As good as Votto and Bruce are, there are some left-handed pitchers that are just nasty. It makes perfect sense to have a strong right handed hitter in-between them.
As good as Votto and Bruce are, there are some left-handed pitchers that are just nasty. It makes perfect sense to have a strong right handed hitter in-between them.
The splits don't mean much to Dusty, so you will probably never see Votto and Bruce hit back to back. But, splits aside, Ludwick is just a very solid power hitter in the middle of the lineup that makes this team quite a bit better than it is without him.Originally Posted by RedEye
Dustyism: Votto and Bruce can't hit back to back because they are leftys. It would make it easier to bring in a LOOGY to face them.
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
Oh, I agree with you there. I guess I just don't necessarily think Dusty's right about needing to split up Bruce and Votto. It should be about how players hit LH and RH pitchers - or even individual matchups - and not what side a guy hits from. I think Ludwick is an asset to the team whether he hits 4th, 5th or 6th.
“Every level he goes to, he is going to compete. They will know who he is at every level he goes to.” -- ED on EDLC
I just don't want to see a 97 win baseball team take a step backwards by cheaping out here. Retain Ludwick and trade or scavenge for a platoon partner for Stubbs and/or Heisey while we wait for Hamilton. Phillips can be productive hitting leadoff for a while, if need be. The pitching is pretty much there, with depth. Just don't be left wondering what might have been when we are sitting in the middle of July and Joey Votto already has 120 base on balls. Not over chump change.
Baker has hit Votto and Bruce back to back in literally hundreds of games. If there is a decent RH bat available, Dusty will use him, otherwise, he bats them back to back.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
Total guess on my part, but I think Ludwick will sign with the Reds. He probably was about to agree, then saw all outrageous contracts handed out, and thought if waited a bit, he could get a bit more from the Reds. He just seemed to be very happy as a Red, and I can't see him leaving them over a 10% difference in offers.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
More to the point: I'd be fairly upset if the Reds let him leave over a 10% difference in offers.
This is predicated on the rumors being true, and the Reds' offer being a 2-year, $14m deal. I think that's a great deal, because the money is fair and (more importantly) the years are right. It'd be insanity to not meet him halfway (5% or $700,000 per year), if you think he really is fond of playing in Cinci... and it'd still be kinda upsetting if the extra 10%/$1.4m per year (on a measly two-year contract) was somehow the reason why the deal didn't get done.
If we start having to compete against a 3-year offer? That's when I tighten up a bit.
Rick
Last edited by FlightRick; 12-07-2012 at 12:00 AM.
Especially considering they just spent 21 million on a 300 pound reliever without blinking. Unless Walt has one heck of a contingency plan, I don't know why they wouldn't just drop another dollar on the table and make this an easy decision.
I have read most but not all of this thread, but am I the only one afraid or resigning Ludwick? If we give him 8 million a year and he poops, we are stuck with a black hole in LF. To me CF is more important of a spot to fill, because it is easier to find a reclamation project like Ludwick (last years version) that can play LF.
Hitting gold with a guy and then overpaying to keep him reminds me way to much of the mid 2000's. In this new and improved era, I think we move on.
"Today was the byproduct of us thinking we can come back from anything." - Joey Votto after blowing a 10-1 lead and holding on for the 12-11 win on 8/25/2010.
What Dusty is doing makes sense. There's only 2 LH hitters in the lineup. Why would you bat them back to back when you have RH options. Heck, Phillips has benefited a few times from this. He's gotten to face a lefty reliever because the opposing team wants to leave the LH in the game for Bruce on deck..Dustyism: Votto and Bruce can't hit back to back because they are leftys. It would make it easier to bring in a LOOGY to face them.
It's not like it's burned us.. There's not that much of difference in whether Philips/Bruce bats 4 or 5th..
[Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob
Nov. 13, 2007: One of the greatest days in Reds history: John Allen gets the boot!
I agree with everyone that I don't want to lose Ludwick over a million or two.
The problem is that it might be more complicated than that.
I could see a team like the Mets willing to top any offer the Reds present.
If the Reds bump to 10/year.. the Mets go 12.. for example.
Ludwick probably has plenty of interest out there. This might be his last contract. Hopefully he's just thinking it over.
I'd have no problem giving him 2/20 if that's what it takes, even if that means the Reds are totally tapped out and have to have no 2nd lefty in the bullpen and the two backup infielders are horrible.
[Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob
Nov. 13, 2007: One of the greatest days in Reds history: John Allen gets the boot!
Are there other kinds of backup infielders?two backup infielders are horrible.
It's not that I mind batting a RH like Ludwick b/t Votto and Bruce when one is available. What I have a problem with is narrow-casting the team's search for a hitter based on the idea that we "need a strong RH bat to slot b/t Bruce and Votto." If the guy is already on the team, great. But if you are trying to build a successful roster, it is appropriate to recognize that these two guys are LH hitters who don't have splits that necessarily warrant needing a RH b/t them. I assume that Walt is thinking this way, but if he isn't, I find it rather frustrating.
“Every level he goes to, he is going to compete. They will know who he is at every level he goes to.” -- ED on EDLC
The Reds have two very solid backup infielders, they'll just be playing at Louisville (HRod and Gregorius). Those guys will be covering any any extended absence from the infield starters. There is also still a chance Walt will be able to coax Rolen out of retirement and utilize Frazier in the super-sub role again.Are there other kinds of backup infielders?
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