If so, SMH...
If so, SMH...
The horse may be midstream, I don't know. I'd like to see them pull it off so that he starts next year, though.
I wouldn't have a major problem with it if the Reds left him in the bullpen.
I would love to get 200+ IP out of his arm annually rather than the 60+ he will deliver in the closer role, but I have my doubts about whether he will be able to hold up to the workload. I also worry about how effective he will be in a different role. Just because a guy is an excellent closer does not mean he will automatically succeed as a starter. I would hate to see a repeat of the 2003 Danny Graves experiment.
I kind of like having the most dominating closer in the game.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
I'm fine either way. But if he starts, we better bolster the bullpen and find an equal closer.
The problem is, if the Reds go the Strasburg route with starter Chapman and shut him down early next year when he reaches his innings limit, he won't be starting any playoff games in 2013.
And then, four years into the Chapman era in Cincinnati, we'd still not be fooling around with this guy. If they wanted him to be a starter he should have started this past year. They could have probably made the deal with KC for Broxton in spring training. The Royals knew they weren't going anywhere.
They can convert him to starter without handling him exactly like Strasburg.
However, I'm of the opinion that a team needs strong starting pitching AND a lights-out bullpen to win in October. Truthfully, I don't have a strong opinion on which one of those two roles Chapman should fill, just that they get filled.
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
I hope they keep him as the closer, period. He is at the top of the food chain in that role, and I think he will only get better.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Does anyone have fond memories of the Danny Graves-to-SP experiment?
/r/reds
No, but if you have the opportunity to add a TOR arm to the staff, you take it. Every time.
What's the worst case scenario? He bombs out and goes back to the pen. It's not like starting is going to make him forget how to throw a fastball really hard, which is basically all he did as a closer.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
I don't get the mindset of those who want to keep him as a closer. I really don't. Would you have have Justin Verlander or Craig Kimbrel? That is a no brainer. The Reds potentially have a Verlander but they are using him like Kimbrel. Both are quite valuable, but one is a whole lot more valuable than the other.
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