Why I am a Wayne Krivsky fan

[The Snow Chief]

Partly because of WK's own success (picking up Arroyo, Phillips, and Ross), 2006 was a better than expected season. It caused many Reds fans to become upset at WK for taking a step back this season. It was inevitable. This franchise was one of the most poorly run in all of baseball. If you look at the roster pre-spring training 2006 when WK, that might be one of the most disgusting rosters I have ever seen. Tony Womack was slotted as the starting 2B, we had no idea who was going to be on first base, and we had one legitimate started (Harang).

One the whole, look at the mlb ready players WK has brought in (without paying big FA bucks) versus what he has given up in return.

Brought in:

Hamilton (Rule 5)
Burton (Rule 5)
Bray (trade)
Majewski (trade)
Phillips (trade)
Keppinger (trade)
Arroyo (trade)
Ross (I don't remember)
McBeth (trade)

Given up:

Kearns (trade)
Lopez (trade)
Pena (trade)
Denorfia
some minor league scrap iron like the guys we traded for Keppinger and Phillips

What makes me encouraged is the vast majority of flyers WK has taken on young guys (Hamilton, Bray, Burton, McBeth, Phillips, Keppinger, etc.) have turned out much better than expected while the guys that have been given up have performed below expectations. That tells me that WK and his staff know a little something about player evaluation - both outside the organization and within.

While the bullpen combination of inexperience at one extreme and mopped up veterans at the other has caused this season to be dissappointing, I don't think anyone can look at the Reds as an organization and objectively say it is not MUCH better off than it was 1 1/2 years ago and we did not have to sell the farm in terms of players or long term contract commitments to do it.

I am the first to call for managment/coaching changes if needed. See Bowden, Jim. However, I have to question what anyone who has called for WK to be fired or even seriously considered it knows about the game of baseball.

[ThirdBaseCoach]

you have made a very strong and accurate statement about WK's skill. how about including Pete as his choice for "interim" manager in his list of accomplishments? Perhaps he should get Pete a contract for 2008 before another team grabs him, which they most certainly will do.

[GoReds33]

you have made a very strong and accurate statement about WK's skill. how about including Pete as his choice for "interim" manager in his list of accomplishments? Perhaps he should get Pete a contract for 2008 before another team grabs him, which they most certainly will do.

We should not have Pete as our manager next year. I like how he manages. He just doesn't command the type of respect of the players that Tony LaRussa does.

[Vada Pinson Fan]

We should not have Pete as our manager next year. I like how he manages. He just doesn't command the type of respect of the players that Tony LaRussa does.

Sorry Go Reds, but unless your Smiley Face perhaps implies a "tongue-in-cheek" statement, just ask Scott Rolen how much respect he has for Tony LaRussa. Ask Albert Pujols after LaRussa didn't play him at this year's all-star game in San Francisco how much respect he has "NOW" for LaRussa.

I've read many posts at the Cards forum (with Swamp Turkey as a member, not a LaRussa detractor, I wouldn't say) where many Cards fans over the last three years have had great concerns about LaRussa's managing ability. I know all about LaRussa's lifetime managerial wins, but consider just how lost he was in the 1990 World Series when his heavily favored Oakland A's lost in 4 straight (A's were swept by the Reds!!!) and had no answers to try and get the A's to win at least one game.

Sure, LaRussa would be interesting, to say the least, about becoming the Reds 2008 manager. Maybe the Reds hire Tony for 2008. But give Pete Mackanin credit- he (Pete) has managed way above my expectations after replacing Jerry Narron. LaRussa will undoubtedly take major dollars away from the 2008 payroll if hired. Mackanin won't. You decide. I take my chances on Pete Mackanin for a one year contract to manage the Reds in 2008 and then let's see what Pete M. can do. Of course I don't expect LaRussa to then be available should Mackanin falter in 2008 or be hired (LaRussa) in 2009.

[ThirdBaseCoach]

We should not have Pete as our manager next year. I like how he manages. He just doesn't command the type of respect of the players that Tony LaRussa does.

GoReds,

Here is an example of the respect that Pete has earned from the players. I have many more quotes to support the contention that the players have responded to Pete and will continue to do so in the future.

"The real good thing about Mackanin is that if you sit around and wait to get a guy into the perfect situation, his part of the game, he might sit for five, six or seven games," said Weathers. "By the time it's his time, he's rusty. Pete hasn't done that like it was done earlier in the year."

Pete has gained KGJ's respect as well as Dunn's, BP's, etc. The bullpen has responded well. This is the real deal.

[Red in Atl]

I have been thinking this way for a bit as well. It's easy to jump on the guy in charge when we have high expectations and nothing to show for it. One problem is as Reds fans, we are literally "starved to death" for a good, playoff contending team.

As Eddie Murphy said playing a starving man eating a saltine, "What is this a Ritz?"

Last years start was an aberration. We hung in till the end in a very weak division. When people got hurt and pitchers showed their true colors, we had no one to step up. Years and years of minor league fodder and poor drafts took their toll.

Wayne has been on the job for a relative short time in the big picture. A team as messed up as the Reds were is going to take more than one season to clean up. As much as I and everyone else HATES IT!

Yes his bullpen woes are monumental. But what can you do when the cupboards are bare? He tried to patch what he could and sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. Unfortunately ball players don't have that tester bar installed like "Duracell batteries" and you don't know when they are out of juice (Cormier, Stanton).

I think the only way to truly tell how good a job Wayne has done will be 3-5 years out and then get a total evaluation of the organization top to bottom. My guess is that we will be in a much better position than the last 7 years. And WK will have had a lot to do with that.

As far as his good moves go, don't forget Hatteberg, a fine replacement for the very popular Casey and Jeff Conine, a great "teacher" in the clubhouse and good trading chip. My guess is also that he's kept Belhorn around only to trade to someone in need (desparate need albeit) like what happened with Conine. Don't forget Belhorn was the starting 2nd baseman for the WC Redsox.

[big boy]

Given up:

Kearns (trade)
Lopez (trade)
Pena (trade)
Denorfia
some minor league scrap iron like the guys we traded for Keppinger and Phillips

Interesting we don't hear about giving up Germano or Harris anymore now that Germano has lost seven of his last eight decisions and Harris has looked very ordinary.

[Vada Pinson Fan]

Nice thread Snow Chief! The Reds Mar 21, 2006 traded Bobby Basham to San Diego Padres for David Ross.

Basham's career stats:
Year Age* Lg Tm G GS SH IP H ER HR BB K G/F W L S ERA WHIP
2002 22 A A 13 13 3 87.2 64 16 4 9 97 - 6 4 0 1.64 .837
2003 23 A A 0 1 0 6.2 5 2 0 1 1 - 0 1 0 2.90 .968
2003 23 AA CHA 17 17 0 94.0 133 54 16 24 56 - 5 10 0 5.17 1.670
2004 24 AA CHA 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 999.99 .000
2005 25 AA CHA 10 10 0 51.3 52 17 5 9 46 - 5 3 0 2.98 1.188
2006 26 AA MOB 2 2 0 9.0 14 5 1 3 5 - 0 1 0 5.00 1.889
2007 27 AA SAN 7 0 0 8.7 26 16 2 3 3 - 0 1 0 16.62 3.346
2007 27 AA MOB 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 999.99 .000

I thought Basham would have been better. Good trade for Krivsky.

W.Krivsky has done a very good job OVERALL. All things considered. Krivsky needs to probably stay away from his Bowden-like fixation of former Reds that is so similar that WK has for the Twins. Sure the Twins have some great players but doubtful if Ryan turns any of them loose in a trade.

Again, Snow Chief, very nice thread! Also, just keep WK away from 40+ year old relievers that at one time, long ago, had an arm worth signing.

[Muggerd]

Pete deserves the job but there are a few I would rather have before him thats for sure.

[Vada Pinson Fan]

I tried to edit the above post and align the stats but the icon popped up saying you do not have permission to edit this post. Oh well. Sorry.

[AmarilloRed]

He also brought in Maloney, Smit, and Cantu who might help the club in the near future.

[DannyB]

I can still see D.Ross standing at the plate looking dumbfounded.
I can still see Mike Stanton giving up hits with someone elses runners on base.
I can still see Ryan Freel trying to drive in Adam Dunn.
I can still see The Reds 9-9.5 games out and 10+under .500.
Who gets the blame?

[SMcGavin]

I can still see D.Ross standing at the plate looking dumbfounded.
I can still see Mike Stanton giving up hits with someone elses runners on base.
I can still see Ryan Freel trying to drive in Adam Dunn.
I can still see The Reds 9-9.5 games out and 10+under .500.
Who gets the blame?

Put it this way... is there any possible way Krivsky could have turned this team into a 2007 contender without spending tens of millions in free agency? As the OP described he has hit some and missed some. Mike Stanton was a terrible idea, but BP, Hamilton and Burton are all pretty good and he gave up nothing to get them. I'm not fully on the WK bandwagon but he's shown me enough to give him some more time. Coming into this situation his first job was to upgrade the overall talent level of this organization, and in my opinion he has done that.

[The Snow Chief]

I can still see D.Ross standing at the plate looking dumbfounded.
I can still see Mike Stanton giving up hits with someone elses runners on base.
I can still see Ryan Freel trying to drive in Adam Dunn.
I can still see The Reds 9-9.5 games out and 10+under .500.
Who gets the blame?

Some people are amazing. Look at the Reds roster a year and a half ago and you would see a hell of alot worse than that. Rome was not built in a day. There is still a long way to go.

There are WK moves I don't like: Stanton, extending Freel, Cormier trade, etc. However, on the whole, I like most of the moves and this organization is improving from the farm system up.

If you think a team on the smaller end of the baseball market can go from one of the organizations in the worst shape in the league (which it was) to a serious contender in a year and a half then I would suggest that you know very little about the business of baseball as it exists under the current collective bargainning agreement.

[DannyB]

Some people are amazing. Look at the Reds roster a year and a half ago and you would see a hell of alot worse than that. Rome was not built in a day. There is still a long way to go.

There are WK moves I don't like: Stanton, extending Freel, Cormier trade, etc. However, on the whole, I like most of the moves and this organization is improving from the farm system up.

If you think a team on the smaller end of the baseball market can go from one of the organizations in the worst shape in the league (which it was) to a serious contender in a year and a half then I would suggest that you know very little about the business of baseball as it exists under the current collective bargainning agreement.

Yes. I am amazing.

I may not know much about the business of baseball but I know most of the players that are making this team win were in the orginazation at the beginning of the season.