ESPN article on Choo

[Red Raindog]

Says he is last in defensive runs saved --- should the Reds dump him?





http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/po...leadoff-hitter

[mattfeet]

Nice to read this:

"You know, a lot of people ask me, 'Do you want to stay in Cincinnati, you are a free agent this year?' Actually, I don't know why but I feel more comfortable this year," he said. "I'm not really worried about free agency."

Choo thinks about this for a minute, then he begins to understand why he feels this way.

"I know why," he said. "Cincinnati lost two top prospects, then [they] bring me here so they want me here. So [I'm focusing] on a healthy year. ... Always, my goal is to be better than last year. That's my goal every year. So I want to get better every year."

[Vottomatic]

I love Choo.

As for his defense, he's playing out of position. He should be in RF.

Trade JB, move Choo to RF, get a real CFer who can also hit (Fowler), and find a right handed power hitting LFer.

[Nasty_Boy]

One bad stretch of games and you want to trade Bruce? I wonder if the Dodgers are ready to trade Kemp... Kemp for Bruce, and move Choo to RF.

[Vottomatic]

One bad stretch of games and you want to trade Bruce? I wonder if the Dodgers are ready to trade Kemp... Kemp for Bruce, and move Choo to RF.

Uh no. I've been willing to trade Bruce for a couple of years now.

I'm an OBP guy. A clutch hitter guy.

Bruce has never been clutch.

I've been very consistent on this.

I did think early on that Jay was making strides as he started going to the other way more early this season. But he simply K's too much and always in big situations. I've been tired of it for a long, long, time. But the mantra around here is "Bruce is still young", blah, blah, blah. They'll be saying that when he's 30 years old.

[OesterPoster]

Good job derailing a thread about Choo into "trade Jay Bruce".

[lidspinner]

its funny how we all want Jay Bruce to be traded or sat down on the bench or taught by a new hitting coach......yet when you look at JB from the time he was rookie till now he was gotten better as far as standard stats are concerned......he is a GG right fielder.....he is still young and kind of cheap.....and he was breed from our system..

now, take away all the stats and his defense and tell me after watching with your own eyes for the last few years if you would trade JB for a top prospect? I cannot say that I wouldnt do it....JB appears to my naked eye as being a batter who has not really changed his approach since day 1......he is still swinging at balls that bounce in front of the plate, he is still watching fastballs on fastball counts, he is still trying to pull everything that is pitched(although I do give him credit this year as he appears to be trying to go backside wayyyy more often)........he just reminds me of a guy who will not change his style and he reminds me of a guy who is satisfied with the production he gives the team. Its kind of hard to put into words but I always give Drew Stubbs as an example of being satsified with his production.....drew stubbs KNEW that if he just would bunt once more every 20 at bats that his average would go up and defenses would cheat him in and give away the holes, yet he refused to master the art of bunting and didnt want to take away from his swing....his thought process was he was better off swinging fully and taking his chances on a double or HR as opposed to getting the cheap bunt single.......Jay Bruce just reminds me of that guy who does not want to change a whole lot in fear of messing with what he already has....whereas Joey Votto will change things up about once a week and sometimes once a game to give himself a better shot at getting on base....and spare me the slugging debate please...

so I guess I am wondering would you all still trade Jay Bruce for a top prospect if you knew that we could not get Choo to play right? and would you for sure trade Jay for a middle tier prospect if we were promised Choo for the long term?

[Vottomatic]

Good job derailing a thread about Choo into "trade Jay Bruce".

Well, my first post said "I love Choo".

If they don't find a way to re-sign him, especially with Billy Hamilton's struggles at Louisville, it will be a huge mistake.

[Nasty_Boy]

Uh no. I've been willing to trade Bruce for a couple of years now.

I'm an OBP guy. A clutch hitter guy.

Bruce has never been clutch.

I've been very consistent on this.

I did think early on that Jay was making strides as he started going to the other way more early this season. But he simply K's too much and always in big situations. I've been tired of it for a long, long, time. But the mantra around here is "Bruce is still young", blah, blah, blah. They'll be saying that when he's 30 years old.

While there are flaws in his game, your arguments are vague and have no basis. I guess he fails to meet the expectations of a .950+ OPS guy, if that's what you expected.

What is clutch? How is he not clutch?

Always Ks in big situations? Hmmm... He's struggling right now, no doubt about it but your reasoning doesn't hold water. While I love the job that Choo is doing, this team is better going forward with both Bruce and Choo in the lineup.

[mdccclxix]

Bruce just K's a lot. Big situations and small. I'm sure it's pretty evenly spread out.

But really, let's keep this to Choo.

[Vottomatic]

While there are flaws in his game, your arguments are vague and have no basis. I guess he fails to meet the expectations of a .950+ OPS guy, if that's what you expected.

What is clutch? How is he not clutch?

Always Ks in big situations? Hmmm... He's struggling right now, no doubt about it but your reasoning doesn't hold water. While I love the job that Choo is doing, this team is better going forward with both Bruce and Choo in the lineup.

It's called the eyetest. I don't think Jay is as good as others do. There's no reason it needs to hold water. It's an opinion based on what I see. All the stat guru's will throw out what they see and simply go by their precious stats.

If you've always been a Jay Bruce fan, then you probably overlook a lot of the negatives.

I've never been a fan or non-fan. I just see a guy who K's a lot (48+ so far), and rarely makes things happen. And it's not based on simply this season. I've been consistent in my disappointment of Jay Bruce.

But let's not derail this thread about Choo. Choo is everything I knew he would be. I've wanted to acquire him since 2009.

[cumberlandreds]

I really hope the Reds can sign Choo after the season. But I'm afraid with the start he's off to that he's driving his price way out of the Reds salary league. I'm just going to enjoy him this season and hope beyond hope that Choo likes it so much in Cincy that he gives them a big hometown discount to stay here a few more seasons.

[Kc61]

I love Choo.

As for his defense, he's playing out of position. He should be in RF.

Trade JB, move Choo to RF, get a real CFer who can also hit (Fowler), and find a right handed power hitting LFer.

This is a very sensible suggestion, baseball wise. Financially, Choo will be more expensive than Bruce, and he's older, so the Reds probably won't do it.

Also, despite what he says, I think Choo will leave at the end of the year for a huge contract some place. He's so good, it's hard to envision the big markets ignoring him.

I'm guessing the Yankees will go very hard after Choo next season.

[mattfeet]

This is a very sensible suggestion, baseball wise. Financially, Choo will be more expensive than Bruce, and he's older, so the Reds probably won't do it.

Also, despite what he says, I think Choo will leave at the end of the year for a huge contract some place. He's so good, it's hard to envision the big markets ignoring him.

I'm guessing the Yankees will go very hard after Choo next season.

I doubt the Yanks will be in play for ANY big name free agents over the next few years. They're trying like mad to stay under the luxury tax threshold and have an obscenely expensive extension looming over their heads (Cano).

-Matt

[Kc61]

I doubt the Yanks will be in play for ANY big name free agents over the next few years. They're trying like mad to stay under the luxury tax threshold and have an obscenely expensive extension looming over their heads (Cano).

-Matt

I hope you are right. I can see a lot of arguments for the Yanks being interested in Choo.

Wherever he winds up, though, I must say that Choo is a tremendous player. I hope the Reds figure out a way to take better advantage of the rather incredible duo of Choo and Votto this year.