Reds roster

[JohnU]

That would be
AY-YOU-HEY-NE-OH

Interesting analysis of Suarez, btw. Good read.

 

[HammerDown]

 

[JohnU]

Avery is going to be signed next Monday.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

This 40 man roster is thin when it comes to bullpen options with so many projected SP's on the DL/ rehab assignments. The Reds have shown themselves to lack confidence in their non-roster minor league depth opting to make waiver claims and mid ST signings instead. Drew Hayes was finally added to the 40 man and called up, but it looks more like maintaining a body count more than a vote of confidence. The only available 40 man option is Stephen Johnson who has struggled to start the season.

Bailey, Desclafani, and Lamb are being stretched out to join the rotation. Currently Iglesias, Finnegan, Simon, Moscot, and Straily comprise the current rotation and barring injury the only lock to remain in the rotation is Iglesias. Finnegan has pitched well, but his performance the next three weeks is much more relevant to his future role than the first three weeks of the season. There are 8 names in the mix over the next three weeks and if all goes as planned three are going to have their roles/ status changed.

Lorenzen will be the last one to the party and the bullpen is most likely his new home. I think he profiles to be a back end guy that can help this beleaguered group.

 

[chico ruiz]

you might like this link h-n-r: Brandon Finnegan Looks Like a Starter | FanGraphs Baseball

 

[JohnU]

It's clear Stephenson is ready to pitch at the top level and I am a bit concerned about the DL stint for Cody Reed, lacerated finger. The bullpen sorely needs another lefty option with Cingrani proving to be far far too inconsistent despite having more than sufficient MLB time. I assume Reed is going to be that option. Any of this group can be part of a rotation but I think the retreads that came north to fill in will soon be a giant trivia quiz. Finnegan, I agree, will present his own resume over the next month. He needs to be ready in the event Lamb or Disco falls short.

I like the roster moving forward IF Hamilton's recent approach at the plate is anything consistent. Schebler seems disposed to try to club home runs as a way of making the lineup. Ah ... that won't work. But the Reds overall appear to be hitting better despite the long lulls from the 2nd to the 6th inning lately. It's hard to measure hitting against a staff that has a roster full of 7.70 ERA guys like the Rocks have. It's hard to tell how legit those ERAs are.

Barnhart is showing that he is consistently pretty good from the left side.

I still think the sleeper in all this is Adam DuVall. I would expect to see some pretty good numbers there over the next 1,500 at-bats if he gets consistent PT.

All that, for the moment, concerns me about the big-league roster is eventual turnover in the infield. Suarez is at best ordinary but he will improve. Cozart will soon begin to age, as has Phillips.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Haven't seen any of the three KC lefties enough to have a concrete opinion, but in my mind they currently rank Finnegan, Reed, and Lamb. The hype I keep hearing suggest Reed has more potential ceiling, but potential doesn't feed the bulldog. We'll see.

But, I like what little I've gotten to see of Cody Reed, but it was ST. He's a big kid that wastes little time taking care of business, but 2015 was a breakout season and I think we need to see him repeat before he's anointed the chosen one.

I've seen John Lamb the most out of the three and haven't been impressed. He throws strikes, but he can't seem to finish the AB off without extending his pitch count. I think he is closer to his ceiling than Reed and Finnegan.

Finnegan as the Fangrap article points out has effectively increased the usage of his changeup. It has had good depth dropping off the plate for swings and misses. I agree with Eburg....I'm interested to see if the Cubs are swinging and missing or taking the changeup the 2nd time around. If they're swinging and missing the second time around it'll validate the quality of the pitch.

Robert Stephenson threw a nice game, but he's got room to improve his command. He sat around 92 which tells me he's throttling down trying to harness his fastball. But it also led to a few hanging curve balls that he got away with. It looks to me that he wants to be able to pitch and not just be a thrower. Late in the game he cut it loose a little more and touched 96. The spot starts and immediate optional assignment sends the message the Reds aren't going to waste his service time sitting in the GABP dugout this season. He has three option years and regardless how many times he called up and sent down in 2016 it only counts as one option year.

I agree on Barnhart. I'm assuming he's a natural RHB which makes it harder to understand. He would see a lot more RHP and bat more from the left side, but still. I wonder if he's tried hitting lefty against LHP.

I lIke the adjustments Duvall has made, but I need a bigger sample size to buy stock in what I'm seeing. I'd like to see him play everyday and see what he does . He plays a better LF than I thought he would.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Bailey, Lamb, and Desclafani are all progressing through rehab. So far all appear healthy, but not necessarily effective.

Lamb has two starts under his belt and his numbers look eerily similiar to Alfredo Simon's last couple outings.

Other than Iglesias, none of the other SP had a good last start. Finnegan was roughed up and Simon was terrible. Moscot and Straily were both knocking on the door of 100 pitches in the 5th.

Iglesias, Bailey, Desclafani, and hang the rest of the names on the wall and throw darts. Two more are going to round out the rotation, but I'm not sold on any of them as starters.

I like Finnegan, but more as a back end bullpen guy. Straily, Lamb, and Moscot look like middle relief to me.

Simon was a inexpensive last minute desperation signing meant to eat up some innings. That hasn't happened, but regardless he's not part of the solution moving forward and warrants little discussion.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

The Reds purchased the contract of Layne Somsen. He was with the club three days and never had his number called before being optioned out. He may have fallen flat on his face, but at this stage the Reds should be exploring every avenue. I could understand it more if the bullpen was consistently getting the job done, but that doesn't even remotely describe the situation. The Reds should be in open competition mode and not rewarding poor performance with job security.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

The amount of players the Reds DFA and that clear waivers speaks volumes to the lack of talent on this 40 man roster.

 

[JohnU]

You'd think that a pitcher who is almost good enough to make a 25-man roster would be good enough for organizational fodder for at least some other teams.

I continue to attack Price on this matter, particularly in the case of the callups who basically get a uniform and a couple free meals. Chris Welsh said on the air that it's a case of giving a "time out" to a kid who messes up the first time and ignoring the "time out" when he does it the second time. That's how the Reds manager is using his bullpen.

Now, we can blame the front office all we want but if these decisions are not being made by Price, then my indictment of him as a manager is magnified. The idea that changing the manager won't matter since the team figures to fail anyhow -- is a completely bogus dingdong point of view. I mean, why stay healthy since you will someday die anyhow.

It would not hurt to change managers.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I might have said I prefer Price to Dusty, until Price started pitching starters in relief between starts too. Granted, Dusty had Harang pitch 4 innings of meaningless relief in between starts of at least 5 IP each (never to be the same afterward, coincidence, I'm sure), and Price was pitching guys that tossed 50 pitches in 1-2 inning starts, but hey, on a 12-13 man pitching staff, I expect relievers to fucking relieve, and starters that relieve to either not maintain their 9.00 ERA in relief, or stay in the fucking bullpen....not go right back to putting up another unimpressive batting practice short start and stay in the rotation.

I'm a fan of consequences for undesirable performance. If for no other reason than it shows you noticed.

As the only lefty "situational reliever" , the next time Cingrani walked the lefty he was sent in to get out, I wouldn't leave him in to pitch to the next 2 righties, like Price routinely does...I might call time after the walk, walk to the mound, signal the bullpen, take the ball and set it down on the mound -not waiting on the reliever, rather (verbally) kicking Cingrani's ass all the way back to the dugout. Then I might ask to send him back to single A for a few days...or a long time, up to him. Tell him he can come back after facing 3 consecutive batters in the same inning, without a hit or a walk. Each walk costs him another week in the minors. He may never be back up.