Why has Arroyo gotten a pass this year from Reds management AND Redszone

[paulrichjr]

Travis Wood pitches bad he gets sent down

Mike Leake pitches good....he gets sent down

Volquez pitches bad...he gets sent down

All of the above also resulted in numerous threads.

Go back to 2010, 2009 and Aaron Harang gets blistered by Redszone and management obviously lost faith at the end


In 2011 Arroyo has been nothing short of horrible but he keeps getting run out there. I know he can't be sent down but he certainly could go in the long man spot or disabled for mono.

Even on Redszone I see very little threads on what to do about Arroyo. So I'm going to ask. What do we do about Arroyo the rest of this year and what where should he be penciled in for next year. I honestly can't see how the Reds can even count on him as one of the 5 even though he makes a ton of money.

[dougdirt]

Well, for starters, I imagine that most people expected it. Be it that some have been waiting for this balloon to burst for several years or the mono, I think most expected Arroyo to pitch poorly this season.

As for the team.... well, they are paying him a ton of money, so he is going to go out there and pitch, even if he flat out sucks. We are stuck with him because of that terrible extension he got with the trade clause and the money upfront at that point.

As for what we are going to do with him..... I would have DL'd him a long time ago. If for no other reason than rest. But the Reds aren't going to do that.

[fearofpopvol1]

I don't think he's gotten a pass from those at RZ, I've seen plenty of people critical. Now, I'll grant you that there seem to be less "Arroyo sucks" threads or anything similar, but maybe the mono has afforded him a longer rope. Especially since he has pitched a lot of good innings for the Reds.

As for the management/organization angle, I think Doug's assessment is right.

[Patrick Bateman]

I think it's because Redszone has accepted that the Reds will likely run the course with Arroyo.

Most people would not have signed him to the extension.

Most people would likely not be penciling him into the rotation next year. And I think that's understood, not much debate about it.

Meanwhile, I think it's also accepted that the Reds disagree based on their style of management and something we are going to have to live with until the Reds make the decision on their own.

[mth123]

Arroyo has had mono and just doesn't seem to have any "oomph" this season. Last time out he went 8 good innings and today he gets shelled. Just doesn't have the bounce back IMO. I think he could be better in 2012. The Reds probably won't have 5 better guys unless they go out and get at least 2. Three if dealing Bailey is required to get other parts.

If there is an axe to grind, it's with the idiot who extended him IMO.

[RedsManRick]

He is who we thought he was, plus a few extra homers.

[Blitz Dorsey]

And let's not forget: While all of us (or at least the vast majority) knew it was a mistake to extend Arroyo's contract for three years instead of just picking up his 2011 option, the fact of the matter is Bronson has earned a lot of respect inside the organization. That tends to happen when you never miss a start and pitch 200+ innings every year (usually with a decent ERA and W-L record).

The other guys mentioned hadn't earned capital inside the organization (and from the fanbase) for years of quality service. Bronson is a gamer and people respect that. We also like knowing we traded the worthless Wily Mo Pena for him. It almost makes up for trading Josh Hamilton for Volquez. (OK, not even close, but at least we did make a great trade for once.)

And when you say he's gotten a pass from fans, I'm not sure that's really accurate. Every Reds fan I know b1tches about Arroyo. Even my boss whines about him ... and my boss is a good guy. What's funny is my boss thinks he's this huge Reds fan but didn't even realize Arroyo was signed through 2013 until I told him a month or two ago. He thought his contract ran out after this season. It should be running out after this season if Walt just would have picked up his '11 option like he should have ... but that's a moot point.

[nate]

I think Arroyo's performance this season has been the worst out of any other player. To me, he usually manages to rope-a-dope his peripherals into a nice to salvageable season. I think this year we've seen what happens when he no longer has "the magic."

I don't think he's as bad as he's pitched this year due to the bout with mono. However, I think his true ability going forward will be closer to what we've seen this year than what we've seen in his previous years with the Reds.

In short, I'm revoking his pass.

[mbgrayson]

Arroyo's latest contract is looking 'Miltonesque'....

Today he tied Milton's all time Reds HR record, and now we have a contract with him for 2012 and 2013 that may rival what we paid Milton for poor production in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

December 27, 2004:
Free agent Eric Milton and Cincinnati agreed to a $25.5 million, three-year deal Monday as the Reds kept revamping their pitching staff.

Milton, 29, led Philadelphia in wins, starts and strikeouts last season, going 14-6 with a 4.75 ERA in 34 starts with 171 strikeouts. (and gave up 43 HRs that year for the Phils)

Milton's stats:
2005 Age 29, 186 IP, 8 wins, 15 losses, 6.47 ERA, 40 HRs allowed, 1.55 WHIP.
2006 Age 30, 152 IP, 8 wins, 8 losses, 5.19 ERA, 29 HRs allowed, 1.34 WHIP.
2007 Age 31, 31 IP, 0 wins, 4 losses, 5.17 ERA, 4 HRs allowed, 1.53 WHIP.

Arroyo has at least had several good years for the Reds, and hopefully will pitch better in the future w/o being plagued with the after effects of mono. We shall see, whether we want to or not. He is almost untradeable due to his deferred money becoming due immediately if he is traded.

[remdog]

Instead of going to a 6 man rotation the Reds should just shut Arroyo down and let him rest. We are, effectively, stuck with him for another two years so let's get him started on resting up.

Rem

[RedsManRick]

Does mono last 6 months? Yeah, his fastball is down another MPH to a lame 87, but it's not like he was ever blowing guys away.

The only differences between Arroyo this year and Arroyo last year is he's had a real high HR/FB rate and his batted ball luck has regressed to normal.

People who expected him to continue putting up a 4.00 ERA were simply fooling themselves. Put a flyball pitcher who doesn't miss bats in a small park and this is what happens when he's not lucky.

[mbgrayson]

Does mono last 6 months? Yeah, his fastball is down another MPH to a lame 87, but it's not like he was ever blowing guys away.

How long does Epstein Barr virus (mononucleosis or glandular fever) last?
Symptoms of the Epstein Barr virus that causes mononucleosis or glandular fever, usually last from 1 – 4 weeks, although some cases may last months. Studies amongst university populations have estimated that 20% of mononucleosis patients return to work within one week, 50% within 2 weeks.
It is estimated that about half of those who initially experience symptoms have ongoing symptoms two months after infection. At three months, about one in three sufferers reports symptoms, and at six months the figure is about one in ten. Twenty-four months after infection a small percentage of people still report symptoms, predominantly ongoing fatigue, although sore throat, swollen glands, muscle aches and low grade fever can linger.

[PickOff]

The only differences between Arroyo this year and Arroyo last year is he's had a real high HR/FB rate and his batted ball luck has regressed to normal.

That is most of it, but he is also giving up more hits and walking less people. His strike % is in line, but his contact percentage is up quite a bit. Batters are also swinging at more of his pitches. Says that 1 mph in velocity and/or lack of movement are also contributors.

[traderumor]

Guys have bad years, whatever the explanation. Arroyo has been a mainstay and was never expected to be an ace. Plus, on any given night, he can still go out and spin a gem, even in this bad season.

[cincrazy]

Combination of things:

1. Most people expected it.

2. His bout with mono.

3. He's been a very good pitcher for us for a very long time, and has been a staple of the organization since his arrival from Boston. I don't think Arroyo's gotten a free pass around here lately, but people are a lot less likely to turn on him.

Harang was expected to be our "ace," hence the reaction was more extreme when he flopped.