Jocketty Interview Notes - 1530

[mdccclxix]

So, Chapman in the pen to start the season = Cingrani in AAA to see if he does well there as a starter = Leake can maintain his role as 5th starter = great insurance for injury all around.

[puca]

Of course last year Walt said how difficult it would be for Chapman to transition to starter in mid-season. If he starts in the pen he will most likely stay in the pen or go down to AAA to stretch out - which would not make Dusty (or a lot of RZers) happy.

[edabbs44]

Originally Posted by puca

Of course last year Walt said how difficult it would be for Chapman to transition to starter in mid-season. If he starts in the pen he will most likely stay in the pen or go down to AAA to stretch out - which would not make Dusty (or a lot of RZers) happy.

Other things that have made a lot of RZers unhappy. Trading Zach Stewart, trading Travis Wood, trading Sappelt, letting Krivsky go, not tar and feathering Walt during his first few years, having patience with certain moves, not quitting on Ludwick last year, etc.

I'm cool with this regime pissing us off once in a while.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by puca

Of course last year Walt said how difficult it would be for Chapman to transition to starter in mid-season. If he starts in the pen he will most likely stay in the pen or go down to AAA to stretch out - which would not make Dusty (or a lot of RZers) happy.

I think there's a big difference between starting Chapman in the pen with the full preparation that he's going to transition to the starting rotation and having him in the pen and pitching like he's a reliever.

By planning for him to be a starter, they can treat his routine like he's a starter but still limit innings.

[cumberlandreds]

Originally Posted by mattfeet

I was trying my best to keep up. Mo was firing the questions quick!

Thanks for doing this. Really interesting stuff. He's just a great GM. He knows how to get thigs done and then does it. He will bring a world champion to Cincy. I think he's getting very close to having the team to do it.

[lollipopcurve]

Yes, thanks for posting -- very interesting. I like how he's not preparing everybody for a one and done for Choo. If Ludwick can't sustain production in LF, the team will have a hole there in 2014, and I know who I'd like to fill it. Would be classic Jocketty.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Brutus

Why would there be outrage? He clearly said it would be starting in the bullpen with the intent of saving Chapman's innings so he could be stretched out through the end of the season.

I just wonder how are they going to do that. If they are going to do that he's surely not going to close unless they go to the old-fashioned closer who pitched 3 innings. That wouldn't be a bad idea but I don't see the Reds doing that. If they were to put him in long relief, I don't see him getting enough work to build up his innings unless Dusty puts Sparky to shame with a quick hook. If the Reds are down 3-0 in the 3rd inning, do they pull the starter and pitch Chapman for 3-4 innings? Dusty's MO is to give his starters every opportunity to get 5 innings in to get that win - even if the Reds are losing. I think we can all agree that Dusty is pretty set in his ways and doesn't change the way he uses his players very quickly.

The other alternative would be to send him down to AAA but I - and many others - would hate to see one of the best arms in baseball not on the Reds.

[Kc61]

Originally Posted by Brutus

I think there's a big difference between starting Chapman in the pen with the full preparation that he's going to transition to the starting rotation and having him in the pen and pitching like he's a reliever.

By planning for him to be a starter, they can treat his routine like he's a starter but still limit innings.

Let's not kid ourselves. If Chapman begins the season as a reliever and things are going well, there will likely be pressure to keep him in the bullpen.

And like Chip says it's hard to understand how Aroldis prepares to start games by pitching relief.

I'm not taking Walt's comment too seriously, but it does raise the question whether he is firmly committed to Aroldis in the rotation. Dusty might be happier keeping Chapman as the closer, and IMO it sounds like Walt is still unsure of how he will be used.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by Kc61

Let's not kid ourselves. If Chapman begins the season as a reliever and things are going well, there will likely be pressure to keep him in the bullpen.

And like Chip says it's hard to understand how Aroldis prepares to start games by pitching relief.

I'm not taking Walt's comment too seriously, but it does raise the question whether he is firmly committed to Aroldis in the rotation. Dusty might be happier keeping Chapman as the closer, and IMO it sounds like Walt is still unsure of how he will be used.

I don't know why there is any indecision about this. It's pretty clear what they're trying to do. The Reds said specifically a few weeks ago that Chapman wouldn't go much beyond 150 innings this year as a starter. The Reds want those innings to continue through the end of the year, not starting at the beginning. They want to use him like Medlen, not like Strasburg.

There won't be any pressure. The only "pressure" about this is coming from Redszone. The Reds have a closer and they have other good arms at the end of the bullpen. They can pitch Chapman every fifth day or so, getting him some bullpen time every third day. And when it comes time to start, they can send him to AAA to get a few starts in to build up his stamina and then bring him back up.

[Dom Heffner]

The Reds have a closer? The dude with the declining k rate?

[WVRedsFan]

Originally Posted by edabbs44

Other things that have made a lot of RZers unhappy. Trading Zach Stewart, trading Travis Wood, trading Sappelt, letting Krivsky go, not tar and feathering Walt during his first few years, having patience with certain moves, not quitting on Ludwick last year, etc.

I'm cool with this regime pissing us off once in a while.

LOL. So true. And I agree.

[Superdude]

Originally Posted by Chip R

The other alternative would be to send him down to AAA but I - and many others - would hate to see one of the best arms in baseball not on the Reds.

I still think it's the best way to go. Even if Chapman gets the pseudo starter treatment and pitches 2-3 innings each time out, there's no taking away the fact that the big leagues are hyper-outcome focused. No one wants to see Chapman work on his change up in a tight ballgame when he could easily just blow everyone away with heat. To me, the twenty innings of relief are of pretty dubious value to the team if it means Chapman isn't prepared when the time comes for him to start.

[RedEye]

We need to pay more attention to what this guy says. He answers almost all of our questions -- and directly at that!

[mattfeet]

–Jocketty on Choo playing center field: “He’s a great athlete. He goes well side to side. I talked to him about it yesterday. He willing to put the effort in and work with Billy Hatcher and Eric Davis in spring training.”

Very cool to see. I think Choo will be very satisfactory in CF.