Young arm or two are needed
More openings mean more risk
BY JOHN FAY | JFAY@ENQUIRER.COM
SARASOTA, FLA. - Saturday was the day pitchers and catchers reported to the Ed Smith Stadium complex.
Unless I missed something, Joe Blanton was not among them.
A trade still could happen - the Bronson Arroyo trade didn't happen until March 20 in 2006 - but Blanton remains an Oakland A. So it looks as though the Reds are going with the young guys.
Good call or bad call?
Ask me June 1.
What the Reds are hoping is that from the field of Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, Matt Maloney, Johnny Cueto and Jeremy Affeldt they can fill two spots in the rotation well enough to compete in the National League Central.
Had they added Blanton, they'd be looking for one starter from that field of five. Given the talent of those young guys, that wouldn't be too much to ask.
Trying to get two might be a stretch.
"We've got enough people," manager Dusty Baker said. "We've got some pretty good arms. It depends on how some of them mature. It depends on how their attitude and application for learning is."
Again, the aforementioned group is talented. Ted Power, the pitching coach at Triple-A Louisville, has seen three of the five - Bailey, Cueto, Maloney - pitch.
Are they ready to help the Reds now?
"Stuff-wise? Yes," Power said. "I haven't been around long enough and seen enough guys get to the big leagues to be an expert. But they have good stuff."
Power rated Maloney a little behind Bailey and Cueto.
"You're used to left-handers having that stuff that tails away from right-handed hitters," he said. "He doesn't have that."
With Bailey and Cueto, they've got the pitches to be successful right now.
"When he's on, Homer has nasty stuff," Power said. "Cueto was very impressive every time he pitched. Their stuff is pretty damn good."
The same is true of Volquez and Affeldt. Volquez was the No. 1-rated pitching prospect in the Texas organization. Affeldt had a 3.51 ERA last year with the Colorado Rockies, albeit in relief.
So the potential is there in all five cases.
But none gives the Reds what Blanton would: a guy who is an absolute lock to give you 200-plus innings and 30-plus starts if he's healthy.
But Blanton has a career 4.11 ERA. You'd think that if all goes right for Bailey, Cueto and Co., a few of them will do better than that.
But it's not a given that they'll be able to take that next step.
Long-suffering Reds fans remember that Ty Howington and Chris Gruler had a lot of potential too. Injuries derailed them.
Injuries aren't the only thing that derails careers. There are a lot of guys who throw 96 mph who don't make it.
Bailey, Volquez, Cueto and Maloney are all between 21 and 24. All have had success at Triple-A. But they say the biggest jump is from Triple-A to the majors.
Today, with the first workout of spring, the Reds will begin trying to get those young guys over that final hurdle.
It's now more about pitching than throwing.
Baker recalls the spring that Dave Stewart learned a third pitch.
"He went from a guy who couldn't win a job to winning 20 games four years in a row," Baker said.
The Reds can't expect that to fall into their laps.
But the question of the spring is: Will two of the young guy step up and make the rotation competitive?
We'll see.
If it becomes apparent in spring training that they can't, it might be time to give A's general manager Billy Beane a call to see if Blanton is still available.
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