Why is Zach Duke not on the team?

[Blitz Dorsey]

What am I missing here? Jocketty not impressed with Duke's 0.98 ERA and 18Ks in 19 innings at Louisville? He'd rather call up guys like Pedro Villarreal who are rocking 5+ ERAs at Louisville?

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats...pbp&pid=435043

Duke needs to be called up yesterday. I don't want to hear about any "40-man roster" nonsense. No one cares if we lose Pedro Villarreal. How about construct the best 25-man roster possible.

[Tony Cloninger]

No doubt that Walt has treated the 40 man roster with a degree of head scratching bewilderment. Afraid to lose fringe players in order to bring in better players? Lutz was the better option because he was on the 40 man?
There were better options than Lutz, without having to take him off the 40 man....like Pedro or Lotzkar.

[texasdave]

What am I missing here? Jocketty not impressed with Duke's 0.98 ERA and 18Ks in 19 innings at Louisville? He'd rather call up guys like Pedro Villarreal who are rocking 5+ ERAs at Louisville?

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats...pbp&pid=435043

Duke needs to be called up yesterday. I don't want to hear about any "40-man roster" nonsense. No one cares if we lose Pedro Villarreal. How about construct the best 25-man roster possible.

Duke opted out. He is no longer in the Reds' organization.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Duke opted out. He is no longer in the Reds' organization.

That was soooooo stupid on the Reds part to allow that to happen. We keep awful players on our 40-man but let Duke go? Reds definitely should have called him up before he could opt out. I don't get it. Walt is pretty lazy most of the time. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

Thx for the info.

[Falls City Beer]

Once you get down to asking questions like the one in the OP, you've got to begin to worry about your chances this season.

[malcontent]

That was soooooo stupid on the Reds part to allow that to happen. We keep awful players on our 40-man but let Duke go? Reds definitely should have called him up before he could opt out. I don't get it. Walt is pretty lazy most of the time. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

I completely agree. He's not proactive. And he gets pretty much of a pass around these parts.

[hebroncougar]

That was soooooo stupid on the Reds part to allow that to happen. We keep awful players on our 40-man but let Duke go? Reds definitely should have called him up before he could opt out. I don't get it. Walt is pretty lazy most of the time. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

Thx for the info.

Wow. I agree. I can not believe the Reds let Duke out, and brought up Villereal. Why not bring up Duke and keep him up as your 2nd lefty, especially with Marshall is serious limbo. That is a real head scratcher.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Wow. I agree. I can not believe the Reds let Duke out, and brought up Villereal. Why not bring up Duke and keep him up as your 2nd lefty, especially with Marshall is serious limbo. That is a real head scratcher.

I have no legitimate answer. I don't think anyone does. Walt is just lazy, IMO. I used to wonder how an intelligent group of baseball fans like the Cardinals could criticize Walt. It's a mystery no longer. He's lazy. He'll win some trades (like the Latos trade -- by far his highlight of his Reds' tenure) but overall he's a lazy GM, IMO. How else could one explain the handling of our 40-man roster this year? Let's not risk losing bad players in order to have the best 25-man roster possible!

[bubbachunk]

Our GM didn't want to disrupt his nap schedule?

Seriously, I have no legitimate answer. I don't think anyone does. Walt is just lazy. I used to wonder how an intelligent group of baseball fans like the Cardinals could criticize Walt. It's a mystery no longer. He's lazy. He'll win some trades (like the Latos trade -- by far his highlight of his Reds' tenure) but overall he's a lazy GM, IMO. How else could one explain the handling of our 40-man roster this year? Let's not risk losing bad players in order to have the best 25-man roster possible!

Get off your soap box already, it is nauseating and brings nothing to the discussion to try to disparage the GM of the Reds

[m21eagle45]

That was soooooo stupid on the Reds part to allow that to happen. We keep awful players on our 40-man but let Duke go? Reds definitely should have called him up before he could opt out. I don't get it. Walt is pretty lazy most of the time. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

Thx for the info.

Have you seen Duke pitch for other teams? He was awful. Don't let 19 innings in the minors blind you from that. Greg Reynolds has also put up huge numbers in the minors this year for the Reds. People on here were calling for him to make the spot starts for the Reds. When he was called up he looked just like he did with Colorado.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...dukeza01.shtml

[hebroncougar]

Have you seen Duke pitch for other teams? He was awful. Don't let 19 innings in the minors blind you from that. Greg Reynolds has also put up huge numbers in the minors this year for the Reds. People on here were calling for him to make the spot starts for the Reds. When he was called up he looked just like he did with Colorado.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...dukeza01.shtml

While I don't disagree, I'm shocked as much as Dusty like to play matchups that a 2nd lefty wasn't brought up. Villereal though?

[mth123]

This was a 2 day call-up. Duke gets the call and goes down when Broxton gets back, he needs to be waived anyway. Villareal can be optioned and is more likely capable fo going multiple innings to serve his primary purpose which is to keep from burning Lecure, Hoover, etc in a blow-out loss. Does it really matter who is pitching when they aren't going to be used unless the team is 7 or 8 runs behind? Bring-up Duke he goes an inning and you still need to burn Hoover or Lecure to finish the game. Villareal is in there until the last out no matter how he struggles and then goes to meet the bats for their next game.

The Reds have 4 guys on the DL and when a fresh arm was needed, they had to go to their 17th option for the big league roster. If it's a prospect not on the 40 man, they get added and burn an option when they are sent back down. That makes no sense. So it needs to be a journeyman capable of going 2 or 3 innings where options don't matter or a guy who already burnt an option when he was sent down after spring training. I wish the Reds had better guys on the 40 man roster, but this is the least of the Reds problems right now.

If they need an actual spot for somebody of importance, I'm sure Villareal is on the list with Lotzkar and Ravin as expendable names. One will need to go when Ludwick comes back I'd think (or Cueto could go on the 60 day DL).

[remdog]

Does it really matter who is pitching when they aren't going to be used unless the team is 7 or 8 runs behind?

Hey!, I'll volenteer! pay me by the pitch or out. Somebody is bound to hit a line-drive at someone!

OK, so I'm 66 y.o. but I can still hit a 120 tennis serves on back to back days without my arm falling off (pretty similar motion to throwing a pitch) Even can blow one by women and kids, occasionally. Cut me after two days or see if I clear waviers----no hard feelings, Reds.

Rem

[cumberlandreds]

Duke was terrible with the Nationals. I would say if was with the Reds he would be just as terrible. They didn't miss anything with him not being on the team.

[Patrick Bateman]

Zach Duke is not on anyone's major league team, and the last time he was he sucked.

Duke, Villareal..... who cares. Maybe we lost out on another Horst!!

Let's not act like Duke is such an obvious candidate to be in the majors that the only logical assumption is that Jocketty is lazy. That, as a matter of fact, is lazy analysis.