Very true gentlemen.
If I was Adam Dunn you wouldn't have to run me out of town. I'd leave. Let Dusty try to then assemble an offense that would then suit his philosophy.
All the above is bottom tier.Code:batting #1 .263 BA .313 OB% .381 SLG% .694 OPS total bases 180 batting #2 .265 BA .317 OB% .372 SLG% .688 OPS total bases 173 batting #3 .234 BA .337 OB% .404 SLG% .741 OPS total bases 169 batting #4 .264 BA .326 OB% .440 SLG% .766 OPS total bases 190
Yet look at a comparison between the 1-4 spots vs 5-8 spots...
As much as many were complaining about Jr in the #3 hole, and with justification, look what he was doing in the above areas in comparison to those in the key lead off spots. 2nd only to Dunn in BBs and OB%. One may want to add Hairston, but the guy has appeared in half as many games as the others too.Code:Walks OB% #1 33 .313 (last in the NL) #2 32 .316 #3 63 .337 #4 38 .326 TOTAL 166 .323 #5 80 .391 (leads MLB) #6 38 .334 #7 40 .355 #8 51 .315 TOTAL 209 .349
Now do I place total blame on Dusty? No. You gotta play the cards dealt you.
But I question, so far, at HOW he has chosen to play those cards.
We say that Jocketty needs to be given time (a grace period) to put his "fingerprint" on this team. And I'm sure he'll be receiving input from Dusty.
So now we're going to see, between now and next season, what kind of imprint Dusty wants to place on this roster.
But I'm not impressed with a manager, when asked about the teams offensive woes, whose simplified responses are "we need to get more hits".
Last edited by GAC; 08-02-2008 at 09:15 AM.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
2000:
Dane Sardinha, C (2nd rd.)
Stephen Smitherman, OF (23rd rd.)
2001:
None
2002:
Joey Votto, C/1B (2nd rd.)
Chris Denorfia, OF (19th rd.)
Calvin Medlock, RHP (39th rd.)
2003:
Ryan Wagner, RHP (1st rd.)
2004:
Homer Bailey, RHP (1st rd.)
Paul Janish, SS (5th rd.)
2005:
Jay Bruce, OF (1st rd.)
2006:
None
2007:
None
2008:
None (obviously)
Last edited by Big Klu; 08-02-2008 at 03:49 PM.
Eric Stratton, Rush Chairman. Damn glad to meet ya.
Dustin Moseley also in 2000.
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Things seem to be finally turning for the better in the recent Reds drafts. The 2005 draft netted us a future superstar in Jay Bruce. Travis Wood is currently pitching in AA and while he's struggling, he has two major league pitches right now. Zach Ward was dealt for Kyle Lohse who was dealt for Matt Maloney. Sam Lecure is pitching well in AA. Jeff Stevens was dealt for Brandon Phillips. Carlos Fisher and Adam Rosales are in AAA. I'd call that draft pretty successful.
The 2006 draft has already saw eight players reach AA. Drafting Drew Stubbs over Lincecum hurt but Stubbs could still turn into a gold glove caliber center fielder. Behind him the Reds landed some solid depth. Sean Watson could develop into a fine setup man if he can find his control. Chris Valaika looks like a future above average middle infielder. Jordan Smith is currently starting in AA but profiles as a reliever with solid stuff. Josh Roenicke is pitching great in Louisville and should reach Cincy anytime now. Others like Justin Turner, Danny Dorn, and Chris Heisey look like they could be role players in the majors.
The 2007 Reds draft was among the best in all of baseball last season. Catcher Devin Mesoraco is showing some solid hitting skills in Dayton. Todd Frazier has already advanced to High-A and projects as a very good major league hitter. Zach Cozart is hitting better than expected while flashing great defense. Neftali Soto is the best RH HS bat in the Reds system since Austin Kearns. Kyle Lotzkar has a 12.3 K/9 ratio as an 18-year old in Low-A. He's in the class of Johnny Cueto/Edinson Volquez type of prospects IMO. There's plenty more intriging prospects behind them like Evan Hildenbrandt, Scott Carroll, Jeremy Horst, Jeff Jeffords, Shea Snowden, and Alexis Oliveras.
It's way too early to judge the 2008 draft but I like the early returns so far. Yonder Alonso has yet to sign but when he does he's expected to move quickly through the system. Third rounder Zach Stewart is mowing down hitters left and right and could reach Cincy next season at this pace.
Jim Bowden's drafts killed this organization but I like the direction of the recent drafts. They could all still flop but at least most of the prospects are progressing instead of flaming out like they did in years past.
In a nutshell...that is why the Reds have been a poor franchise the past 10 years. On a daily basis we see micro-mangagement/lineup-order type moves ripped to shreds. The Austin Kearns trade has been beaten to death. I see complaints about the millions wasted on Stanton/Patterson types. Yeah, that type of stuff hurts, but the above post is the reason why the Reds haven't had a winning record in years. The five draft years from 2000-2004 were an absolute wasteland. Votto (good pick), Denoforia (so-so player...sorry) and Bailey (shaky pick at the moment) are it. Find a team that drafted worse than the Reds those 5 years. When you are constantly scrambling to fill your 25 man roster, the results are going to speak for themselves on the field.
It appears however, that things are turning around, and for that reason the future is very bright.
The 2008 season has concluded; will the misery of the Lost Decade ever do the same?
Code:W L pct p-wins p-losses p-pct Runs RA Diff Runs/G RA/G 2001 66 96 .407 69 93 .428 735 850 -115 4.54 5.25 2002 78 84 .481 74 88 .456 709 774 -65 4.38 4.78 2003 69 93 .426 62 100 .380 694 886 -192 4.28 5.47 2004 76 86 .469 66 96 .406 750 907 -157 4.63 5.60 2005 73 89 .451 74 88 .460 820 889 -69 5.06 5.49 2006 80 82 .494 76 86 .466 749 801 -52 4.62 4.94 2007 72 90 .444 74 88 .457 783 853 -70 4.83 5.27 2008 74 88 .463 71 91 .431 704 800 -96 4.35 4.94 TOTAL 588 708 .454 565 731 .436 5944 6760 -790 4.59 5.22
The Lost Decade Average Season: 74-88
2014-22 Average Season: 71-91
The scary part is that their record should be even worse than it actually is.
Are they moving in the right direction? I like that pitching is now in the equation, and I think Jocko's much more capable than O'brien or Krivsky, but.....
"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton
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