Root Causes

[mth123]

In looking thorugh the stats in USA Today this morning I was able to identify the following list of players:


Solid or Better Players

Adam Dunn
Austin Kearns
BJ Ryan
Trevor Hoffman

Decent Role Players or Potentially Decent Role Players
Reggie Sanders
Aaron Boone
Brett Tomko
Chris Denorfia
Scott Williamson
Todd Coffey
Jason Larue
Brady Clark
Ryan Wagner
Jon Koronka
Ben Broussard

Filler, Fodder and Toast
Paul Bako
Chad Mottola
Chris Hammond
Rey Olmedo
Kevin Jarvis
Dustin Mosely
Scott Dunn
Antonio Perez

These are the only guys who I could recognize whose professional careers orginated with the Cincinnati organization. Admittedly I did this in a bit of a rush and might have missed a couple. Please feel free to correct me.

Even if I missed a couple, this is a pretty short list after a season full of guys accumulating stats or getting cups of coffee in the majors and expanding to 40 man rosters on September 1. I have long known that the Reds had been a wasteland when it comes to developing players but I was still surprised at how few even decent players there are.

Lay the blame on Marge. Years of emptiness in the minor league system is what caused the problem. It is the reason for needing filler like Joe Mays in the rotation, worn out vets like Hollandsworth on the bench, over priced signings of marginal players like Eric Milton and desperation moves like the Kearns deal.

Funniest thing about is, about the only thing everyone agrees about on here is the dislike for Dano (myself included). Seems like he did more to fix this in two years than has been done in the last 15.

Something to think about I guess.

[Hoosier Red]

It's even thinner if you take only guys say drafted after 1995.
A lot of the decent players and toast are longtime veterans.

[Dracodave]

Add to that the list of players the reds drafted but couldnt sign

Paul Byrd
Rob Mackowiak
Lance Cormier

Those could have been good solution to some current problems as well..

[Matt700wlw]

Trevor Hoffman

The one who got away...

[redsupport]

they were smart enough to convert him from infield and magnanimous enough to donate him to the national league

[REDREAD]

Lay the blame on Marge. Years of emptiness in the minor league system is what caused the problem..

And also lay the blame on Allen and Lindner too. They made it worse.

It's amazing that Coffey is the only bullpen arm the Reds currently have on their team that was drafted. Any team should be able to generate a couple bullpen arms and at least one starting pitcher that's a presentable #5.