What's going on with Ludwick?

[40YrRedsFan]

I believe he has missed 3 of the last 4 ST games. Having a terrible spring. I wouldn't mind the bad numbers, except he has K'd 10 times in 32 AB. (Only Miguel Olivo has K'd more-11 K's in 28 AB) Only 4 hits in those 32 AB. 3 singles and 1 double. Also only 1 walk. Swinging and missing everything. Only 2 weeks to get it going. Let's hope.

[Kc61]

Originally Posted by 40YrRedsFan

I believe he has missed 3 of the last 4 ST games. Having a terrible spring. I wouldn't mind the bad numbers, except he has K'd 10 times in 32 AB. (Only Miguel Olivo has K'd more-11 K's in 28 AB) Only 4 hits in those 32 AB. 3 singles and 1 double. Also only 1 walk. Swinging and missing everything. Only 2 weeks to get it going. Let's hope.

On Saturday Reds played two split squad games. Ludwick played in the game v. SF. He also played Friday against the Rockies.

Some guys take awhile to get going, he will be fine.

[chuck6660]

yes, I agree there may be reason for concern, remember last season Ludwick got off to a slow start. By June I was of the opinion that he was in fact washed-up and the Ryan Ludwick from SD was what the Reds had signed...a .240 hitter with 12-15 HR potential. Luckily I was wrong and he picked things up after that, especially after Votto went down. I expect his production to dip this season, but still expect something in the neighborhood of .260/24HR/85RBI. I hope he gets off to a better start this year...there always Chris Heisey!

[Benihana]

We'll just need Billy Hamilton to progress faster...

[Jefferson24]

Originally Posted by Benihana

We'll just need Billy Hamilton to progress faster...

He's not exactly having much success right now either. Every team seems to always have a soft spot.

[Mutaman]

Ludstick made a believer out of me last year- at the plate in the field, and in the clubhouse. He knows what he's doing. We didn't pay him that money for him to hit at Goodyear.

[kaldaniels]

Agree with the above. Unless you are scouting these guys day in-and-out and you stumble across a major issue, there is no reason to care about spring training stats.

2 weeks to go guys, hang in there.

[Cooper]

I'm glad there are options in the outfield cause the one guy who might fall off the cliff is Ludwick. He'll be 35 in July and 35 is like 35 used to be pre-steroids (it's really old).

My fear is Dusty will wait for that one month where Ludwick will explode....and it may not happen. They should watch his secondary stats very closely. Good teams are ready with a back up in case things go south -they also pull the plug before there is a need to do so and i thought Ludwick was the one guy who they should have let walk.

If Hamiliton can have a decent 30-40 games in AAA...i would make the change and switch guys around. Actually - i would make the change now -but that ain't gonna happen now is it.

[Vottomatic]

Originally Posted by Cooper

I'm glad there are options in the outfield cause the one guy who might fall off the cliff is Ludwick. He'll be 35 in July and 35 is like 35 used to be pre-steroids (it's really old).

My fear is Dusty will wait for that one month where Ludwick will explode....and it may not happen. They should watch his secondary stats very closely. Good teams are ready with a back up in case things go south -they also pull the plug before there is a need to do so and i thought Ludwick was the one guy who they should have let walk.

If Hamiliton can have a decent 30-40 games in AAA...i would make the change and switch guys around. Actually - i would make the change now -but that ain't gonna happen now is it.

Dusty made comments about Heisey's importance earlier in ST. I'm hoping Dusty realizes with Ludwick being 35, and Choo struggling against LH's, that Heisey rotates in for these 2 guys more regularly this season. Not that I want to see more of Heisey. I'd just like to keep those two guys fresh.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by Kc61

Some guys take awhile to get going, he will be fine.

I agree with this in general...but let's not forget, last season was the first season he's even been halfway decent in a long while. It's no certainty that he'll duplicate last year. He could just as easily duplicate his SD numbers. *shudders*

So I'm not concerned due to his spring thus far, but I do have some concerns in regards to counting on him.

[traderumor]

Most of Ludwick's numbers last year came after Votto went down. I was ready to kick him to the curb the first two months of the season, referred to him as the most boring player on the team. Then he became a legitimate middle of the order bat out of nowhere. He's a power guy, most are notoriously streaky.

[RedsManRick]

Spring Training is a time in which guys get small samples of playing time against a nearly random assortment of professional baseball talent during which they are working on specific parts of their craft rather than simply maximizing performance.

The only thing to waste time thinking about for veteran players is health or a professional scouting assessment that gives reason for alarm. Short of that, it's reading tea leaves.

[smixsell]

Originally Posted by Mutaman

Ludstick made a believer out of me last year- at the plate in the field, and in the clubhouse. He knows what he's doing. We didn't pay him that money for him to hit at Goodyear.

This.

[LeDoux]

Originally Posted by RedsManRick

Spring Training is a time in which guys get small samples of playing time against a nearly random assortment of professional baseball talent during which they are working on specific parts of their craft rather than simply maximizing performance.

The only thing to waste time thinking about for veteran players is health or a professional scouting assessment that gives reason for alarm. Short of that, it's reading tea leaves.

I completely agree. We do not want to be foolish enough to try and read tea leaves. However, his horoscope for this week in very telling:

Cranky's no way to start this week, but you'll have to make a real effort to avoid it -- get a little exercise and give yourself a treat. Then, from Tuesday through sometime Thursday, it's the stars that are boosting your morale -- look for rejuvenating energy, inspirational ideas and spot-on intuition. You have an extravagant streak around Friday or Saturday, but check your budget before you indulge it -- and ask yourself whether it'll make you happy in a meaningful way. Simple can be best. Tidy up on Sunday, and catch up with someone you miss, too.

Look for him to bust out of the gates this weekend. Let's just hope he doesn't overindulge his bugdet and end up on the DL!

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by Vottomatic

Dusty made comments about Heisey's importance earlier in ST. I'm hoping Dusty realizes with Ludwick being 35, and Choo struggling against LH's, that Heisey rotates in for these 2 guys more regularly this season. Not that I want to see more of Heisey. I'd just like to keep those two guys fresh.

I don't mean to be quarrelsome this afternoon, but how exactly is Choo struggling against lefties? Looking at the stats page for the Reds, it shows that he's 4 for 8 against lefthanders with an OPS of 1.056. I do agree that Heisey, as Dusty has said, is an integral cog for the team this year to keep the other outfielders fresh.