty-eight?” Baker said. “Votto’s the future here. I talked to Hatteberg about Votto. He thinks he’s going to be a heck of a player. He’s not conceding his position. … I think he understands to be part of the club that Votto might have to be a major part of it. It might be Votto’s time.”

It’s no secret that one of the major concerns over the hiring of Baker as Reds manager was that the Reds have a pretty good crop of youngsters, and Baker has a demonstrated aversion to playing young guys. That said, the above comments are encouraging. I love Scott Hatteberg, and he has become one of my favorite Reds, but it’s time for Votto to move into the starting lineup.

As for Baker, we’ll see how he manages once the season starts, but you have to admit that he’s mostly been saying all the right things since he was hired (well, except for that gibberish about Cory Patterson being a good option as a leadoff hitter). I disagreed with the hiring, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. We’ll wait and see….