Everybody does realize that Leake was the 5 last year....don't they?
Everybody does realize that Leake was the 5 last year....don't they?
"Strickland Propane... Taste the meat, not the heat." - Hank Hill
Yea and he did just okay there. If that.
I was hoping even if chapman goes to the bullpen maybe he could be our innings eater. Relief pitcher. See how he does for 2-3-4 innings. He does well and continues to do well We have the option later in the season of starting him. That way it saves his innings. And gets him experience.
If Leake has another "off year" and Arroyo falls off from last year, then moving chapman to the pen will be second guessed for years to come. Jocketty needs to stick to his guns in this matter and not let opinions of Baker or Chapman dictate his decision.
Last edited by holster10; 03-21-2013 at 07:09 PM.
Ken Rosenthal is 100% dead-on about the situation. Dusty and Chapman both want him to close for mostly selfish, though different, reasons.
--Chapman doesn't want to put the time in to be a top starter when he's already a top closer.
--Baker doesn't have many years left and wants to win now, which he thinks he can do more quickly with Chapman in the pen.
The thing is, Chapman could very well be leaving a ton of money on the table. He'll top out in the low teens as a closer, when he could potentially be making $20+ as a starter.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/n...chapman-032113
Leake is what he is. On one hand, he was MLB-ready coming out of college, but on the other, there really isn't much he can do to improve himself. At best, he's always going to be a few games over/under .500.
Meanwhile, Chapman has the stuff to potentially develop into one of the premier starters in baseball. Maybe in the history of baseball. Too bad neither he nor the organization has the patience to find out.
You can't keep touting him as a starter every spring, only to move him to the pen when the season starts. I feel like this could be the last chance to make him a starter and the Reds are blowing it.
If true, this is an incredibly short-sighted decision. Chapman as a closer may make us better this year (I would actually debate that) which is clearly what Dusty wants. However, Walt and Bob need to look at this long term and realize that Chapman needs to be a starter to make this team the best it can be and get their money's worth. If he stays as a closer, that's a huge mistake for a team that hasn't made many recently.
in the end my opinion doesn't matter. here is the easiest way to look at this. at what point did chapman make a difference or matter in the postseason last year? the truth is he didn't make a difference or significant contribution. names that mattered from the postseason are bailey, arroyo and latos (the first game). common denominator? all are starting pitchers.
Last edited by holster10; 03-22-2013 at 09:55 AM.
I wouldnt wanna be in the front office making this decision...all spring ive been seeing articles about the Reds making a mistake by starting chapman (espn, BR, Yahoo, etc....even saw that one scout said its Joba Chamberlain 2.0) and the first thing i see on ESPN's page when this came out....the Reds are making a mistake moving him back to closing.....damned if they do, damned if they dont kinda thing....
one has to wonder what is going on and why the Reds are dragging their feet on this issue? something is definitely going on when I hear Baker, scouts, and media raving about Leake's performance this spring and yet he's getting lit up like a Christmas tree.
I think this team has planned for the future for several years with wise decisions being made along the way. We all know that a future is not guaranteed.
In my opinion, keeping Chapman in the bullpen is not a bad decision. If a bad decision was made, it was putting him there in the first place if they wanted to put him in the rotation in the future. Had they let him figure it out and had him starting all of last season, whether that be in AAA or with the Reds, they would know now without reservation if he was ready.
Back to the planning-for-the-future thought. The future is now. This team can win now. Chapman is a proven shutdown closer. Our bullpen from the 6th/7th innning on will dominate. Cueto, Latos, Bailey is a strong 1-3. Arroyo, Leake is not a bad 4-5. There are arms in the farm system that can develop.
I'm with Baker/Chapman form a thinking selfishly standpoint. It's been 23 years! I want Chapman doing what he's proven to be very good at doing. Is it short-sighted? Maybe. But 23 years has been long suffering.
agree. chapman is a great closer and looked awesome at times during the "regular" season but when did his performance matter in the postseason? It didn't.
His performance was critical in getting to the post season. Once you get there every series stands on it's own. Who could have predicted the Reds would lose Cueto? No one. Who could predict that the bats would've gone completely silent at the absolute wrong time? Roll of the dice. Who can accurately predict right now if Chapman would be a dominant starter? Few, if anyone. Who can verify if Chapman can be a dominant closer? Ask any manager, GM or batter he's faced.
Would I like Chapman to be a dominant ace? Absolutley. Right now he doesn't appear to be confident in that role and he seems to be as a closer.
Hey, it's all a roll of the dice anyway, right? I'm being a selfish fan...Ha. I want him where I know he's a beast.
nothing ventured. nothing gained.
Completely agree.
If Angel Pagan doesn't step out of the box in the middle of Cueto's delivery, it's probably a different story.
I really hope Price and Baker have drilled it into his head to throw the damned ball the next time that happens, because with that delivery I can see it happening again.
And if Pagan does it again, he should get drilled.
Last edited by malcontent; 03-22-2013 at 02:05 PM.
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