Turn Off Ads?
Page 1 of 15 1234511 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 216

Thread: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

  1. #1
    Titanic Struggles Caveat Emperor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    The 513
    Posts
    13,579

    Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Homer Bailey has opened the year with two consecutive starts that would generously be described as "below expectations." He's incredibly pitch inefficient, and he's having a difficult time putting hitters away even when he does get ahead of them. As a result, he's walked and hit as many as he's struck out, and he's averaging two baserunners per inning. Thus far, he's looked much like the Homer Bailey we know and love from previous years, and nothing like the guy who dominated a lot of teams with questionable talent level and incentive to win down the stretch last year.

    Homer's also out of options.

    Question of the day -- with the understanding that two starts hardly a season makes -- is how much of a leash does Homer get, and if things don't improve, what do you do with Mr. Bailey? Keep running him out there and hope that he figures it out, move him out to the bullpen to take Micah Owings' spot as the long man, or DFA him and hope some team is willing to give something for him in return?
    Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022


  2. Turn Off Ads?
  3. #2
    We Need Our Myths reds1869's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Downtown Cincinnati
    Posts
    4,636

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    I give him the entire season to see how things pan out, then I revisit the question in September. By then we will know what the club truly has with him.

  4. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Shelburne Falls, MA
    Posts
    12,216

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Question of the day -- with the understanding that two starts hardly a season makes -- is how much of a leash does Homer get, and if things don't improve, what do you do with Mr. Bailey? Keep running him out there and hope that he figures it out, move him out to the bullpen to take Micah Owings' spot as the long man, or DFA him and hope some team is willing to give something for him in return?
    A. Perhaps you do not recall how he pitched at the end of 2009?

    One of the problems of not having watched legitimate pitching prospects for so long is that we Reds fans have no idea how to react when they don't pitch well.

  5. #4
    Member RedsManRick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Guelph, ON
    Posts
    19,441

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Give him time. If he had back to back starts like this in July, nobody would be asking what we do about him. I know he's been in the org for a long time, but he's not even 24 yet (he will be in May). If you have to pull him out of the rotation, you put him in the bullpen. In any event, there's no way you DFA him.
    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.

  6. #5
    Man Pills Falls City Beer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    31,207

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by reds1869 View Post
    I give him the entire season to see how things pan out, then I revisit the question in September. By then we will know what the club truly has with him.
    Probably. I think this team wants to win this year, but no way they're better than the Cards, Rockies, or Braves. I have no problem tinkering this season, but yeah, this should be Bailey's last MLB tryout with the Reds.

    This team's starting, again--just as I said--is not very good at all. Other teams' young arms are light years ahead of ours: Hanson, Jimenez, Jurrjens. Heck, Brad Penny would be the Reds' ace.
    “And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith

  7. #6
    Designated Threadkiller LincolnparkRed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Redondo Beach
    Posts
    1,792

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    why does Harang get a pass from Hal? It's not like he has been lights out, or Cueto for that matter.

    I think Hal has had an ax to grind with Homer for the last couple of years. Homer must have not given him an exclusive

  8. #7
    Titanic Struggles Caveat Emperor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    The 513
    Posts
    13,579

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by lollipopcurve View Post
    A. Perhaps you do not recall how he pitched at the end of 2009?

    One of the problems of not having watched legitimate pitching prospects for so long is that we Reds fans have no idea how to react when they don't pitch well.
    Sure I do -- but I also recall that he pitched against the Pirates (or whatever AAAA squad was playing in Pittsburgh at the time) something like 4 or 5 times down the stretch. More than a few people cautioned, at the time, that any good feelings people were having about Homer had to be tempered slightly with the fact that September numbers often lie.

    And really, the thrust of what I'm talking about here is more projection than anything else. Bailey is unbelievably talented, and I have no doubt that he could turn things around in his next start and never look back. I'm looking down the road if the trends we're seeing early on continue. It's a "What If?" worst-case scenario kind of thing.

    Can the team (and the bullpen) afford to carry a guy who's a 5 inning, 4 ER guy for an extended period of time?
    Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022

  9. #8
    Member membengal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Northern Maryland
    Posts
    13,748

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    If it were me, he gets the season, unless he is just indescribably awful by the end of May.

  10. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    If it were me, he gets the season, unless he is just indescribably awful by the end of May.
    Agreed.

  11. #10
    Man Pills Falls City Beer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    31,207

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor View Post
    Sure I do -- but I also recall that he pitched against the Pirates (or whatever AAAA squad was playing in Pittsburgh at the time) something like 4 or 5 times down the stretch. More than a few people cautioned, at the time, that any good feelings people were having about Homer had to be tempered slightly with the fact that September numbers often lie.

    And really, the thrust of what I'm talking about here is more projection than anything else. Bailey is unbelievably talented, and I have no doubt that he could turn things around in his next start and never look back. I'm looking down the road if the trends we're seeing early on continue. It's a "What If?" worst-case scenario kind of thing.

    Can the team (and the bullpen) afford to carry a guy who's a 5 inning, 4 ER guy for an extended period of time?
    I'd rather let Bailey take the lumps that they'd likely thrust Chapman to face otherwise. Bailey's ceiling is demonstrably lower. He's up to start for good this season, whether he improves or not, imo.
    “And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith

  12. #11
    Titanic Struggles Caveat Emperor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    The 513
    Posts
    13,579

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Falls City Beer View Post
    This team's starting, again--just as I said--is not very good at all. Other teams' young arms are light years ahead of ours: Hanson, Jimenez, Jurrjens. Heck, Brad Penny would be the Reds' ace.
    I think if you offered the Cardinals Harang or Arroyo for Penny straight up (if the money was equaled out), they'd jump on the deal and scream "No takebacks" on their way home to St. Louis. But, that's just a guess on my part.

    And while other teams have better established starters, I like the potential mix of the Reds team. I think Chapman has a good shot to be better than any of the three you listed, and I like at least one of the "group" of Wood, Leake, and Bailey to break out to a good #2/#3 type guy. I'm lower on Leake than a lot of people here, but a lot of someones saw a lot of something in him last year and in the spring.

    And, really, the forgotten man here is Edinson Volquez, who was dominant when he was healthy. Given the way TJ's are done these days, we have no reason to think he won't come back in the same shape he left.
    Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022

  13. #12
    Member camisadelgolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    12,405

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    There's no way I'd give up on him--the guy is only 23 years old. I'd be willing to put him in the bullpen until things start to come together. Who would take his spot in the rotation? I'm open to Owings having it for a while, but I also wouldn't mind optioning Ondrusek and calling up Wood.

  14. #13
    Member reds44's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    29,517

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    He's given up some absurd amount of baserunners this year. His career ERA is north of 5.50. You give him time right now, but a deicision is going to have to be made when either Volquez comes back or Chapman is ready.

  15. #14
    Et tu, Brutus? Brutus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Atlanta, Ga.
    Posts
    10,904

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Bailey did face the Pirates four times in the last two months of the season, but he also had real good games against the Dodgers, Marlins, Rockies and Cardinals in that same timeframe - three playoff teams and another that was in the race until late in the season.

    I'm still mildly concerned about his consistency, but I also think there was nothing to downplay about his performance last season. I do think it was legitimately something to be encouraged over. He definitely hasn't had his good stuff yet this year, but I'll be much more concerned if we're still talking about it after 8-10 starts.
    "No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda

  16. #15
    15 game winner Danny Serafini's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Auburn Jail
    Posts
    4,645

    Re: Homer Bailey: If this keeps up, what to do?

    Unless he goes all Josh Fogg on us he's getting the ball every 5th day. Every pitcher has a stretch during the season where they struggle, you have to let them work their way through it. It'll take a few awful months, not an awful week, to dislodge him.


Turn Off Ads?

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.

Thank you, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves!


RedsZone.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball


Contact us: Boss | Gallen5862 | Plus Plus | Powel Crosley | RedlegJake | The Operator