Good Lohse piece

[Ga_Red]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...302200068/1071

[BoydsOfSummer]

High hopes for Lohse
BY JOHN FAY | JFAY@ENQUIRER.COM

SARASOTA, Fla. – One of Reds manager Jerry Narron’s favorite subjects this spring has been Kyle Lohse.

“I think Kyle Lohse has a chance to have a breakout year," Narron said. “His stuff is as good as anybody’s we have. His changeup is outstanding.”

Consider this: Lohse throws harder and has more big league wins than either Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang.
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But Lohse is three seasons removed from having a winning record for an entire season.

“I’ve some good years and some not so good obviously,” Lohse said. “This would be a good time to put together than complete good year.”

Lohse was one of the players who came over in all last year’s wheeling and dealing by general manager Wayne Krivsky. The Reds got Lohse from Minnesota on July 31. The player they sent to the Twins, Zach Ward, was the best minor leaguer the Reds gave up in their plethora of trades.

That’s because Lohse had so much upside. He was in the big leagues at 22. He throws up to 94. And he’s only 28.

Lohse made 11 starts for the Reds. He was 3-5 with 4.50 ERA and twice was victim of blown saves.

Reds pitching coach Dick Pole first saw Lohse when Lohse broke into the big leagues. Pole was a coach with Cleveland.

“I saw him when first came up. I was very impressed with the stuff that he has,” Pole said. “He’s had some good years. He got into some kind of rut.”

But the stuff remained the same.

“Oh, yeah, he’s got great stuff,” Pole said.

The Reds are trying to limit the number of different pitches Lohse uses. He throws a fastball, changeup, slider and curve.

“His changeup is good enough that he’s one of those guys who could get away with two pitches,” Narron said.

Right now, the plan is go fastball-change-slider with an occasional curve mixed in.

“That’s our aim,” Pole said. “It kind of simplifies things.”

Lohse is all for it.

“Whatever they want to do, I’d going to try,” he said.

Lohse’s situation is much more settled this year. He’s going to be in rotation. With the Twins, he started and relieved last year – and spent time in the minors.

“All I want is a chance to compete every fifth day,’ he said. “It’s going to be good for me over here. It’s a nice little change.”

Things had soured a bit for Lohse in Minnesota. The Twins took him to arbitration each of the last two years. Lohse won.

“But that’s no fun,” he said. “Ask Wayne about it. It’s kind of ugly in there.”

Krivsky prepared Minnesota’s case as assistant GM there. This year, Lohse signed for $4.2 million on Jan. 7 - well before the case was scheduled to go to arbitration.

Lohse went 13-8 with a 4.23 ERA in 2002 and 14-11 with 4.61 in ’03. But he’s 23-36 with 5.01 ERA in the three years since.

Again, the Reds are banking that stuff plus maturity plus a defined role equals success.

“How old is he? 28?” Pole said. “That’s usually the time that guys like him get it figured out a little bit.”

The other factor is Lohse will be pitching in the National League from the start of the season Arroyo went from a 4.51 ERA with Boston in 2005 to 3.29 with the Reds in 2006.

“He’s learning a new league,” Pole said. “That American League is a little different than it is over here. That’s Arena Baseball over there. In this league, you got to take advantage of the eighth and ninth hitters. You can’t do that in the American League. They’re hitting .300 for crying out loud.”

Lohse thinks the key is consistency.

“I’ve had good months,” he said. “Then I have one that gets me off track. It be nice to go out and have a solid year.”

[Ravenlord]

i don't know what it is, but watching Lohse pitch, his fastball is very straigtht. he slows his leg motion down about a half-second when throwing his curve/slider, and his change is also very straight. i really just don't see it at all from the scouting standpoint on Lohse.

[jojo]

“I think Kyle Lohse has a chance to have a breakout year," Narron said.

It's spring training..... Narron has a pile of index cards in his jacket pocket each with a similar statement...

It just so happened he pulled this one out when talking about Lohse:

"I think (insert player name here) has a chance to have a breakout year".

Other guys he'll insert into the blank at some point in a conversation with reporters this spring training:

:dunn: :dunn: :griffey: :freel: :milton: :wilson: :harang: :coffey: :cruz: :valentin: :weathers: :ede:

[princeton]

if he throws a few breakout games, then trade him quickly

[BRM]

Originally Posted by princeton

if he throws a few breakout games, then trade him quickly

I'd like to see that but I seriously doubt Wayne trades him.

[texasdave]

Originally Posted by princeton

if he throws a few breakout games, then trade him quickly

If a team that needed starting pitching desperately wanted to trade me a young starting pitcher who was throwing 'breakout' games, I'd have to seriously wonder what they had up their sleeve.

[remdog]

Originally Posted by texasdave

If a team that needed starting pitching desperately wanted to trade me a young starting pitcher who was throwing 'breakout' games, I'd have to seriously wonder what they had up their sleeve.

Dave:

What makes you think Wayne will be dealing with Bowdin anytime soon?

Rem

[Gainesville Red]

Originally Posted by BoydsOfSummer

Pole said. “That American League is a little different than it is over here. That’s Arena Baseball over there.

That quote is awesome.

[Joseph]

Originally Posted by Dick Pole

That’s Arena Baseball over there.

Love that analogy.

[Spike]

Baseball can sometimes be cookie-cutter. Lohse fits the breakout year formula. Maybe Lohse lacks psyche to pull it off, but if you are playing the odds, I like them. Give it all a chance. At this stage, we need a little calculated luck! Lohse has the talent, maybe the preformance will follow.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by Spike

Baseball can sometimes be cookie-cutter. Lohse fits the breakout year formula. Maybe Lohse lacks psyche to pull it off, but if you are playing the odds, I like them. Give it all a chance. At this stage, we need a little calculated luck! Lohse has the talent, maybe the preformance will follow.

Boone Logan and Hayden Penn fit the *breakout year formula*.....Lohse fits the *potentially useful* formula....

[Spike]

Originally Posted by jojo

Boone Logan and Hayden Penn fit the *breakout year formula*.....Lohse fits the *potentially useful* formula....

Sorry. Hayden Penn and Boone Logan fit the breakout Prospect formula. They are 22! Breakout years usually infer living up to potential.

[vaticanplum]

Originally Posted by Joseph

Love that analogy.

Best. quote work. ever.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by Spike

Sorry. Hayden Penn and Boone Logan fit the breakout Prospect formula. They are 22! Breakout years usually infer living up to potential.

Maybe by your definition. Breakout year implies going from good to great... Lohse of course has never been good and the hope is he basically is league average next year....