Poll Billy Hamilton

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by MikeS21

I don't know that I agree at all with this. In fact, it seems to me that high profile prospects who could potentially be PR cash cows usually tend to be rushed before they are 100% ready. In recent years, that list includes Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, and Aroldis Chapman. I feel all three were rushed to the majors before they were ready simply because the team felt they would bring fans to the ballpark. Only Joey Votto was not rushed.

Only Chapman happened under the current regime though, and he was 100% ready as a bullpen guy.

[DGullett35]

I voted mid season. If hes tearing it up at AAA then why not? Yes there would be a log-jam in the OF and he wouldnt be playing everyday but he would still help the team. There may even be an injury with one of our current OF you never know I guess they will just play it out. He may be needed or he may get the time to develop his craft some more.

[Jpup]

I would probably trade him this year if I could get a proven top of the rotation starter for him.

[Edd Roush]

Originally Posted by Jpup

I would probably trade him this year if I could get a proven top of the rotation starter for him.

Would you keep Chapman as closer then and then keep Leake as rotation insurance?

Every team can use another TOR starter, but I am not sure if we need to make a Dickey-like trade to get another. A ballclub definitely needs to trade a lot to get a TOR arm and I don't see the need to acquire another one right now...

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by Edd Roush

Would you keep Chapman as closer then and then keep Leake as rotation insurance?

Every team can use another TOR starter, but I am not sure if we need to make a Dickey-like trade to get another. A ballclub definitely needs to trade a lot to get a TOR arm and I don't see the need to acquire another one right now...

Losing 3 in a row in the playoffs says the Reds need another TOR starter who can get it done. I always thought I would want Chapman as a starter, but he's magic at the end. I would probably keep him there. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not sure he has the makeup to be that #1 guy.

RA Dickey isn't the type of guy that I would go after.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Jpup

Losing 3 in a row in the playoffs says the Reds need another TOR starter who can get it done. I always thought I would want Chapman as a starter, but he's magic at the end. I would probably keep him there. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not sure he has the makeup to be that #1 guy.

RA Dickey isn't the type of guy that I would go after.

Of course they also lost their #1 10 pitches into game 1, which led to their #2 pitching on short rest twice. Adding another very talented pitcher certainly wouldn't hurt, but I don't know that losing how we did says we need another one either.

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Of course they also lost their #1 10 pitches into game 1, which led to their #2 pitching on short rest twice. Adding another very talented pitcher certainly wouldn't hurt, but I don't know that losing how we did says we need another one either.

They lost 3 games in a row after being up 2-0. They had every opportunity to actually win the World Series this year. I believe another TOR arm would have sealed that fate.

Either way, I'd much rather have a proven guy like James Shields (just an example) than a huge question mark like Hamilton. I would have to be a bigger deal and Shields isn't on the market now, but the Reds need that other guy to go with Cueto and Latos. Maybe Homer steps up and becomes that in 2013.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Jpup

They lost 3 games in a row after being up 2-0. They had every opportunity to actually win the World Series this year. I believe another TOR arm would have sealed that fate.

Either way, I'd much rather have a proven guy like James Shields (just an example) than a huge question mark like Hamilton. I would have to be a bigger deal and Shields isn't on the market now, but the Reds need that other guy to go with Cueto and Latos. Maybe Homer steps up and becomes that in 2013.

Homer was that in 2012. Did you see what he did in the playoffs?

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Homer was that in 2012. Did you see what he did in the playoffs?

Yes. I've seen nearly every game for the past 10 years and hundreds more in the last 30. He was not an ace in 2012. Not even close. He has continued to improve.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Jpup

Yes. I've seen nearly every game for the past 10 years and hundreds more in the last 30. He was not an ace in 2012. Not even close. He has continued to improve.

Yet your original statement was about the playoffs. Homer Bailey allowed 1 hit in 7 innings with a walk, a run and 10 strikeouts in his lone playoff appearance. The Reds somehow still lost that game. Having that extra ace wasn't the difference maker because they had it during 2012 in the playoffs on at least one day, and the Reds still couldn't win.

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Yet your original statement was about the playoffs. Homer Bailey allowed 1 hit in 7 innings with a walk, a run and 10 strikeouts in his lone playoff appearance. The Reds somehow still lost that game. Having that extra ace wasn't the difference maker because they had it during 2012 in the playoffs on at least one day, and the Reds still couldn't win.

Yet the teams with the best pitching almost always wins in October.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Jpup

Yet the teams with the best pitching almost always wins in October.

The Reds had easily the best pitching in the playoffs this season. Their ERA+ was far and away better than anyone in baseball. They lost.

[MikeS21]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Only Chapman happened under the current regime though, and he was 100% ready as a bullpen guy.

But Chapman was NOT ready as a starter, and I never thought the whole bullpen deal was anything but a PR ploy to exploit the 100+ mph arm sooner, as opposed to allowing him to develop into a good starting pitcher. The Reds have blown two years of development time where Chapman could have been perfecting a slider and a change-up. As a starter, that fastball won't be near as important as the off-speed and breaking stuff, and the control to put all his pitches in the strike zone.

Of course it was fun to watch Chapman blow people away in the 9th inning of a game. Every Reds closer for the next ten years is going to be compared to the 2012 Aroldis Chapman. Jonathon Broxton could have a very good year, but unless he puts up Chapman-like numbers, he will only be criticized. Heaven forbid if he blows a save or two next season.

I, for one, hope the PR side show is over, and would like to see if Aroldis Chapman can become an actual shut down Number One starter that you want to hand the ball to for the first game of the World Series, or will be he be nothing more than a five-inning Number Five starter with the lively arm and the iffy control. I would have like to have found this out two years ago.

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

The Reds had easily the best pitching in the playoffs this season. Their ERA+ was far and away better than anyone in baseball. They lost.

They obviously didn't because they allowed more runs in 3 games that they lost.

[RANDY IN INDY]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Yet your original statement was about the playoffs. Homer Bailey allowed 1 hit in 7 innings with a walk, a run and 10 strikeouts in his lone playoff appearance. The Reds somehow still lost that game. Having that extra ace wasn't the difference maker because they had it during 2012 in the playoffs on at least one day, and the Reds still couldn't win.

A boneheaded base running mistake cost them that game.