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House keeping

Hit-n-Run

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The next question is do any of Riggleman's coaching staff survive? It wasn't really Rigs staff.

We know Rigs and Danny Darwin aren't keeping their job. Not surprising considering the lack luster finish and continued poor pitching performance. I think it's time to clean house.
 

JohnU

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As I understand this stuff, Johnson could only get the job if he didn't have a contract and if he didn't, the Brewers knew that. I suppose they could be pissy with him about making a lateral move inside the division. It is a pitching coach. Darwin was OK.
 

Hit-n-Run

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The story I read said he had an offer on the table from the Brewers and Reds. I'd guess it's fairly routine for coaches to work on one year deals.

Managers are a different story. The terms are usually well known. I can't say that I've ever read a story laying out the terms of a non-manager coaches contract.
 

JohnU

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I know I'd go year to year in the outside chance a manager's job opened. Not sure how many coaches think that's likely. But most of them know they can stay in baseball even if they get canned. Most of them go back to college coaching or scouting. Or join the broadcast team.

yawn
 

Hit-n-Run

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If hiring Derek Johnson ushers in change, I'm on board. Whether we're talking about Bryan Price, Mac Jenkins, or Danny Darwin, none of them left this organization having made a positive impact on the current staff. Price looked like a genius when he had the horses and looked like a horses ass when he didn't.

The Reds pitching staff threw the 2nd highest % of fastballs last season. Sounds like a power pitching philosophy. The problem is they ranked 24th in total strike outs. They pitch deep into counts even when they're ahead early in the count. The more pitches the batter sees the more likely he is to square one up. There's a pattern in the way this club pitches that isn't fooling anyone.

Wade Miley was a bum on his last leg. Milwaukee was able to get value out of the guy by making adjustments to the pitch selection he threw. It's a short term fix and he'll most likely return to his normal production next season. But pitching is making adjustments trying to stay a step ahead of the hitter. I haven't seen a lot of that here in Cincy. It's been more sticking with what doesn't work until they fire the coaches.
 

JohnU

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I'd assume Miley also brought with him the brains to realize that his repertoire could be modified. Don't throw harder if you can't and don't throw curve balls if your hands are too small. Miley may also have gotten lucky on some days he pitched. Either way, I see that point clearly.

I do think the Reds are locked into guys who throw 97 on a cold day in March, thinking it's big-league stuff that eventually will be corralled. I listened endlessly to Brantley and Welsh about not having to throw 97 when a well-positioned 92 works just as well. Their comments were rarely subtle by the end of the 2nd inning.

If they had flat-out said what they meant, they'd be fired instead of the pitching coach.
 

JohnU

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Adding Matt Bowman probably isn't evil unless he's Austin Brice, who is the latest ex-Red to be on the Angels pitching staff, if you could locate all the stiffs.

Dillson clearing waivers was a bit of a surprise but not a huge one. I thought he might be traded in a two-fer deal of some sort.
 

Hit-n-Run

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Matt Bowman is a groundball pitcher coming off a bad season. The first thing the Reds should do is introduce him to Jared Hughes.

Adding players from the 60 DL is an automatic. Who they dropped to make room was somewhat predictable.

Williams and Herrera clearing waivers has more to do with their service time status than it does potential intetest in their talent. Every team is facing tough roster decisions this time of year with the rule 5 draft deadline approaching. If either elects to be a minor league free agent other teams may have more interest when it doesn't cost a roster spot.

Players who have played part or all of 7 minor league seasons are eligible to elect free agency.

The Angels do seem to pick up a lot of Reds off the waiver wire.

Was a little surprised to see Brandon Dixon claimed, but he does have options and is not eligible to be a minor league free agent. He can be claimed and waived, outrighted and if he clears kept in the Tigers farm system if they desire. Dont know the Tigers plan, but I'm pretty sure the Reds were hoping he cleared waivers so they could assign him to AAA.
 

JohnU

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Roster at 38 so I read where Shedd Long is going to be added. Somebody else, I can't recall who. Will be interested to see the contract they offer to Scooter.
 

Hit-n-Run

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I'd guess Jimmy Herget will be added to the 40 man.

I also think there's a good chance someone else will be dropped before the rule 5 draft deadline. Then there's always the possibilty the club may make a waiver claim and drop whomever they deem to be #40. I assume there's a couple guys on every 40 man roster that gets a little nervous every time their agent calls.

I think the club would like to extend Scooter, but if pitching is really a priority that may limit how much the club is willing to spend on Scooter. I don't expect a deal with Scooter to be finalized until after they address their pitching needs.
 

JohnU

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I'd guess Jimmy Herget will be added to the 40 man.

I also think there's a good chance someone else will be dropped before the rule 5 draft deadline. Then there's always the possibilty the club may make a waiver claim and drop whomever they deem to be #40. I assume there's a couple guys on every 40 man roster that gets a little nervous every time their agent calls.

I think the club would like to extend Scooter, but if pitching is really a priority that may limit how much the club is willing to spend on Scooter. I don't expect a deal with Scooter to be finalized until after they address their pitching needs.
They aren't gonna find any pitching they don't already have.
Beef up the offense.
 

Hit-n-Run

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Given the history of GABP bolstering the offense has merit. But that hasn't been the club's self proclaimed top priority.

It would seem unlikely the Reds can afford to win a bidding war for top shelf pitching. They could acquire pitching through trade, but at what cost? If trading for quality pitching would require forfeiting top prospects, that should be a nonstarter.

I don't have a clue as to how they think they are going to acquire upgrades to the starting rotation. They claim they have money to spend. Merely spending more money doesn't guarantee better pitching.
 

Hit-n-Run

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I guess there might be a team out there looking to rebuild that would like to dump a contract for a few prospects. If the prospects don't figure prominently in the Reds future it might make sense. But I'd hate to see this club trade any of it's top prospects.
 

JohnU

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The OBP and runs-produced numbers just don't match up to the observable stats. The top on-base guys (eventually including Winker) compare nicely to the rest of the league but the cavern at the bottom has cost the team a lot of 2-of-3 series.

That includes Hamilton, the pitcher and generally whoever is hitting 7th. That was Duvall most of the year and whoever replaced him after that. Barnhart belongs there, not hitting second. The guy was out of gas the last 40 games.

OK, the pitchers are terrible hitters, Lorenzen excluded, but that's a matter of luck there. The Reds continue to justify the long-ball numbers that don't occur on the road. They keep telling us that as soon as Hamilton figures it out, he will be back at leadoff.

That shit ain't happenin'. OK, Winker is an on-base upgrade over Duvall, decidedly worse on defense, probably equal to Ervin on the bases ... pffft ... it still comes back to whether you enjoy highlight reel videos of Hamilton catching impossible plays or looking like a high-school prospect at the plate.

Upgrading in CF is not difficult. It . just . isn't. Schebler is a respectable bat, IMO, and I was/high on his potential. He seems solid at leadoff. For now, he's better than the alternatives.

Much is made of Votto's OB numbers if you ignore that's he is otherwise benign 5 games out of 8. I want the leadoff guy or the catcher drawing walks. I want my No. 3 guy to make a difference. If Votto could get from first to third on a single, I'd love him leading the world in walks.

But I will take it. Mark Reynolds is not an option.

The team can't win 2 of 3 in a series when the opposition realizes they can walk the 7 guy with 1 out and leave a couple of guys on base because ain't no way Romano or Disco is gonna hit the ball anyplace. The occasional freak grand slam an amusing anecdote. If one of your 8 starters is hitting 9th, there needs to be a reason other than he's marginally better at hitting than the pitcher.

What you want is to be relevant into September. If you are, you are in position to swing a short term deal like the contenders do. The Reds are using September to lament what they didn't do in November. They have to make the offense legit. The numbers suggest it is. The reality is that it's a joke.

This includes a somewhat league-average infield defense.

I can live with this infield, even if Scooter is league average. But outfielders who hit like middle infield utility guys are not going to yield much -- and none of them as trade meat are moving the needle if they want to trade for a Charlie Morton type pitcher.

Having a farm system of 4-seam smokeballers ... yeah, we know who those guys are ... Arial Hernandez and Wandy Peralta,
 

Hit-n-Run

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Another coach bites the dust. Don Long joins Rigs and Darwin as former Reds coaches.

Turner Ward is the new hitting coach. The press release states under his watch the Dodgers increased their run production each year. They also averaged $226 million in payroll for those three seasons.
 

JohnU

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Another coach bites the dust. Don Long joins Rigs and Darwin as former Reds coaches.

Turner Ward is the new hitting coach. The press release states under his watch the Dodgers increased their run production each year. They also averaged $226 million in payroll for those three seasons.

Turner Ward -- i am certain the Reds will skyrocket into contention now!
 

Hit-n-Run

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The GM meetings have come and gone. Nothing usually happens there beyond a few seeds being planted towards future talks in the December Winter Meetings.

Might be a waiver claim here or there as teams prepare for the rule 5 deadline later this month. I'd like to think a team that was supposedly building toward contention wouldn't still be upgrading it's 40 man roster through the waiver wire in November. Occasionally you might find a diamond in the rough, but many more times than not it's just rough. The pickings are generally better as Opening Day roster decisions approach.

Saw a rumor the Padres have interest in Suarez. I don't see another team making it worthwhile for the Reds to trade him. These sort of stories get printed when there's nothing else to report. I think we can all assume there are teams that like players on other teams without it being a headline.
 

JohnU

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The GM meetings have come and gone. Nothing usually happens there beyond a few seeds being planted towards future talks in the December Winter Meetings.

Might be a waiver claim here or there as teams prepare for the rule 5 deadline later this month. I'd like to think a team that was supposedly building toward contention wouldn't still be upgrading it's 40 man roster through the waiver wire in November. Occasionally you might find a diamond in the rough, but many more times than not it's just rough. The pickings are generally better as Opening Day roster decisions approach.

Saw a rumor the Padres have interest in Suarez. I don't see another team making it worthwhile for the Reds to trade him. These sort of stories get printed when there's nothing else to report. I think we can all assume there are teams that like players on other teams without it being a headline.
Most of the MLB reporting this time of year is equal to a bunch of college guys trying to do a term paper without going to the library. They make lists and compare them to the rosters. It's all but useless information since nobody is ever quoted. It's all about how the Yankees and Red Sox can upgrade because half the bozos who read this are from those fan bases and need that info to fuel their brain-addled arguments.

I can't see the Reds making any major moves that don't include unloading a prospect. The top 4 -- Senzel, Greene, Trammell and India -- are probably not on the table, though Greene might be for the right price. His minor elbow issue might bring down his value.

They could make a case for dealing Peraza but that isn't really practical. Having Senzel as a versatile player doesn't make him a shortstop.
 

Hit-n-Run

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Saw an interview with Hunter Greene and a different one with Winker. Both sounded pretty optimistic they were on track to be ready for ST.

Hunter Greene said he was targeting 2020 as his MLB ready date. Like the optimism, but I don't think that decision is his to make. Unless he's pitching out of the bullpen it's hard to see how he's going to get his workload up enough to be ready by 2020.
 

Redsfan1507

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I think the Reds are still dealing with the same predicament they’ve had since the Dusty days; they aren’t good enough to compete and don’t have enough budget to buy themselves better talent.

This isn’t a team that is a trade and a signing away. Given the state of the Reds pitching, until they get better results on the mound, not much else matters.

The Reds upper level minor league pitching talent, real or imagined, hasn’t developed into replacing the staff that contended some 6 years ago.

Individual pitchers aside, there is an almost complete absence of ability to gain, much less hold, any kind of lead. Defense effects that, as does offense, but the bottom line with the Reds, and most teams is, it all starts and ends with pitching. They simply don’t have much.

Forget about “depth”, until you have more quality, quantity doesn’t matter. Managers and coaches are window dressing in the Reds situation. You can train a mule night and day, but he ain’t winning the KY derby.
 
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