Why your favorite team will be a contender

[JohnU]

No polling needed.

I think some fan-based analysis of our favorite teams would be sort of fun. Since I have been saddled with the albatross of the Reds for more than 6 decades, I have some pretty interesting highs and lows to compare across history.

In the middle of this is the mess that's been generated in Cincy since 2013 when the last successful manager, D. Baker, was exorcised for failing to win. He has been replaced by B. Price, who has been rewarded for failing to win.

Alas, it's not the managers who matter, is it?

Why the Reds will be better this year depends on which part of the game needed to be fixed.

Better bench. We're thinking that was a priority last year and appears to be something they will address. More outfield depth with new guy Jess Winker about to impress some people. Mesoraco, now the backup catcher, is a nice bat when he's not playing. Reds may go with a 5-man bench.

Adding Jared Hughes and David Hernandez makes the bullpen better, which wasn't hard to do.

The pitching remains a case study in depending on people who can't ... um ... pitch.

From foul line to foul line, the Reds should be 3 or 4 games better this year. Not enough to contend?

Probably not, but the crawl up the side of the hill is noticable.

Players to watch this year: Winker, 3B Suarez, RHP Luis Castillo.

Weaknesses: Middle infield, low OBP by the leadoff man, Billy Hamilton.

Strengths: Votto can still hit. This team will score runs.

Rookie to watch: Nick Senzel may get the call in mid-May. The kid can play.

A guy I like but nobody seems to notice: RHP Rafael DePaula.

Trying not to do a 500-word essay on this. Anyhow, who wants to give it a go?

 

[Montalban]

Its an even year.

 

[tducey]

Playoff team last year, much the same team for this yr. that added JD Martinez.

 

[nynasty]

2nd highest scoring offense from 2017 adds the NL MVP

Arguably the best overall bullpen in MLB


Weakness-overall rotation depth

 

[Voltaire26]

I got nothing ....

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

Best pitching staff in baseball and a strong offense.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

We arent the Indians

On a separate note, anyone seen Slinky?

 

[Chewbaccer]

Not that I think we will, but IF we are, it will be because:

The young guys on our pitching staff take the next step forward and fillers like Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir are serviceable. Julio Teheran pitches like the ace he's supposed to be and like he has in the past, and Mike Foltynewicz stays strong all season.

There's no Jim Johnson in the bullpen anymore, and I don't know if I can think of a better example of addition by subtraction. There's a lot of young flamethrowers in the pen, if they can hone in their control and not be so streaky, our bullpen has some real potential to get the lock down pen moniker.

And as for the offense, Freddie Freeman HAS to stay healthy the entire year, and put up MVP caliber numbers. Dansby Swanson has to have a rebound year. Ozzie Albies needs to build on his solid rookie season last year. Ronald Acuna must live up to the hype. The catching tandem of Flowers and Suzuki needs to put up the same great production they did last season. And most importantly, Inciarte and Albies need to be on base in front of Freeman a lot, and they need to be aggressive on the base paths.

Pretty much, it's gonna take a perfect storm, we're gonna need some breaks, we're gonna have to overachieve, and we're gonna have to stay healthy.

 

[handicappers]

Because of Bartolo Colon...duh.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

A potentially elite lineup and an improved pitching staff that should at least be good enough to dominate most college teams

 

[Cedrique]

No polling needed.

I think some fan-based analysis of our favorite teams would be sort of fun. Since I have been saddled with the albatross of the Reds for more than 6 decades, I have some pretty interesting highs and lows to compare across history.

In the middle of this is the mess that's been generated in Cincy since 2013 when the last successful manager, D. Baker, was exorcised for failing to win. He has been replaced by B. Price, who has been rewarded for failing to win.

Alas, it's not the managers who matter, is it?

Why the Reds will be better this year depends on which part of the game needed to be fixed.

Better bench. We're thinking that was a priority last year and appears to be something they will address. More outfield depth with new guy Jess Winker about to impress some people. Mesoraco, now the backup catcher, is a nice bat when he's not playing. Reds may go with a 5-man bench.

Adding Jared Hughes and David Hernandez makes the bullpen better, which wasn't hard to do.

The pitching remains a case study in depending on people who can't ... um ... pitch.

From foul line to foul line, the Reds should be 3 or 4 games better this year. Not enough to contend?

Probably not, but the crawl up the side of the hill is noticable.

Players to watch this year: Winker, 3B Suarez, RHP Luis Castillo.

Weaknesses: Middle infield, low OBP by the leadoff man, Billy Hamilton.

Strengths: Votto can still hit. This team will score runs.

Rookie to watch: Nick Senzel may get the call in mid-May. The kid can play.

A guy I like but nobody seems to notice: RHP Rafael DePaula.

Trying not to do a 500-word essay on this. Anyhow, who wants to give it a go?

Albatross? Did you forget the 1970's? Granted that was like 40 years ago but still within the 6 decades. Plus they did win the world series that one year in the early 90's.

 

[Cedrique]

As for the Phillies, probably still a year away but lots of improvements over last year so the things that could make them a contender this year:
Should have a much better offense- Carlos Santana and a full year of Hoskins gives them two guys that know how to get on base and Hoskins has some serious power.
I think JP Crawford will be good.
Lots of young guys that could possibly end up starting in the outfield. I like Altherr, Roman Quinn.
Arrietta gives them an established top of the rotation guy to go with Nola.
Nola I believe is underrated. Or maybe not, maybe everyone is aware of him, but I believe he is very good.
They got 2 good veteran relievers in Neshek and Tommy Hunter.


That's all I got. Oh yeah, also Nick Foles.

 

[navamind]

They've won 93 games each of the last two years and return the majority of their roster, plus the offense projects to be considerably better (at least per Fangraphs). The pitching staff should be among the best in the AL again.

 

[Bolts]

Because the other 14 teams in the NL decided to take 2018 off.

 

[JohnU]

Albatross? Did you forget the 1970's? Granted that was like 40 years ago but still within the 6 decades. Plus they did win the world series that one year in the early 90's.

I did allude to interesting highs and lows. My favorite Reds team is the 1961 pennant winner but they got to play the M&M's that year.
1990 is the most interesting team because of the eclectic characters that made it up, ranging from the Nasty Boys to the manager Piniella. The BRM was unfair to baseball.
Actually 1995 was kind of pivotal. I thought that was the start (or continuation) of a long thread of success. Just never was meant to happen. The 2000s have been frustrating, including 2012.

 

[JohnU]

The team that I see having made the most chances is the Brewers. Still some IF's there but if they play as well as it looks, they carve into that Cubs advantage, which could close the gap a little. St. Louis isn't going to fold up.

 

[calsnowskier]

I did allude to interesting highs and lows. My favorite Reds team is the 1961 pennant winner but they got to play the M&M's that year.
1990 is the most interesting team because of the eclectic characters that made it up, ranging from the Nasty Boys to the manager Piniella. The BRM was unfair to baseball.
Actually 1995 was kind of pivotal. I thought that was the start (or continuation) of a long thread of success. Just never was meant to happen. The 2000s have been frustrating, including 2012.

Good times...

Is Rolen hated in Cincy?

 

[JohnU]

Good times...

Is Rolen hated in Cincy?

Not that I ever heard.
The blame for 2012 is unfairly cast on Dusty but the fact that Cueto went out with injury in the first inning seems to be more likely the cause of that collapse. Bailey's game was un-frickin' real ... pretty unforgettable for fans of those two teams.

 

[calsnowskier]

Not that I ever heard.
The blame for 2012 is unfairly cast on Dusty but the fact that Cueto went out with injury in the first inning seems to be more likely the cause of that collapse. Bailey's game was un-frickin' real ... pretty unforgettable for fans of those two teams.

I was completely resigned to losing that series.

And after that’s game 3, I still didn’t think there was a chance. We were basically no-hit but still walked out with a W. And while I did not have confidence after that, the last two games were pretty one sided... I think that error destroyed the Reds psyche. Dusty tends to let that happen.

 

[JohnU]

I was completely resigned to losing that series.

And after that’s game 3, I still didn’t think there was a chance. We were basically no-hit but still walked out with a W. And while I did not have confidence after that, the last two games were pretty one sided... I think that error destroyed the Reds psyche. Dusty tends to let that happen.

I can't blame that really on Dusty other than the one bad decision to not pitch to the relief pitcher.
Still need to score runs. A lot of people give Price a pass for things that got Dusty crucified. Not saying Price is a bad manager; he isn't. Dusty should get more credit than he does.
But coming into 2018, I think Price will start looking good because the team is now better. If he can accidentally avoid having to use 64 different guys to pitch this year (instead of the 5 that worked for Dusty in 2012) then there might be 80 wins.