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The second half

JohnU

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I think the Reds were going to non-tender Cingrani this fall, so getting a low level catching prospect beats getting nothing.....
I guess?

Why in the hell would any team want Tony Cingrani? Maybe their batting practice pitcher has a sore arm.
It's not like you can't watch re-runs of the games from the last 2 years. I was at GABP, the last time I was in fact, in 2013 and Van Slyke hit 2 extremely long home runs off of Cingrani.

Gotta wonder what that guy is thinking now. He was close to getting a ring of some kind and how he gets the ring around the tub. My guess is that the Dodgers agreed to take TC off the Reds' hands if they would take Van Slyke. Last thing Cincy needs is another corner OF. Maybe some 'guru' in LA is thinking, "They will build a plaque for me if I can teach this turkey to pitch."

Clementina is 20 and has been in pro ball so he's young enough to become the Ramon Cabrera of somebody's team eventually.
 

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Scott Van Slyke was a descent looking prospect 4-5 years ago. The talent appears to have rusted away or eroded, either way, he's not a prospect anymore.

Dick Williams didn't seem to know a lot about the young catcher in an interview on WLW. The interview didn't bolster my confidence in Dick Williams.
 

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Tony Cingrani is a classic example of a player too stubborn or too stupid for their own good. Hard to teach a guy like that anything.
 

JohnU

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Clem is having a good year in the Pioneer and is on the AS team.
No idea what any of that means. He's a Caribbean kid, probably NDFA.
 

eburg5000

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2 in a row! that's something positive, And also 2 well pitched games by the starters. Now lets see what happens now with Stephenson going tonight? Hopefully he can give them a 3rd well pitched game,
 

JohnU

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Pirates played like they had just left an all-night bachelor party.
 

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The Reds have beat the Pirates 7 out of the 8 games the two teams have played. The Pirates and the Cardinals are the only two teams the Reds have been able to beat consistently. That has a lot to do with why those two teams are in 3rd and 4th place.
 

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Robert Stephenson has a good breaking ball and split finger he uses as his change up, but his fastball is the problem. I think it goes beyond his poor command. His fastball doesn't appear to have much movement either.

I haven't seen the numbers, but I imagine they reflect a guy getting hammered when he throws fastballs.

Being behind in the count is a factor, but I don't see Stephenson beating that many hitters with his fastball and that includes the opposing pitcher.
 

JohnU

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Robert Stephenson has a good breaking ball and split finger he uses as his change up, but his fastball is the problem. I think it goes beyond his poor command. His fastball doesn't appear to have much movement either.

I haven't seen the numbers, but I imagine they reflect a guy getting hammered when he throws fastballs.

Being behind in the count is a factor, but I don't see Stephenson beating that many hitters with his fastball and that includes the opposing pitcher.

He might just need to learn to pitch better. I imagine he is trying to reach 98 or some such stupid number. Throwing better instead of harder. It took Koufax a couple of years to learn it. Who knows?
 

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I look at pitching as having three major components beyond a pitchers natural ability to throw a baseball. All pitchers have varying degrees of natural talent and the three components.

There's the science of mechanics which can be improved upon. There's the mental aspect which is expected to improve with experience and maturity, but that's not always the case. Then there's the touch and feel at the release point.

Control can be improved through mechanics, but command is achieved through having all three components. Greg Maddox is the best example of a pitcher having all three. He literally owned the baseball from his hand to the catchers mitt.

IMO,
Robert Stephenson's weakest component is his touch and feel at the release point. I think he will get better if given the opportunity.
 

JohnU

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Robert Stephenson's weakest component is his touch and feel at the release point. I think he will get better if given the opportunity.

It appears in the short run that he will be given that chance.
 

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This club doesn't exactly have a ton of prospects beating down the door to the Majors, so why not give him a good look?

IMO,
Of the preseason top three pitching prospects (Stephenson, Reed, Garrett), I think Stephenson has the highest ceiling. Reed has talent, but is a head case. Garrett's hasn't impressed me dating back to times I saw him in the minors.

The guy that is coming on strong is Tyler Mahle. He's not on the 40 man, so we may not see him in September, but come ST I think we're going to be hearing his name much more.
 

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Tony Cingrani made his Dodgers debut yesterday.

Gave up a 3-run homer in the 9th inning. That's the TC we're all use to seeing.
 

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I also see that Anthony Desclafani was pulled from his rehab start with elbow issues.

It seems inevitable that he'll have surgery on the elbow at some point.

All the time he's missed the past two seasons due to injury counts as MLB service time. At this rate he may be a free agent before we ever see him pitch again.
 

JohnU

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Disco will miss all of next year and part of 2019 if the TJ is diagnosed.
I think it's time the Reds move on and if he gets well, he can compete for a spot on the roster.
 

eburg5000

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They said Desclafani's elbow wasn't severe, but there is definitely something going on with it.

Anyone think that Wojo has a chance to be a steady component in the starting rotation?
 

JohnU

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They said Desclafani's elbow wasn't severe, but there is definitely something going on with it.

Anyone think that Wojo has a chance to be a steady component in the starting rotation?
Disco will doubtless be shut down if he has soreness in his next throwing session. I would guess that part of it is in his head, meaning he probably has modified his mechanics because he's afraid of hurting his elbow. So he's creating another problem. Not much anybody can do about that.

Wojo is not likely to be a part of the future rotation unless he's an Adleman type guy. I think the Reds like what he brings -- which is long relief and a spot start. With this outfit, he might as well finish out the year in the rotation. He's pitched well enough a couple of times to suggest he can at least be serviceable. With this staff, so could a new pitching machine.
 

JohnU

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Even when Stephenson pitches a good game, he fucks it up and hurts his shoulder.
Meanwhile Adleman just can't be sent out to pasture. It's like a spelling error in the tattoo on your forearm.
 

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Mesoraco is on paternity leave. As it turns out all three Reds catchers have pregnant wives. That had the potential to be a roster disaster. Might have had to bring Corky out of retirement.
 
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