Mike Leake, Best of the Bunch?

[markymark69]

Of the five starters in the Reds rotation (counting Latos and not Simon), Mike Leake could be the best of the bunch before their careers are all said and done. He doesn't have the power arm, but he can pitch and has a huge ticker. Not bad with the bat in his hands either.

[Benihana]

Best hitter maybe

[GAC]

Best hitter maybe

For what it's worth....

http://notanotherbaseballblog.wordpr...seball-2014-2/

A few pitchers can swing the stick a little bit, however. Here is my non-scientific list of the best hitting pitchers currently playing as we start of the 2014 season:

1. Mike Leake. I now rank Leake as the best hitting pitcher in MLB. While Leake batted only .190 with a .469 OPS last year, his career batting average of .251 and .604 career OPS in 227 major league at-bats makes him the most accomplished hitter of those pitchers who were major league active in 2013. Leake doesn’t hit with much power and he hasn’t walked much since his 2010 rookie season, but he’s dangerous if a base hit means a run. Mike also had his best year as a major league starter in 2013, so he’s on course to get many more batting opportunities in the future.

[757690]

Health will be the ultimate decider.

[RED VAN HOT]

I think he is a lower risk signing than either Latos or Cueto.

[RedsManRick]

What Mike Leake has going for himself, above all else, is durability. He's extremely athletic and not a max effort guy. He reminds me of Mark Beuhrle. He's more of a Beuhrle-lite, but he's got so much movement and good command such that he could have an awfully long career.

I would not be surprised if when all is said and done, he winds up with more career WAR than any of the other Reds starters.

[Benihana]

What Mike Leake has going for himself, above all else, is durability. He's extremely athletic and not a max effort guy. He reminds me of is Mark Beuhrle. He's more of a Beuhrle-lite, but he's got so much movement and good command such that he could have an awfully long career.

I would not be surprised if when all is said and done, he winds up with more career WAR than any of the other Reds starters.

He reminds me of that Brandon Arroyo guy.

[kaldaniels]

What Mike Leake has going for himself, above all else, is durability. He's extremely athletic and not a max effort guy. He reminds me of is Mark Beuhrle. He's more of a Beuhrle-lite, but he's got so much movement and good command such that he could have an awfully long career.

I would not be surprised if when all is said and done, he winds up with more career WAR than any of the other Reds starters.

That's a great way to put it.

[Kingspoint]

What Mike Leake has going for himself, above all else, is durability. He's extremely athletic and not a max effort guy. He reminds me of Mark Beuhrle. He's more of a Beuhrle-lite, but he's got so much movement and good command such that he could have an awfully long career.

I would not be surprised if when all is said and done, he winds up with more career WAR than any of the other Reds starters.

Should the WAR involved with his hitting and fielding be included? I would think so.

[villain612]

As much as I like Mike Leake, if he has a good year, do we potentially use him as trade bait to bring in another bat?

Obviously lots of factors come in to play here, particularly how healthy Mat Latos is going to be. But I think its a fair question.
The guy has performed well and has no injury issues currently.

(I'm not necessarily advocating this move but I think it's worth a discussion, considering we all know the offense is our weakest point and we have a lot of depth at starting pitching and will be unable to keep everyone longterm)

[_Sir_Charles_]

As much as I like Mike Leake, if he has a good year, do we potentially use him as trade bait to bring in another bat?

Obviously lots of factors come in to play here, particularly how healthy Mat Latos is going to be. But I think its a fair question.
The guy has performed well and has no injury issues currently.

(I'm not necessarily advocating this move but I think it's worth a discussion, considering we all know the offense is our weakest point and we have a lot of depth at starting pitching and will be unable to keep everyone longterm)

He IS another bat already. :O)

Seriously though, Leake is a guy I try to sign long term. My main reason is a bit different than others. Most starting pitchers are power pitchers. That trend is becoming even more exaggerated in recent years. I want to have a solid finesse pitcher in the rotation to off set the other guys. To throw a change of pace at an opponent. The fact that he plays excellent defense and carries a VERY solid stick are just bonus points to keeping him around long term.

[jojo]

Trade Leake this week. His trade value will never be higher than this morning!

[Kc61]

Of Cueto, Latos, and Leake, I think Leake has the best chance to stay a Red.

He is likely cheaper and more durable than the other two.

[kaldaniels]

Of Cueto, Latos, and Leake, I think Leake has the best chance to stay a Red.

He is likely cheaper and more durable than the other two.

Which begs the question, what would a Leake deal look like? I have no clue.

[757690]

Which begs the question, what would a Leake deal look like? I have no clue.

It has already been decided: 2 years $16M total. You clearly weren't paying attention.