Ludwick to sign with Reds

[[deleted]]

I honestly think corey patterson would have been a better idea on a minor league deal. He has speed, can play defense, and play all 3 outfield spots plus he would have been much cheaper. It makes me sick knowing heisey wont get his chance to start because of dusty's love of veterans, strikeout kings, and guys who can't make contact. If he starts i see the reds not making it anywhere near .500 much less the playoffs.

Heisey won't get to start... because Dusty loves guys who strikeout? D..do you even follow this team?

And while I agree Heisey should get his chance to be the everyday starter, do you honestly believe that if Ludwick gets the majority of the playing time, we'll go from playoff contenders to under .500?

I mean I know the guy's been trending down and we shouldn't expect much, but -10 wins would make me miss Taveras.

Miss. Taveras. That's how I know your post can't be true.

[alett12]

Heisey won't get to start... because Dusty loves guys who strikeout? D..do you even follow this team?

And while I agree Heisey should get his chance to be the everyday starter, do you honestly believe that if Ludwick gets the majority of the playing time, we'll go from playoff contenders to under .500?

I mean I know the guy's been trending down and we shouldn't expect much, but -10 wins would make me miss Taveras.

Miss. Taveras. That's how I know your post can't be true.

I said that dusty loves guys who strike out. Don't you even read the posts?

[NorrisHopper30]

Why does everyone love Heisey?

[redsfanmia]

I think this years team will set the major league strike out record and even though they made all these moves they still will not win a play off game.

[Pete4prez]

Even with the Ludwick signing, I would still give Heisey 500 AB's.

[LeDoux]

I think this is a solid signing, as long as Dusty doesn't run him out there every day. Dusty does like his veterans. If used correctly a Ludwick/Heisey platoon can be pretty productive. But that is a big if.

If things go bad at least we won't need to wait until bobblehead night for Walt to cut bait.

[Rich]

Here's my take...

Big production with St. Louis (a contender)....sub-par production with SD and Pitt (non-contenders)..... If things follow course, he should have a nice production year with the contending Reds. Maybe this is just wishful thinking but some players just perform better when they have something to play for.

[The DARK]

Why does everyone love Heisey?

Cheap, versatile, good defense, waiting in the wings for a long time, came up as a prospect after a great year, but never got a real chance to start.

More importantly, he was the option last season that wasn't Gomes or Lewis.

[[deleted]]

I said that dusty loves guys who strike out. Don't you even read the posts?

Yes, I do. You said that Dusty loves guys who strike out. You also said that because of this, he won't start Heisey. Heisey strikes out at a very high rate.

Are we starting to see the gaps in this line of thinking yet

[[deleted]]

Here's my take...

Big production with St. Louis (a contender)....sub-par production with SD and Pitt (non-contenders)..... If things follow course, he should have a nice production year with the contending Reds. Maybe this is just wishful thinking but some players just perform better when they have something to play for.

St. Louis = red uniforms!
SD and Pitt = non-red uniforms!

If things follow suit, we've got a sure-fire 30 HRs!

I just think everything about Ludwick is trending the wrong way. I don't even buy the Petco argument, really. Sure that would explain a bit of a tail off in power numbers, but the guy's on base abilities in general have nose-dived the last 4 years. He may hit a couple more homers here, but he's not a definite answer for LF.

[malcontent]

Career 0.804 OPS against RHP (0.751 vs. LHP).

Reverse splits look good to me.

Still want to see another LH bat signed or traded for, though Theriot would be another nice acquisition.

[BallPark Bob]

While I don't think Ludwick provides much of an upgrade the market for available outfielders thinned out as the Reds addressed other key needs. Hopefully his production doesn't continue on his three year trend and he can be a viable platoon with Heisey or play when Heisey gives Stubbs a day off in center.

[10xWSChamps]

I think this is a decent signing for the Reds given the tiny contract.

Certainly his decline since 09 (08 really, but he got MVP votes that season so he over-performed) is concerning along with the fact that he'll be turning 34 in the middle of the season.

But with that said, there are some decent trends that make me think that he has a chance to turn things around to a small degree. His strikeout % hasn't gone up very much and he still seems to have a little bit of power, so I think there is a nice chance that he still has it in him to improve. In fact I would bet on him improving over last year, but how much is the question.

Obviously he won't be the player he was with my Cards but I do think he's better then he's been playing the past two years. He is a nice defender and was always a clutch player for us, often coming up with the big hit and clutch diving catch in the outfield. He should be a nice pinch hit option if nothing else and a good defensive replacement.

[alett12]

Why does everyone love Heisey?

People love heisey because of the stats he's posted in the minors.
minor league career hitting line of BA .294 OBP .365 SLG .458 OPS .823
I wont look it up but i know for a fact that is better than stubbs or ludwick i'm not sure about bruce.

[DGullett35]

Ludwick could have a better year than he's had recently just from playing most of his games in GABP. Hopefully it works out that way. I still think Heisey is the starter but I cant help but think that the lineup seems to look better with Ludwick hitting 4th when he plays rather than Rolen hitting 4th when Heisey plays.(at least thats how I think it will work out.)

With Heisey...
Phillips
Cozart
Votto
Rolen
Bruce
Heisey
Hanigan/Mes
Stubbs

With Ludwick...
Phillips
Cozart
Votto
Ludwick
Bruce
Rolen
Han/Mes
Stubbs

IMO this could happen. I like that 2nd lineup better. I dont kno tho thats why Im sitting on the computer right now and not anywhere close to the dugout.