Jay Bruce looks like he has become a professional hitter overnight!!!!!!!

[krm1580]

I don't want to get in a debate about whether it is right or wrong, but the fact of the matter is a lot of the guys listed had VERY high expectations and fair or unfair they have not met them. As a result they are always crushed for what they are not rather than acknowleged for what they do. Being completely honest looking back at the time if I told you.....

Back in 2008
By the end of the 2012 season that the BEST year for Jay Bruce would be .353/.493/.846.

Back in 2007
By the end of the 2012 season Homer Bailey would be a solid starter with a career total of 38 Wins

Back in 2000
Ken Griffey Jr would come to the Reds after hitting 209 HRs in his previous 4 season with Seattle and hit 210 over 9 seasons with the Reds, topping 40 once and being injured all the time.

Barry Larkin was kind of an odd situation. I think he met expectations, but he was injured too much. The other thing that hurt him is his last 2 contract negotiotions were very public and contentious. Nobody every looks good making millions of dollars and saying they are underpaid.

Eric Davis I think was a completely different situation. His '86 season was like nothing I had ever seen. He was Mike Trout before Mike Trout was born. If he did not get dinged up I have no doubt he would have been a 50/50 guy. The problem is he was always dinged up and never came close to approaching that level again. He was a painful example of what could have been.

[RedEye]

I don't want to get in a debate about whether it is right or wrong, but the fact of the matter is a lot of the guys listed had VERY high expectations and fair or unfair they have not met them. As a result they are always crushed for what they are not rather than acknowleged for what they do. Being completely honest looking back at the time if I told you.....

Back in 2008
By the end of the 2012 season that the BEST year for Jay Bruce would be .353/.493/.846.

Back in 2007
By the end of the 2012 season Homer Bailey would be a solid starter with a career total of 38 Wins

Back in 2000
Ken Griffey Jr would come to the Reds after hitting 209 HRs in his previous 4 season with Seattle and hit 210 over 9 seasons with the Reds, topping 40 once and being injured all the time.

Barry Larkin was kind of an odd situation. I think he met expectations, but he was injured too much. The other thing that hurt him is his last 2 contract negotiotions were very public and contentious. Nobody every looks good making millions of dollars and saying they are underpaid.

Eric Davis I think was a completely different situation. His '86 season was like nothing I had ever seen. He was Mike Trout before Mike Trout was born. If he did not get dinged up I have no doubt he would have been a 50/50 guy. The problem is he was always dinged up and never came close to approaching that level again. He was a painful example of what could have been.

Jury is still out on Jay and Homer, and both are trending up.

[New York Red]

Jury is still out on Jay and Homer, and both are trending up.

That's the thing I like most about Jay (and the reason I don't understand the criticism he receives from so many Reds fans). His HR total has increased every year of his career (the only 20+ HR player in history to do that 5 straight years). His RBI total has increased every year. His Doubles total has increased every year, other than his second year when he played the fewest games of his Reds career. And for the 'OPS is everything crowd' that number has improved every year also, with one exception. He isn't a finished product, so why judge him as if he is?

[New York Red]

Barry Larkin was kind of an odd situation. I think he met expectations, but he was injured too much. The other thing that hurt him is his last 2 contract negotiations were very public and contentious. Nobody ever looks good making millions of dollars and saying they are underpaid.

These are very good points -- probably worthy of a separate thread -- but good points nonetheless. Without breaking out a calculator, I'd say Barry missed roughly 1/3 of the possible games he could have played in his career. Without all those injuries, he would have easily been a member of the 3000 hit club. I always thought him missing so many games was the reason Reds management didn't want to pay him more. Everything else about him was a no-brainer.

[westofyou]

These are very good points -- probably worthy of a separate thread -- but good points nonetheless. Without breaking out a calculator, I'd say Barry missed roughly 1/3 of the possible games he could have played in his career. Without all those injuries, he would have easily been a member of the 3000 hit club. I always thought him missing so many games was the reason Reds management didn't want to pay him more. Everything else about him was a no-brainer.

75% is the number in total (not counting his half season in 86)

81% from 87-99
41% is the percentage in the 2000's

[krm1580]

These are very good points -- probably worthy of a separate thread -- but good points nonetheless. Without breaking out a calculator, I'd say Barry missed roughly 1/3 of the possible games he could have played in his career. Without all those injuries, he would have easily been a member of the 3000 hit club. I always thought him missing so many games was the reason Reds management didn't want to pay him more. Everything else about him was a no-brainer.

The much bigger issue with Larkin and the Reds, for lack of a better term, was "trust issues". Larkin questioned the organizations commitment to winning and spoke openly about leaving either via trade or FA to a winner. The Reds were not looking to commit a bucket full of money to a guy who did not want to be a Red and publically questioned the organization. The injuries added to it but they were not the only reason.

[westofyou]

The much bigger issue with Larkin and the Reds, for lack of a better term, was "trust issues". Larkin questioned the organizations commitment to winning and spoke openly about leaving either via trade or FA to a winner. The Reds were not looking to commit a bucket full of money to a guy who did not want to be a Red and publically questioned the organization. The injuries added to it but they were not the only reason.

He questioned the worst two ownerships on team history.

Bravo says I, Bravo

[reds44]

.318 OBP

106 K/25 BB

Not good.

[nate]

.318 OBP

106 K/25 BB

Not good.

.346 wOBA, 3rd amongst NL RF.

Not bad.

[Wonderful Monds]

.346 wOBA, 3rd amongst NL RF.

Not bad.

.818 OPS

eh.

[Wonderful Monds]

Zips doesn't even project him to get to 3 wins again this year FWIW, and that's even projecting him to play better than he has so far.

I like Jay, but the hypersensitivity to criticism of him around these parts can be a bit much.

[westofyou]

He's our own Joe Carter

[Wonderful Monds]

He's our own Joe Carter

Not a bad comp, maybe Joe Carter plus, except with the ability to field some.

[mdccclxix]

Jay is going to hit a game winning HR in the WS then, yes!

[RiverRat13]

He's our own Joe Carter

He may be another Joe Carter, but he's OUR Joe Carter!

Wait... you already said that, didn't you.