D Ross the unherald Krivsky aquisition?

[The_jbh]

Phillips and Arroyo have gotten a lot of praise but Ross was one of those questionable at the time aquisitions and he is now my favorite catcher on the team. I'd like to see LaRue dealt for a reliever and Ross and Javy rotate.

Not only does Arroyo say he is the catcher hes most comfortable in his whole career. I think he is the only above average defensive catcher on this team and he handles the staff real well. He calls great games. we've seen Jason and Javy blow plays at the plate like Kearns' throw last night plenty of time the past few years. By the way hes hitting .258 with a 351 OBP and has 3 HRs in 31 at bats

[DunnFan44]

Ross is a lifetime .220 hitter. I dont think that is by mistake. No doubt he is a better defensive catcher. But Valentine hits the ball better. Dont get me wrong Larue has been a steady presence behind the plate. But the Reds have not had a good catcher in years.

[TC81190]

Originally Posted by DunnFan44

But the Reds have not had a good catcher in years.

2005 LaRue and Valentin? LaRue has always been a good offensive catcher.

[MWM]

Jaon Larue has been one of the better catchers in the league for over 5 years now. We've been lucky to have him.

[redsfanmia]

Originally Posted by MWM

Jaon Larue has been one of the better catchers in the league for over 5 years now. We've been lucky to have him.

But now we would be lucky to be rid of him and his overpriced contract, thanks DanO.

[DunnFan44]

Jason Larue
Pro Service: in his 8th season.
Lifetime AVG .243
OBP .314
SLG .420
HRS 77
RBIS 286

Reasonable stats besides the OBP, average could be a tad higher, but he does have a good arm and he calls a good game.

And yes he is overpriced...!!!

[The_jbh]

I'm way more worried about handling the pitching staffand defense when it comes to our catcher. Ross said it best today, when he was talking about how he didnt care if he went 0-4 as long as he calls a good game and they get the W.

[captainmorgan07]

i've always liked david ross he played well in pittsburgh when he was there and everywhere he's been good defensive catch he and arroyo have worked well together the 3 catcher combo might have to be broken up

[TOBTTReds]

Originally Posted by DunnFan44

and he calls a good game.

I tend to disagree. I think he calls an awful game. There are some pitches that you would think he is clueless. As far as his defensive skills, he has a great arm, and makes good plays in front of the plate. I think he is a below average receiver and continually loses strikes for our pitchers with his inability to catch some pitches. I'll go look for it now, but I believe our pitchers ERA's are worse with him in there in the last couple years.

[KronoRed]

Originally Posted by DunnFan44

plate. But the Reds have not had a good catcher in years.

By what standerd? Johnny Bench? well then I think we're going to be waiting awhile.

I like Ross as a 2nd catcher 1-2 starts a week, trade Valentin.

[TOBTTReds]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

By what standerd? Johnny Bench? well then I think we're going to be waiting awhile.

I like Ross as a 2nd catcher 1-2 starts a week, trade Valentin.

I agree with trading one of the two (LaRue or Val), but I'm afraid with this 3-headed monster, they have both lost major trade value. At times Larue has been the 3rd string it seems just bc of matchups. I think we missed out on trading LaRue once we got Ross.

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by DunnFan44

And yes he is overpriced...!!!

LaRue is an absolute bargain IMO.

Look at the contracts of the other catchers with new contracts:

Ramon Hernandez 4 years, 28M
Bengie Molina 1 year, 5M
Mike Matheny 3 year, 15M
Brad Ausmus 2 year, 8M


LaRue has a 2 year 8M contract, and I would take him over all of those players. His stats may not blow you away, but for the most part catchers don't hit. If you can find a catcher who can OPS around 750, you are doing great.

He is anything except for overpaid. One of the things DanO actually did right.

[tripleaaaron]

Originally Posted by captainmorgan07

i've always liked david ross he played well in pittsburgh when he was there and everywhere he's been good defensive catch he and arroyo have worked well together the 3 catcher combo might have to be broken up

Exactly, with the offense we already have, and with everyone wanting an improvement to our pitching staff, wouldn't it make sense to have the best game-calling catcher in the game, our ballpark creates enough of a "head-case syndrome", so why have a catcher out their who is only going to add to the pitchers woes. Dave Ross calls a fantastic game and is a "field general", our defense is bad enough and the catcher position is quite possibly the most important defensive position, unless you have a rotation full of aces who will pitch great no matter, and although our rotation is much improved, we dont have that luxury, Arroyo has been awesome, and harang great at times as well, but we still dont have a true ace.
Defense wins championships. Reducing the runs scored by the other team would greatly outweigh the offensive production of the catcher position.

[Wheelhouse]

Originally Posted by DunnFan44

Jason Larue
Pro Service: in his 8th season.
Lifetime AVG .243
OBP .314
SLG .420
HRS 77
RBIS 286

Reasonable stats besides the OBP, average could be a tad higher, but he does have a good arm and he calls a good game.

And yes he is overpriced...!!!

He calls a good game!? What good games has he called on the WORST performing pitching staff in the NL over the last several years? His game calling is the major thing about his game that's been in question...I say he's way overpriced and the Reds could probably get a good reliever for him, which they should do yesterday...

Also Ross is 29--who he is as a hitter will be defined in the next couple years--I wouldn't write him off as an all-glove-no-stick catcher yet...

[Wheelhouse]

Originally Posted by Austin Kearns

LaRue is an absolute bargain IMO.

Look at the contracts of the other catchers with new contracts:

Ramon Hernandez 4 years, 28M
Bengie Molina 1 year, 5M
Mike Matheny 3 year, 15M
Brad Ausmus 2 year, 8M


LaRue has a 2 year 8M contract, and I would take him over all of those players. His stats may not blow you away, but for the most part catchers don't hit. If you can find a catcher who can OPS around 750, you are doing great.

He is anything except for overpaid. One of the things DanO actually did right.

Nope--OPS meaningless here. Your catcher is the captain of your pitching staff, and how he handles them has far reaching implications on the success of your team--much more than how he hits in the 8-hole. Preferring LaRue to the catchers you mentioned for OPS, and that on a team packed with big sticks, is severely misguided thinking IMO...