2006 reds roster prediction

[schroomytunes]

Sorry if this has been posted, but I'm at work bored and wanted to see what our Reds will look like this year, so here goes:

starters:harang,claussen,arroyo,milton,williams

bullpen:mercker,weathers,hammond,white,coffey,beli sle,burns

1b-hatteberg
2b-womack
ss-lopez
3b-ee
lf-dunn
cf-griffey
rf-kearns
c-larue

bench:valentin,freel,aurilia,mccracken,buchanan

after may 1st:we may see terrance long, paul wilson, and ryan wagner.

your thoughts?

[VI_RedsFan]

That's what I think it will be, except sub buchanan for someone else, maybe another outfielder.

[Reds1]

I thnk Ryan Wagner tonight with his 2 inning performace may knock Belisle out. I don't know the option situation, but I think the Reds will keep the other new catcher (I just can't think of his name), especially with LaRue out. But then again LaRue will probably be back shortly. I'm not sure McCracken make this team, but I think buchanan just might be the 1st walk on to make it!
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[BigRed]

I don't think that Krivsky is done making changes. As camps close, there are going to be players availabe without options that can be added to the mix.

[SirFelixCat]

Wags will surely join the team heading north. He has been very solid in all but (I think) 1 outing this ST. Plus would love to ship a couple of our BP's to ATL for Sosa....

[Patrick Bateman]

I would do the following changes:

1. Dump White for Wagner. Just because we are paying him 600K doesn't mean he is one our top 7 relievers. Right now I would put him 9th after Shackelford.

2. Put Freel as the starting 2nd baseman, release/dump Womack and replace him with Kata. Having Womack is senselss IMO. Once again just because we are paying him 1M doesn't make him one of our top 13 position players. He can't really do anything well. Kata can at least field which would help more than anything Womack does for us.

3. I would hope that we see Wise before we see Long. Wise is a terrific fielder while Long does nothing.

4. It may look like LaRue could miss openign day, pushing Valentin to the starting gig and Ross as the back-up.

Otherwise I agree with most your roster, however yours has a much better chance of happening and looks extremely realistic.

I would also feel a lot more comfortable picking up another 1st basemen on the cheap that has a better chance of producing than Hatteberg does. I still would prefer him as a reserve and I think he would be a pretty valuable bat off the bench.

[Reds1]

I would do the following changes:

1. Dump White for Wagner. Just because we are paying him 600K doesn't mean he is one our top 7 relievers. Right now I would put him 9th after Shackelford.

2. Put Freel as the starting 2nd baseman, release/dump Womack and replace him with Kata. Having Womack is senselss IMO. Once again just because we are paying him 1M doesn't make him one of our top 13 position players. He can't really do anything well. Kata can at least field which would help more than anything Womack does for us.

3. I would hope that we see Wise before we see Long. Wise is a terrific fielder while Long does nothing.

4. It may look like LaRue could miss openign day, pushing Valentin to the starting gig and Ross as the back-up.

Otherwise I agree with most your roster, however yours has a much better chance of happening and looks extremely realistic.

I would also feel a lot more comfortable picking up another 1st basemen on the cheap that has a better chance of producing than Hatteberg does. I still would prefer him as a reserve and I think he would be a pretty valuable bat off the bench.

1) I thought White has done very well this spring. Maybe I missed a blow up, but I was very pleased in the games I"ve listened too and watched. I'd rather have a closer for him, but I think he's probably better then some of the youngsters who seem to be very inconsistant.

2) Kata has not impressed me. Womack has actually done better then I expected. I know he's not leaving so I'm just accepting it. LOL

3) I'll have to see Long. Wise has done a great job, but I just remember long has a couple great years, but you are probably right.

4) Ross. That's his name - I forgot.

5) I also think your 1B upgrade could be coming along with a closer. I know wishful thinking. With a closer the pen will actually be pretty good. As far as 1B I think Hatteberg will do fine if he is limited in starts, but full time we might have some issues. He will actually put up close to Casey type numbers. We have worse issues then 1B. WE still need more pitching to contend, but we are getting better IMO.

Thanks

[reds44]

IMO Sanchez will be up before Long.

[OnBaseMachine]

Roster taking shape
Team has only about five spots to be decided

By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter

SARASOTA, Fla. - Truth be told, Jerry Narron probably could name his Opening Day roster right now. He just chooses not to.

The Reds' manager acknowledged Tuesday that the time for evaluation essentially has passed, with only four Grapefruit League games remaining. But those four games are the reason the Reds' official camp roster still stands at 36, nine above the limit, entering today.

"Mostly, you've got to have players to play the games," Narron said. "It can only help them by being here, it's not hurting them one bit. If you're asking if we know what these guys can do, I think we do."

Narron didn't tip his hand on what shape the Opening Day roster might take, leaving only educated guesses. The same kind the players that still consider themselves on the bubble surely are making repeatedly throughout the course of each day.

Any speculation is dependent on the cast of characters remaining the same through the weekend, which is no sure thing. With a stockpile of catchers, second basemen and even outfielders (if minor league camp is taken into consideration), the Reds are well-positioned to make a deal. The only question is whether general manager Wayne Krivsky will pull the trigger again before the club heads north.

Working with what is already on hand and assuming the Reds will carry 12 pitchers, this is how everything sorts out entering today.

Three players - Grant Balfour, Paul Wilson and Dewayne Wise - will begin the year on the disabled list, cutting the total to 33.

There are 20 players that must be considered locks, assuming Jason LaRue doesn't begin the year on the disabled list after undergoing knee surgery Monday. Considering he was walking around without crutches or any visible limp Tuesday, he probably will avoid the DL. They are:

Catchers LaRue and Javier Valentin

Infielders Rich Aurilia, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Freel, Scott Hatteberg, Felipe Lopez and Tony Womack

Outfielders Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Austin Kearns

Pitchers Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Claussen, Chris Hammond, Aaron Harang, Kent Mercker, Eric Milton, David Weathers, Rick White and Dave Williams

That leaves 13 players vying for five spots on the roster, three of them in the bullpen.

The remaining relievers are Matt Belisle, Mike Burns, Todd Coffey, Brian Shackelford and Ryan Wagner.

Belisle likely is in, since his background as a starter makes him the lone viable long reliever in the bullpen. Coffey seems a solid bet for another slot, as his propensity for throwing strikes has endeared him to Narron over the past year.

Command could be Shackelford's undoing, as he has posted seven walks in 11 spring innings. The presence of lefties Mercker and Hammond in the bullpen would allow the Reds to send Shackelford to the minors to keep refining his pitches.

Wagner has had a solid spring, but he could lose out if the final spot comes down to him and Burns. Both pitchers have options remaining, but Burns might be seen as a more reliable choice to take north, given that he has walked only 27 batters in 141 2/3 innings the last two seasons.

The competition for the final two spots on the bench is a bit more complicated, thanks in large part to the Reds' acquisition of catcher Dave Ross last week and LaRue's subsequent injury, but three spots are already set. One will go to Valentin, and whoever doesn't start at second base among the trio of Aurilia, Freel and Womack will get two more slots.

William Bergolla, who saw his first game action Tuesday night after missing the entire spring with a high groin strain, will be sent back to the minors as early as today. A couple of veteran invitees, Andy Abad and Frank Menechino, almost certainly are on borrowed time, as is catcher Dane Sardinha.

That would leave Ross, Jacob Cruz, Matt Kata and Quinton McCracken in the mix for two bench spots.

Though a foot injury has slowed him late in the spring, McCracken almost certainly will get one of the jobs because the Reds will need another backup outfielder besides Freel. The Reds have tried Kata, a natural second baseman, in the outfield a few times but the results haven't been stellar.

Because Kata still has an option, the Reds may send him to Louisville to await a call whenever an infielder of any stripe goes down with an injury. If that is the case, Ross probably would have the edge for the final spot.

As well as Cruz has performed in a specialized role the last two years, he hasn't had a good spring (6-for-31, .194) and the hot bat Ross was swinging with the Padres in Arizona has joined him in Florida. The catcher had a solo homer and an RBI single Tuesday night to raise his spring average to .483 (14-for-29) with four homers and 12 RBIs.

That hitting, coupled with the uncertainty over how quickly LaRue will recover, could very well be enough to put Ross over the top.

The X-factor in all of this, a guy who isn't even officially on the list, is Brian Buchanan. The hitting star of the spring finally showed signs of slowing Tuesday, going 1-for-4 with a double as he got the start in right field. That sent his average plummeting to .568 even as he collected his 10th extra-base hit in 20 Grapefruit League games.

Though Buchanan, a 32-year-old journeyman, has been a remarkable story, he likely will open the year in Louisville and await a call-up at the first opportunity.

Of course, it's all guesswork until the Reds set their roster, which doesn't have to happen until Sunday. Narron left open the possibility that the Reds might take a couple of extra players north, "not knowing if there will be a deal or something."

It's no fun sitting around, wondering where and when the ax might fall, but Narron knows the drill as well as anybody.

"It's probably not the greatest thing for some of these guys that are on the bubble, but that's just part of the game and something you have to deal with when you're part of this game," said Narron. "Most of my career, I went through that, so I know exactly what these guys are going through. I definitely have empathy for what they're going through."

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs....603290328/1027