I thought exactly the same thing. Knowing that you don't know everything and taking steps to improve - that's a great trait for a manager, or anyone, to have.Originally Posted by membengal
I thought exactly the same thing. Knowing that you don't know everything and taking steps to improve - that's a great trait for a manager, or anyone, to have.
"I can make all the stadiums rock."
-Air Supply
Agreed. I like everything about Dusty before and after games. Off the field, he seems like a terrific guy. During games though, he's as frustrating as can be.
I'm in the minority of those who actually like Dusty. Sure, his lineups can be frustrating at times, but I can't think of one manager who does stupid things or has one flaw that annoys the fanbase. The way Dusty transformed the bullpen from the teams greatest weakness to arguably its greatest strength was magnificent. Pending a horrible year this year, I'd love to see Dusty back.
Domo Arigato, Here Comes Joey Votto
---TRF
"I do what I want to do and say what I want to say."
--Bronson Arroyo
Yea you are in the minority. I think Dusty has some definite strengths that go a long way in the clubhouse. He hasn't been nearly as bad with pitchers as noted. I fear years down the road the Dusty will shoulder the blame for Volquez arm injury which in reality had more to do with Volquez than anything else.
The biggest shortcoming of Dusty is his lineup formation and his inability to see what a player actually is vs what Dusty thinks that player can be. I think Dusty needs a strong bench coach or GM in order to tell him that batting WT/Patterson/etc. leadoff is a bad idea. Hitting Janish in the 2 hole is a bad idea and hitting BP 4th is a bad idea. Other than his lineup construction I don't have a whole lot of major complaints with the Dusty.
I was just going to post something similar.to Dusty on that.
I think the Reds should go acquire Brian Bannister so Dusty will read some Sabermetric books so he can relate to him.
Methinks Dusty realizes that there aren't many grains of sand left in his hourglass as a manager. If he's gonna get to stick around Cincinnati, he needs results this year & early. Chapman contributing at the ML level early does a lot to help Dusty keep his butt off the hot seat.
Dusty: Como se dice "toothpick"?
Perhaps by midseason, but no way does he help in April and half of May. If Chapman is up by May 15th, his contract turns into a 3 year deal. The Reds aren't going to allow that to happen. They can give Maloney or Owings 6 starts until that point at the #5 spot and be just fine without that kind of risk.
Chapman would still be under Reds' control after those first three years.
Sure, but it also puts his salary at over $8M a season for 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Reds: Aroldis Chapman, starting pitcher. Let's face it -- nobody knows enough about this guy to be able to accurately say if he'll have any impact on the NL Central in 2010. What we do know is that he can touch 100 mph, that he's left-handed and that most scouts love his stuff. If he can somehow make a quick adjustment from Cuba to the U.S. he could have as much impact as any first-year player in the game.
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/02/08/r...-nl-x-factors/
Reds ready to test drive prize lefty
Camp to see electric Chapman vie for rotation spot
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
02/11/10 10:00 AM EST
CINCINNATI -- It's not often that the biggest intrigue of a Spring Training comes via a 21-year-old kid with no professional experience who will either be a fifth starter in the big leagues or beginning the season in the Minors.
When that kid is a 100-mph-throwing left-hander like Cuban Aroldis Chapman, it immediately becomes anything but a normal camp situation. The Reds boldly spent $30 million for one of the biggest free-agent prizes but have barely opened the box.
Everyone wants to know whether Chapman might begin his 2010 season in the Majors or Minors, but truth be told, the Reds don't really know. There is a lot for them to find out first.
"You don't know until we all see him and we see him under competition," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Throwing on the side is one thing, but competition is something else. The later in spring he's there, the better barometer you'll have on where he is ready to go.
"Once most of the lower Minor League guys go back already, you can get a better idea when he's facing mostly upper Minor guys and Major League players close to getting ready for the season. Hopefully we can keep him around long enough to get to that point."
With pitchers and catchers due to report on Feb. 18, the fifth-starter competition seems wide open with Chapman, Micah Owings, Justin Lehr, Mike Lincoln and lefty prospects Matt Maloney and Travis Wood among the candidates. Before signing, Chapman was given no guarantees that he would make the rotation out of camp, only that he would get the chance to contribute in the Majors in 2010.
In January, Cincinnati was the surprise winner for Chapman after he defected from Cuba in July and was declared a free agent in September. The price for his services proved to be $30 million over six years.
Being from an isolated country, Chapman knows little about the United States, let alone the Major Leagues. He's only been seen pitching in international tournaments like the World Baseball Classic. The scouting reports have knocked his command.
Chapman spent a week at the Goodyear, Ariz., complex last month with Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and demonstrated a baseball aptitude that was encouraging.
"He was more advanced than I anticipated," Price said. "I was with him for a week and he impressed me in that week. I hope he can show growth over those six weeks and make it a hard decision."
Reds special assistant to the general manager and former pitcher Mario Soto will be in camp to help Chapman refine his changeup and shorten the overall learning curve. His slider is considered a plus pitch, and his left-handed high-90's velocity has drawn comparisons to a young Randy Johnson.
In 2009, Reds starting pitchers were ranked ninth in the National League with a 4.50 ERA while they posted a 59-65 record. Owings won the fifth starter's job out of camp last year but was often unable to work deep in games. He was moved to the bullpen by season's end. Maloney had some rocky outings as a fifth starter but emerged with some promising outings before a blister ended his season prematurely. Lehr, a journeyman who had bounced through the Minors, had some good moments but gets by entirely with offspeed stuff and guile. Wood was the organization's best Minor League pitcher last season while pitching in Double-A and Triple-A but has no big league experience.
Combined -- none of the other fifth-starter candidates can rival Chapman in upside potential, or the buzz factor his presence in the rotation would have.
Baker speaks fluent Spanish and has had experience working with Cuban pitchers during his managerial career. He had Livan Hernandez and Osvaldo Fernandez with the Giants in the 1990s. However, Hernandez had already been with the Marlins before he got to San Francisco.
"Those were two of the guys I was going to call upon to possibly talk to Chapman about the different changes he'll experience like language, food, culturally and monetarily," Baker said. "Let's face it -- he has a lot of things he has to deal with. I think baseball is probably the simplest of things in this whole equation."
The manager is also breaking out books about Cuban baseball history so he can build his relationship with his pitcher. But because of his youth, Chapman breaks from the tradition of the fellow Cuban defectors that preceded him to the Majors.
"When we got Osvaldo Fernandez in San Francisco, he was already 30 years old," Baker said. "His timeframe was a lot shorter. He had thrown a lot more innings in international ball. Chapman is like a No. 1 Draft choice, but with more experience. In essence, that's what he is."
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin
How is his contract structured? I had heard nothing of this May 15th clause that you mention. I had heard that when he's arbitration eligible his original contract salary would be paid as a bonus in addition to what he earns in arbitration or otherwise. Are you assuming he'll be arbitration eligible if he's brought up then or is it a definite clause that if he's in the majors by May 15th it becomes a three year deal? I doubt an agent would put such a clause in there because it's a huge disincentive to put his client in the majors and in turn start gaining service time.
If he actually said "champing" then I like Price already.
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