Reds Claim 2B/OF Matt Kata

[RedLegSuperStar]

Also released Allen Simpson.. see.. Jose Acevedo was a waste!

Rotoworld.com

[VI_RedsFan]

Mysterious move. I smell a Menechino and/or Womack cut.

[Falls City Beer]

Could be Krivsky's yen for soft-tossing control guys. The only hardthrower Krivsky cottoned to in his years with the Twins was Joe Nathan. Krivs likes him some creampuffs (Mays, Radke). He'll love Williams and Claussen. And Milton v. 2005.

Poor control gasthrowers beware. Pitch to contact by any other name....

[traderumor]

Could be Krivsky's yen for soft-tossing control guys. The only hardthrower Krivsky cottoned to in his years with the Twins was Joe Nathan. Krivs likes him some creampuffs (Mays, Radke). He'll love Williams and Claussen. And Milton v. 2005.

Poor control gasthrowers beware. Pitch to contact by any other name....

Poor control gets you the boot whether you throw gas or creampuffs. Simpson was fodder, added nothing to our depth, was received in value for what we gave up and did nothing to show improving command. Don't let the door hit on the way out.

[Falls City Beer]

Poor control gets you the boot whether you throw gas or creampuffs. Simpson was fodder, added nothing to our depth, was received in value for what we gave up and did nothing to show improving command. Don't let the door hit on the way out.

Well, poor control is usually part and parcel of being a hardthrower. And my point was less a cry to keep someone like Simpson around as it was a way of mining Krivsky's philosophy, which seems to stress control over stuff--not my way of seeing things at all, btw. Control can be taught; stuff, no matter how hard people try to convince me otherwise, can't.

I don't think we'll be seeing someone like, say, a Scott Williamson under Krivsky. Which is a shame. A healthy, control-impaired Scott Williamson is better than 95% of all pitchers in MLB.

[Nugget]

There is no way Simpson was going to make the 25 man to go up north. There are plenty ahead of him. His out of options so rather carry him through ST they might as well release. If no one wants him he can still come back on a minor league contract.

[IslandRed]

Well, poor control is usually part and parcel of being a hardthrower. And my point was less a cry to keep someone like Simpson around as it was a way of mining Krivsky's philosophy, which seems to stress control over stuff--not my way of seeing things at all, btw. Control can be taught; stuff, no matter how hard people try to convince me otherwise, can't.

I don't think we'll be seeing someone like, say, a Scott Williamson under Krivsky. Which is a shame. A healthy, control-impaired Scott Williamson is better than 95% of all pitchers in MLB.

The Twins have no shortage of young guys with stuff, so where you get the idea that Krivsky hates hard throwers, I have no idea, even if you're giving him single-handed credit for what's in the Twins organization. Maybe you're right, maybe he's going to focus on guys who throw strikes and cut less slack to the Colt Griffin Lites. But I don't think Williamson's a good example. Williamson was wild at times, but it was an effective wild; he proved from day one he could keep runs off the board in spite of the walks.

I don't think Krivsky's really doing anything except clearing out failed prospects he doesn't think will be anything. The fact that a couple of them are hard throwers isn't surprising, because guys with track records like that who can't conjure up the "what if" of a mid-90s fastball would have been out of baseball already.

[Caveat Emperor]

Well, poor control is usually part and parcel of being a hardthrower. And my point was less a cry to keep someone like Simpson around as it was a way of mining Krivsky's philosophy, which seems to stress control over stuff--not my way of seeing things at all, btw. Control can be taught; stuff, no matter how hard people try to convince me otherwise, can't.

If you can't throw strikes consistently, you're less than worthless as a pitcher.

A "stuff" guy with no command is just as detrimental to a team in the bullpen or in the rotation than a soft-tosser who gets his brains beat around the ballpark. 6 Luke Hudsons to half a dozen Joey Hamiltons.

[traderumor]

Well, poor control is usually part and parcel of being a hardthrower. And my point was less a cry to keep someone like Simpson around as it was a way of mining Krivsky's philosophy, which seems to stress control over stuff--not my way of seeing things at all, btw. Control can be taught; stuff, no matter how hard people try to convince me otherwise, can't.

I don't think we'll be seeing someone like, say, a Scott Williamson under Krivsky. Which is a shame. A healthy, control-impaired Scott Williamson is better than 95% of all pitchers in MLB.

Control can be taught, just like math can. That doesn't mean everyone is going to get it, and Simpson is one of them, as is Hudson. Those two are what they are at their age, which is wild as goose guys who can throw hard. As far as Krivsky's philosophy, I'm not sure you can mine anything from cuts of scrubs like Siimpson and Hudson except to say two more bad pitchers have been removed. Hopefully they will be replaced by two non-bad pitchers at some point that get people out and keep the other team from scoring with whatever stuff they may have.

[Falls City Beer]

Did Simpson fall under the "no" control category, as some of you have it?

You all are strawmanning me. Of course, someone with NO control has no place in baseball, but I'm talking about control-challenged hardthrowers like Williamson. And I'm not drawing a parallel between Scott and Simpson necessarily, or even saying that Simpson was worth keeping. All I'm saying is that a hardthrowing pitcher is gone and some sub-worthless second baseman has taken his place. Bad math, IMO.

So far Krivsky's delivered Timo, Hatteberg, and Kata. *Fart*

[puca]

Yawn. Why the let Simpson go is a much less interesting question than why Kata was brought in. Simpson is 29, well past the age where anyone should expect him to suddenly find control and carve out a big league career. All it says to me is that if Krivsky doesn't think you are any good, he is not shy about letting you go - no matter what your numbers this spring look like.

Kata on the other hand is redundant, and something has to give. Either Freel is going to be traded soon or he is going to be given the starting 2b job and Womack will be shown the door. Nothing else makes sense for me. It is pretty nice to have a 2b/of on your bench, but you don't need two of them.
I guess it is possible that Krivsky wants Kata for the AAA insurance and is counting on him passing through waivers at the end of ST. Personally I like the Womack sent packing theory.

Either that or Krivsky is just practicing waiver claims for when it really counts.

[IslandRed]

The main difference between Kata and the plethora of other utility types is his defensive profile, supposedly. He's supposedly good at 2B and 3B, decent at SS, and apparently has set foot in the outfield also. That might make him a decent bench option considering our other multi-position infielders really ain't all that with the glove.

I really, really hope it reflects a thinking that Freel will get the majority of 2B starts and Womack's out of here, but we'll see.

[Caveat Emperor]

All I'm saying is that a hardthrowing pitcher is gone and some sub-worthless second baseman has taken his place. Bad math, IMO.

A hardthrowing pitcher with no control is gone and some sub-worthless second baseman has taken his place. That's a zerosum game as far as I'm concerned: Crap in, Crap Back.

Too many people on this board (not singling you out FCB, or even saying you fit into this category) fall in love with people who throw hard because it's such a rarity in the Reds organization over the past few years. Unfortunately, simply loading back and firing isn't enough to make it in the big leagues, as pitchers like Hudson and Simpson have proven.

[redsmetz]

Unfortunately, simply loading back and firing isn't enough to make it in the big leagues, as pitchers like Hudson and Simpson have proven.

I think guys like Tom Seaver show that at some point, you have to have more than just "stuff". Seaver became a much savvier pitcher late in his career. Of course, Tom Terrific was always "smarter than your average bear" sort of guys. I still pinch myself to think he actually pitched for the Reds for five years (or so) - and should have won the Cy Young the year he came over!

[TeamBoone]

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Reds pick up Kata
BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

SARASOTA, Fla. – When Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky saw Matt Kata’s name on the waiver wire, he saw a player he liked so much that he decided to put in a claim.

Never mind that Kata is a versatile infielder, joining Ryan Freel, Rich Aurilia and Tony Womack in that category on the roster.

“He’s a quality pro who can play second, third, shortstop or outfield,” Krivsky said.

And where does Kata fit in?

“I’ll let (Reds manager Jerry Narron) work that out,” Krivsky said.

The move would certainly put the Reds in position to trade one of the aforementioned infielders.

The Reds signed Kata off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday – the only day off this spring.

The make room for Kata on the 40-man roster, the Reds released right-hander Allan Simpson.

Simpson, 28, was obtained for right-hander Jose Acevedo from the Colorado Rockies on April 9 of last year. He spent most of last year at Triple-A Louisville, going 4-4 with a 4.06 ERA. He was called up to the Reds in September and went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Simpson has a powerful arm, but has struggled with control – a walk every other inning throughout his career. He was 1-0 and had not given up a run in five games this spring.

He was out of options, so the Reds would have had to put him on waivers to get him to the minors.

Kata, who turned 28 on Tuesday, has appeared in 160 big league games. He has a .248 career average with nine home runs and 42 RBI.

He appeared in seven games for the Phillies this spring and went 4-for-21 with an RBI.



http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...303150015/1071