Reds Sign Jonathan Broxton- 3 Years, $21m; 4th Year option

[camisadelgolf]

Originally Posted by Vottomatic

Something else I found interesting, Marshall throws a Circle Change in this game. I don't think he actually throws it in reality. He has a slider, 4-seam, nasty curve, and a circle change according to them.

Marshall used to throw a change-up when he was a starter--whether it was a circle change, I don't know--but he doesn't use it as a reliever.

[traderumor]

Originally Posted by Wheelhouse

I would never pay a nonathlete that kind of money. In the lousy shape he is in he could get hit any second with back, shoulder, knee problems. He also strikes me as a feast or famine guy.

Baseball is full of non-athletes. Prince Fielder? Plays 150 games a year, can't get him out of the lineup. Has he ever had a serious injury? His teammate is chubby and has a drinking problem. Bronson Arroyo is too skinny and susceptible to mono. Joey Votto is in great shape and wrenched his knee. Paragraphs could be written on nonathletes that are good major leaguers. There are even nonathletes in the HOF. The horror!

If you don't want to see a "nonathlete" get paid, better start rooting for triathletes, because baseball is full of them.

[traderumor]

Originally Posted by WMR

This seems like a significant misappropriation of funds considering the overall salary constraints likely facing the Reds and their other, more pressing, needs.

Man, you should have told them before they made this deal. Now what are they going to do? Didn't anyone check the budget before they signed this contract?

[Wheelhouse]

Originally Posted by traderumor

Baseball is full of non-athletes. Prince Fielder? Plays 150 games a year, can't get him out of the lineup. Has he ever had a serious injury? His teammate is chubby and has a drinking problem. Bronson Arroyo is too skinny and susceptible to mono. Joey Votto is in great shape and wrenched his knee. Paragraphs could be written on nonathletes that are good major leaguers. There are even nonathletes in the HOF. The horror!

If you don't want to see a "nonathlete" get paid, better start rooting for triathletes, because baseball is full of them.

Prince Fielder is a tremendous athlete. I've seen him make very athletic plays at 1st base. Broxton will never clear a half inch when he jumps. And I'm sure every time he doesn't run in the off-season or has that extra slice, he tells himself that baseball is a game of "all kinds". They guy is a pitcher and has to exert himself every play of the game that he's in. He needs to get in shape.

[traderumor]

Originally Posted by Wheelhouse

Prince Fielder is a tremendous athlete. I've seen him make very athletic plays at 1st base. Broxton will never clear a half inch when he jumps. And I'm sure every time he doesn't run in the off-season or has that extra slice, he tells himself that baseball is a game of "all kinds". They guy is a pitcher and has to exert himself every play of the game that he's in. He needs to get in shape.

That's hilarious. Prince Fielder is ridiculously out of shape, probably moreso than Broxton, who has a HUGE frame and is just one, big, thick dude. Fielder is short and fat, a son of blubber. I would submit that Broxton is no less of an athlete than Fielder for the very same reason. Despite the fact that they are not in the best physical condition, they can do what they do at the highest level.

Also, there is no guarantee that being in "better physical condition" would enhance their performance. Broxton is asked to throw a baseball really hard and get major league hitters out, which thus far he has done what he gets paid to do. He had an arm injury which happens to fat kids, skinny kids, kids that climb on rocks, even kids with chickenpox.

Your opinion sounds like something Marge would have said.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by traderumor

Man, you should have told them before they made this deal. Now what are they going to do? Didn't anyone check the budget before they signed this contract?

I understand but if not Broxton, who closes? If we are of the opinion that the future is now for this team, they ought not go looking for the next re-tread project to mold into a closer. At $7mill, I can live with this. That's half of what Coco got and you can make the case they we got our money's worth out of that

[westofyou]

He's a pitcher, I hardly worry about his athleticism, plus he's relief pitcher who doesn't bat (8 PA's in his career)

Wilbur Wood, Mickey Lolich, Freddy Fitzimmons say hello, that's just the tip of the ice cream sundae.

Broxton fat??

Hell yes he's fat.

[dougdirt]

Fangraphs had up an article today on Broxton and his newly added cutter.

Broxton’s overall whiff rates exhibited an acute post-cutter rise, spiking to 11.6 percent after he managed just a 6.4 percent mark in Kansas City. His improved control put him in the position to make the whiffs count.

The cutter appears to be the main driver, particularly against right-handed hitters. He went with it on the first pitch over 50 percent of the time from September on, and the minuscule 23.1 percent ball rate routinely put hitters in unfavorable counts. The post-cutter difference is clear:

More at the link, but it is certainly interesting.

[traderumor]

Originally Posted by westofyou

He's a pitcher, I hardly worry about his athleticism, plus he's relief pitcher who doesn't bat (8 PA's in his career)

Wilbur Wood, Mickey Lolich, Freddy Fitzimmons say hello, that's just the tip of the ice cream sundae.

Broxton fat??

Hell yes he's fat.

Right, and that he should not sprint in from the bullpen like a certain other fat boy reliever to where his man boobs are hitting him in the face.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by M2

I don't worry about his arm per se, but that extra weight puts a lot of stress on your joints and back. Pitchers do a lot of work with their legs and trunk.

I like the deal, mainly because the Reds got a long look at Broxton in 2012 and clearly liked what they saw. They have demonstrated a fairly keen eye for bullpen talent in recent years. I trust their judgment. Yet, if it goes wrong at some point, it's likely because his frame is breaking down under a 300+ pound load.

The question of Broxton's weight reminds me of a quote from the TV series Deadwood where Al Swearengen told one of his *****s. "You know, saying I like you hefty, don't mean you couldn't stand losing a couple pounds."

He's a big guy and maybe that works for him. After all we don't want to cut Samson's hair. However, it certainly wouldn't hurt if he lost some weight.

[Rojo]

Originally Posted by 757690

I'm reminded of a John Kruk story:

He was eating ribs at a nice restaurant, very sloppily and aggressively, when a woman came up to him aghast. She told him he should be ashamed of himself, considering he was an athlete. To which he replied, "Lady, I ain't an athelte, I'm a baseball player."

The way I heard it, he was smoking a cigarette.

[RichRed]

Originally Posted by Wheelhouse

I would never pay a nonathlete that kind of money. In the lousy shape he is in he could get hit any second with back, shoulder, knee problems. He also strikes me as a feast or famine guy.

Nah, too easy.

[Rojo]

Originally Posted by RichRed

Nah, too easy.

In short-relief he won't be an inning-eater.

[Wheelhouse]

Originally Posted by traderumor

That's hilarious. Prince Fielder is ridiculously out of shape, probably moreso than Broxton, who has a HUGE frame and is just one, big, thick dude. Fielder is short and fat, a son of blubber. I would submit that Broxton is no less of an athlete than Fielder for the very same reason. Despite the fact that they are not in the best physical condition, they can do what they do at the highest level.

Also, there is no guarantee that being in "better physical condition" would enhance their performance. Broxton is asked to throw a baseball really hard and get major league hitters out, which thus far he has done what he gets paid to do. He had an arm injury which happens to fat kids, skinny kids, kids that climb on rocks, even kids with chickenpox.

Your opinion sounds like something Marge would have said.

Here's a Fuller scouting analysis of Broxton. Nice try with the Marge reference: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor...me-weight.html

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Wheelhouse

Here's a Fuller scouting analysis of Broxton. Nice try with the Marge reference: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor...me-weight.html

Except it WAS his arm as he was placed on the DL two days after that article was published.