Don't know -- Arroyo is criminally undervalued by Reds fans. Not only should he not be moved to the bullpen, I think the Reds should be seriously exploring the possibility of extending him another 2 years.
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Keep him and move Parra. Cingrani would be one of the long men out of the pen with an occasional start. Get him acclimated to MLB and have him ready to start in 2014.
If the scouts/medical staff gave Walt the go ahead, that would be a pretty stealth move (in the sense that many expect Arroyo to walk/not be attemped to re-sign) that could pay off. Arroyo has seemed flexible with deferring money I believe...so that could come into play too.
Arroyo should never go to the pen. He gives you 200 innings every season. You never take a starter out of the rotation who can do that. I agree with you about extending him too. It seems most view it as a foregone conclusion that he's gone after this season. Unless there is some injury or a very dramatic dropoff in performance in the 2nd half the Reds should talk to him about extending for a couple of seasons. 200 innings a season will be very hard to replace.
That's the key. I don't mind Arroyo leaving if things (money) just can't be worked out. He has more than earned his keep. But then going into 2014 you pretty much have to divvy up his 200 IP amongst the guys we currently have (obviously a new guy in the rotation will get the majority). That is easier said than done.
The thing about Arroyo in comparison to the other guys is that rubber arm guys, in my opinion, seem to have less potential for injuries. Sure, he has a lot of mileage on that arm and shoulder, but other than a sickness (Mono), Arroyo has been amazingly durable.
It might make more sense to extend him, and if someone has to go, dangle one of Latos, Bailey or Cueto for a quality trade return.
Because I'm sure Arroyo is as undervalued around the league as Reds fans undervalue him. Yet, he's pretty darn good.
81% in start one, 74% in start two.
I covered a lot of Cingrani's first two starts this morning at my site.
http://redsminorleagues.com/2013/04/...-for-the-reds/
http://redsminorleagues.com/wp-conte...pitchusage.gif
I guess I should clarify. It wasn't meant as disrespect to Arroyo, it's just that if Cingrani continues the way he has I think that he's worth keeping in the rotation -- and he's pitching better than pretty much anyone else on the team. In that case I value a guy like Arroyo or Leake that would be able to be a 'long reliever' of sorts. It certainly wouldn't hurt for one year, but Arroyo was more of an afterthought just because he always seems to pitch well the first to second time through a line-up (mostly because he relies so much on deception).
I have much respect for Arroyo and the way he bounced back from the worst year of his career.
Also just saw Doug's graph...if that becomes a trend it's promising that he may recognize that overuse of his fastball won't cut it in the Majors.
Even on TV his fastball is deceiving. I watched the first time last night and it looks like he's throwing serious gas just to have it come up at 89-90 on the radar. I'm sure it's a function of his slow windup and smooth delivery but if you just looked at him without looking at the ball you'd think he was just loosening up.
To be able to throw it even 90 with that kind of motion/effort....or whatever you want to call it.... may have the same effect on a hitter of one several mph faster. I don't know how sustainable it is, but watching hitters react is similar to how some react to Chapman's pitches. They seemed to be swinging at a lot of bad pitches, and looking really bad in the process. It's like they just can't pick up on the ball. It's really interesting. I can't think of many pitchers that would fool even someone watching on TV.
[QUOTE=MWM;2840011They seemed to be swinging at a lot of bad pitches, and looking really bad in the process. It's like they just can't pick up on the ball. It's really interesting. I can't think of many pitchers that would fool even someone watching on TV.[/QUOTE]
That seems to be the consensus. I heard on the radio someone talking about him and they were saying his fastball is like hitting against no background. I don't know why that is but if that's the case, I can see why it's tough to pick up.
When Cueto comes back, I send Cingrani down to AAA regardless of the results.
Let him keep working on his secondary pitches down there.
In AAA, he should be throwing the percentage of fastballs/mix of pitches that they want him to throw in the majors. Period. Even if that damages his AAA stats.
I've been a big fan of Cingrani, but he's exceeded my expectations so far.
I still think he can benefit from finishing the year in AAA.
The Reds will also benefit. The season is still young. Having Cingrani stashed in AAA as a 6th starter (or late season addition to the bullpen) is an incredible weapon/insurance policy.
How many innings can he pitch this season? I'd love for him to get close to that maximum and then come up and pitch out of the bullpen for us as a late season / postseason stud out of the pen
I'm still on the fence about Cingriani -- sort of in wait-and-see mode -- but I don't see why the Reds have to do anything right now. They could put him back in Louisville the rest of the season and if Arroyo comes off the books this offseason, they could stick him in the rotation next year. If the Reds decide to re-sign Arroyo, they'll have a more difficult decision to make. Right now though, I don't see why any personnel moves would have to be made. It would actually be foolish to do so.