So, will Bruce have a Hamilton-esque spring and completely knock our socks off?
I continue to be perplexed by a lack of respect for Dorn after his ascension last year, proving his shoulder has totally healed.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
I decided to go ahead and buy a subscription to BP after reading the Jay Bruce writeup. It seems they are pretty high on Edinson Volquez and Billy Bray. Goldstein says Volquez should fit in fine in the Reds rotation and says he still has star potential. He also lists Bray as the Reds 8th best player under age 25 and notes that he already is effective against lefties, but also has a chance at being a setup man down the road.
And he is still very high on Homer Bailey. To paraphrase: Bailey is one the few pitchers in baseball with two plus-plus pitches in addition to an average changeup with good deception. Ceiling is a true #1 starter.
He also likes Pedro Viola, stating he has a power arm and could develop into a valuable bullpen arm.
I think Goldstein is pretty wise. So many of these ranking websites are too easily influenced by the most recent stats with little or no differentiation due to other factors. Bailey is a 21 year old kid who had some bad outings in the big leagues at a young age.So what? Real baseball men and good evaluators can tell the difference between that and real decline. Many seem to be saying that Bailey has lost a lot of value since last spring, but I don't believe it for a minute. The rush to dump him by many is kind of amazing to me.
I think the same phenomenon has elevated Cueto to levels beyond realistic to fill "the void" left by Bailey's "fall." Cueto is rated as a 4 star prospect with a projection to become a solid number 3 and that is very good. The Reds have been searching high and low in vain to acquire a solid number 3. Goldstein rightfully did not elevate him above Bailey at this point. Another season with Bailey struggling and Cueto excelling could change things, but flip flopping them now is a knee jerk reaction IMO.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
If Cueto's projects as a #3, doesn't that mean he only projects to have a 4.50 ERA since that is league average? That seems kinda low to me...
A 4.50 ERA would ideally come out of the #4-5 spot. I honestly don't think anyone quite knows how to project Cueto yet. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this guy just judged Cueto and then dropped him back on the theoretical rotation due to height. His stuff, command, and performance have all been very ace like, so I don't see why we should rule out anything for Cueto yet. Even Goldstein said he could be a bit more than a #3, so my guess is that Cueto is a bit of a wait and see type of guy.If Cueto's projects as a #3, doesn't that mean he only projects to have a 4.50 ERA since that is league average?
I think people have become too enamored with placing #'s on starting pitchers. A #1-5 pitcher really depends on each individual team rather than a broader ranking. If Cueto becomes a very good pitcher but there are two better pitchers above him then that is a very good thing. But if Cueto doesn't devlop into what we all hope he does but he is the 3rd best pitcher on the staff then that is a bad thing.
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
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