Loading ...The first weekend of spring training is over, and a few minor storylines have emerged from Reds camp in Sarasota. Among them:
–Everyone’s talking about Homer Bailey: John Fay, Hal McCoy, Mark Sheldon.
As usual, Daedalus believes in Homer. I do, too. The kid is 22 years old. People are acting like he’s 29.
–Aaron Harang is skinny, according to McCoy and Sheldon. The big guy has lost 25 pounds, and is primed for a big comeback season.
–Manager Dusty Baker also announced that Harang will be the Opening Day starter for the fourth consecutive season.
–Closer Francisco Cordero says he was not healthy in 2008, but that he’s almost 100% now. Let’s hope.
–David Weathers says he’s happy to be back with Cincinnati. You know my feelings on Weathers, so I won’t repeat myself. Weathers did have this telling quote, though: “I’m just happy I have a job, to be honest with you.”
–Finally, check out these great photos of Dusty Baker.
Isn’t it great to have real on-the-field baseball items to discuss? Finally!
Bailey pitched well enough in three of those MLB starts to win three.
That Colorado game of Bailey’s will always stand out as one of the most bizarre. Has anyone in history ever given up 15 hits in 4.2 innings and had 14 of them be singles?
What does everyone think about Homer’s role this year? It would be great if he could grab onto the 5th starter job with both hands, but if he does not should we send him back to AAA so he can pitch regularly or use him out of the bullpen to get him ML experience?
And yes, the actual baseball stuff is wonderful.
Off-topic (sorry) but I didn’t want this to get buried on an old thread…
Here’s why I’m optimistic about Jonny Gomes, and I really hope we see him get 300+ AB’s this year. I know these stats from the minors don’t tell you everything, but they definitely tell you something:
Gomes (minors) – .272/.398/.529
Bruce (minors) – .308/.366/.555
Votto (minors) – .289/.385/.476
Phillips (minors) – .274/.339/.418
EE (minors) – .291/.352/.451
Anyone else with me on the Gomes bandwagon? His isolated power is in the minors is exactly the same as Jay Bruce’s!
Here’s hoping the Reds’ love affair with David freaking Weathers ends this year.
Gomes spent the better part of the last 4 years in the majors, and his platoon splits are so pronounced over that time I am not sure how relevant the minor league numbers are at this point:
vs. Left 296 50 78 15 3 19 50 43 8 85 9 5 .264 .368 .527 .895
vs. Right 591 74 118 31 1 26 79 68 12 203 12 5 .200 .291 .387 .678
That having been said, I do think he could be valuable as a platoon candidate and RHB off the bench and was well worth the risk of signing. So I guess that puts me on the edge of the bandwagon.
I would prefer to see Homer stay up here. Nothing against Ted Power but I think it would be to Bailey’s advantage to work on a consistent basis with Dick Pole. Plus he could work short stints to test out the tweaks that DP makes.
First games a week from Wednesday:
http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master-schedule.htm
Does anyone believe that Taveras can steal 100 bases this season?
http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/
I wouldn’t mind seeing Homer at L’Ville to start out and get him pitching like he should have been.
As far as Gomes, he is a lefty masher and that is about it.
I like that Taveras is happy to be a red and to play in Cincy, but I can’t see anyway he gets .350 OBP or steal 100 bases.
After the CP23 experience last year, I find it easy to believe Willy Taveras will get 700 ABs this year. It doesn’t matter how he plays, he’ll get his ABs.
However, if he posts a .350 OBP and steals 100 bases, I will eat my 1990s era pin-striped Reds cap.
Great quote from Weathers. It was terrible to sign him, but frankly, I find it hard to dislike the guy because he seems to down to earth and understands he’s pretty average. Hopefully he has a sub-4.00 era. I’d be happy with that.
My thoughts on Bailey are I hope he earns the 5th spot. If he earns the 5th in spring, then I’d keep him in that slot through at least June 1st regardless of how he performs. Even if he starts off terrible, I think it is time for him to get some real experience and not have to worry that one bad start will put him on a bus to Louisville. If he stays in the rotation and has a sub 5.00 ERA, I’d be satisfied. That would be good production from the 5th spot.
a little note about Harang being the opening day starter for the Reds 4 years running
The last Reds pitcher to opening the season 4 years in a row was Rijo from 1992-95
Before that Soto pitched opening day 5 years straight from 1982-86
No other Reds starter has pitched opening day 4 years in a row (or more) since 1956
Since 1956 the Reds leaders in opening day starts
6 Soto
4 Rijo
3 Seaver, O’Toole, Nolan, Harang and Browning
here is an interesting list. How about opening day starts for position players?
# of opening day starts as a Red since 1956
17 Rose and Larkin
16 Concepcion
14 Bench
11 Pinson
10 Robinson and Perez
maybe this would be more interesting by position. Opening day starts by position for the Reds since 1956
1B: 8 Driessen
2B: 8 Oester and Morgan
3B: 7 Sabo
SS: 17 Larkin
LF: 7 DUNN!!!!!!
CF: 8 Pinson
RF: 7 Griffey
C: 12 Bench
notice how at almost every position it’s 7-8 years as the Reds opening day starter with two glaring exceptions. Larkin and Bench
I’m all for Gomes starting in LF, in a platoon with Dickerson.
I’m all for Bailey starting the year in the majors, as a reliever if not a starter.
mike, griffey only started RF for two of those seven years. but fun stuff.
I think he meant KG, Sr.
veteran presence, baby.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Oil-Can-Boyd-wants-another-chance-at-the-bigs-at?urn=mlb,141780
Personally I see Owings being the 5th starter. Unless the Reds move Arroyo for a bat, Bailey should be in the minors.
I was hoping wiser heads than mine would reach a consensus on Bailey
My two cents worth is that if we had a defined job for him in the pen, pitching the 8th the way the Yankees used Chamberlain for example, that works. But if he is going to be pitching long relief at random intervals in blowouts, he might better in AAA.
Bailey has such good heat, I could see him being successful as a reliever — preferably a long reliever (2-3 innings at a time, 100-125 innings for the season). I think it’s silly that relievers almost never pitch more than one inning at a time.
And when I say “long reliever,” I don’t just mean mop up guy, for when the starter gets shelled and we’re down 8-1 in the 4th. I mean pitching in close games in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings.
All the reliever specialization of this era (including LOOGY’s, and the fact that almost no one ever goes more than 1 inning) costs the team a roster spot — this is why teams all carry 12 pitchers now (and only 13 hitters). If you knew you could get over 100 innings from one of your relievers, I think you could carry 11 pitchers and 14 hitters. I would think that would help!
Isn’t pitching Opening Day usually given to the pitcher who was the most outstanding the previous year. Did I miss something or shouldn’t it be Volquez? (All Star, 17 wins,?). Hopefully he is back but I would have to put Harang third on that list coming into Spring Training.
If Homer isn’t a starter he should start in the bullpen. I don’t think he can learn anymore in AAA and if he can hit 95 mph for an inning or two he would be great in the pen. Hopefully being aroud the big leaguers will have an impact on his head.
Encarnacion avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a 2-yr deal with the Reds today (actually 2am last night) according to The Enquirer.
“Isn’t pitching Opening Day usually given to the pitcher who was the most outstanding the previous year. ”
Not always. It usually goes to the team’s “#1 starter” but that’s not always exactly true, either. Tenure and other circumstances can sometimes play into that.
I’d still label Harang this team’s #1 starter if I had to rank the rotation 1-5.
“I would have to put Harang third on that list coming into Spring Training.”..
Idiot!
I don’t know how you look at stats. But if the premise is that the honor of pitching opening day is a reward to the outstanding starter from the pevious year, then in the three pitching triple crown categories:
Volquez 17-6 3.21 ERA 206 K
Arroyo 15-11 4.77 ERA 163 K
Harang 6-17 4.78 ERA 153 K
By my calculations that is third in every category. Is that the way I hope it ends up in ‘09? Nope. But it sure ended that way in ‘08.
What worries me is Volquez’s 2nd half:
5-3, 4.60 ERA 80 K (in 78.1 IP)
I’d love to see Homer step up and take the #5 starter, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I just don’t see him beating out Owings for that spot.
Volquez is talented, but not nearly consistent enough to be considered a #1…as of now, he’s still more talent than established.
Harang, bad 2008 or not, had reasons to not excel; unless he can’t pitch in the spring, he should start opening day.
As for Bailey….I think starting the season in the bullpen may be the thing he needs….
Earl Weaver’s record with the Orioles may be a good example to follow:
Doyle Alexander, 21 year old rookie, 106 innings, 35 games, 9 starts
Roric Harrison, 25 year old rookie, 94 innings, 39 games, 2 starts
Wayne Garland, 23 year old rookie, 91 innings, 20 games, 6 starts,
Paul Mitchell, 25 year old rookie, 57 innings, 11 games, 4 starts
Mike Flanagan, 24 year old rookie, 85 innings, 20 games, 10 starts
Dennis Martinez, 22 year old rookie, 166 innings, 42 games, 13 starts
Scott McGregor, 23 year old rookie, 114 innings, 29 games, 5 starts
Pretty darn good track record, if you ask me; in fact, I found one–only one–starting pitcher that joined the Orioles as a youngster and started the majority of his games his rookie year, and that was Jesse Jefferson….who didn’t work out. In fact, he was sent to the bullpen the next couple of years to try to work it out.
Jim Palmer was brought along the same way as a 19 year old rookie.
Oh…you may notice…the best pitchers started younger than the others….
“Everyone’s talking about Homer Bailey”
That’s because they’re all standing around in a pack, content to all file the exact same story every day.
Steve,
That is some great stuff on the Orioles.
Storm Davis is another of Weaver’s Orioles that could fit that mold when he was age 20 in 1982, 29 games 8 Starts 8 wins, 101 innings.
It just makes sense and since Homer’s struggled, put him in spots where he can succeed and build his confidence.