Greatest Hype Greatest Letdown All Time Reds Team

[RedlegJake]

Sort of like the All Futility team with a twist - the guys who were supposed to be gre-e-e-at and wound up busting completely. The only requirement for inclusion is they actually made it to the big league squad - with huge hype - and then busted. I have four to start the team. I didn't add Homer because he still has time and it wouldn't be fair to him.

1B - Willie Greene (only because Larson is at third)
3B - Brandon Larson
SP - Brandon Claussen
SS - Kurt Stilwell (traded to Royals instead of Larkin, many thought the Reds traded the wrong guy)

[Cedric]

Eddie Milner, Kal Daniels

[westofyou]

Paul Householder - Dick Wagner claimed he was the most talented player he had ever seen in the minors.

Bruce Beryni - On and Off wild as they came

Jeff Jones - My first lesson on old players at low levels of the minors

Mo Sanford - After that first game I was thinking wow...

[osuceltic]

Paul Householder - Dick Wagner claimed he was the most talented player he had ever seen in the minors.

Bruce Beryni - On and Off wild as they came

Jeff Jones - My first lesson on old players at low levels of the minors

Mo Sanford - After that first game I was thinking wow...

Householder is the first name that came to mind. And you're right about that first Mo Sanford game. Against the Padres, if I'm remembering correctly. I thought the same thing ... wow ...

[dougdirt]

Brandon Claussen is on the all time let down team? I never realized his potential was looked at as that high? The guy was never a big time prospect and even when he was a Yankees top prospect their farm sucked and he then had shoulder surgery which sapped him of some of his velocity and stuff. We got him 2 years after that.....

[wolfboy]

Brandon Claussen is on the all time let down team? I never realized his potential was looked at as that high? The guy was never a big time prospect and even when he was a Yankees top prospect their farm sucked and he then had shoulder surgery which sapped him of some of his velocity and stuff. We got him 2 years after that.....

There were pretty high expectations associated with Claussen. He was a top prospect with the Yankess. Granted, this was during a down period in their farm system. However, the Reds system was in even worse shape at the time. The expectation was probably a product of our lack of pitching talent instead of his degree of talent.

Also, Claussen didn't have shoulder surgery prior to coming to the Reds. He had Tommy John surgery and arguably came back too quickly.
https://baseballprospectus.com/artic...articleid=2050

Noteworthy Prospect: Brandon Claussen made his major-league debut Saturday, shutting down the Mets with 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball. That's not terribly newsworthy; beating the 2003 Mets is a line on the resumé of just about every interesting rookie pitcher in baseball, from Dontrelle Willis to Brandon Webb to Horacio Ramirez. It's a rite of passage, like having your first hangover.

What is interesting is what Claussen was doing less than one year ago: recovering from Tommy John surgery. Claussen was pitching in anger just 10 months after having the procedure last June 25, which is one of the fastest comebacks on record. The Yankees allowed him to move up quickly based on performance: a 1.64 ERA and 26-to-3 K/BB ratio in four starts in Tampa, a 1.36 ERA and 27/5 ratio in six starts for Columbus.

Whether Claussen makes it to August 1 in this organization is an open question, but right now, he's arguably the fourth-best option the Yankees have for their rotation. He's also a significant data point in the argument that Tommy John surgery has moved from career-threatening procedure to the pitching equivalent of having a wisdom tooth removed.

[jojo]

I wonder if the name which we shall not speak any longer will make this list....

[VR]

I realize your intent is for farm system guys, but that's a pretty shallow list for the Reds organization over the last 30 years.

As far as letdowns go....I thought John Denny, one year removed from the Cy Young award, would get the '86 team over the hump.

[Hap]

I thought John Denny, one year removed from the Cy Young award, would get the '86 team over the hump.

He certainly brought them over the hump in the bench-clearing brawl department when he kicked and punched the crap out of Kevin Mitchell.

LINK FROM TOM BROWNING'S BOOK

anyway back to the topic........

Instead of players I will nominate the entire 2003 season as the all-time greatest letdown. It was over-hyped for several years that the Reds were "rebuilding toward 2003", from whence they will be competitive.

[RedlegJake]

Not only farm guys - any player traded here with great hype and hoopla that he was going to be great and then totally failed - not Junior, his hype was high but he did give some good moments - so lets dispense with him; however - Cesar Cedeno comes to mind. Denny is a good one, too.

[RedlegJake]

Woody Fryman is a good one, too - although his hype was mostly Wagner trying to explain the Perez trade.

Householder - oh yes! I remember all the hype - even the announcers carried on when he'd make a good play "Oh my gracious what an arm, what speed, great hustle on that one, what power!" Then they noticed the call for those kind of blurbs were getting further and further between.

And Jeff Jones. I got the same lesson. What 40 homers for Cedar Rapids was it? The then AA farm club? So they promoted him straight to the big league team.

[westofyou]

further and further between.

And Jeff Jones. I got the same lesson. What 40 homers for Cedar Rapids was it? The then AA farm club? So they promoted him straight to the big league team.

Age 24 in A ball 1982, Cedar Rapids .301 BA 42 HR's/26 2bs/22 steals 91 BB/151 K's, started opening day 1983 for the Reds

[flyer85]

Age 24 in A ball 1982, Cedar Rapids .301 BA 42 HR's/26 2bs/22 steals 91 BB/151 K's, started opening day 1983 for the Reds

and disappeared faster than a fart on a windy day.

[westofyou]

Woody Fryman is a good one, too - although his hype was mostly Wagner trying to explain the Perez trade.

Not really, the Tigers obtained him in 1972 and he helped them immensely in winning the AL East, he was a stud for them.

YEAR TEAM         AGE W   L   PCT   G    GS  CG  SV  GF  IP     H    R    ER   BB   SO    ERA  RSAA
1972 Tigers       32  10   3  .769   16  14   6   0   0  113.2   93   31   26   31   72   2.06   18 
     TOTALS           10   3  .769   16  14   6   0   0  113.2   93   31   26   31   72   2.06   18

The Reds had also just lost Gullett so they needed a LH pitcher pretty bad.

[ochre]