Votto and C. Trent Rosecrans

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Becuase the Reds are morons.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by membengal

So 23-year-olds with Votto's apparent skill-set are not worth a call-up in this organization?

not with Ellison around.

[dfs]

A few days ago good Wayne showed up and cashed in a retiring veteran for a 20 year old shortstop who can hit at the high A level.

And now bad Wayne shows back up again and says his 23 year old first baseman who has spent the season tearing up AAA, burning an option in the process, isn't seen as a major league player .....

It's maddening.

[Aronchis]

If Krivsky is fired, this may all be meaningless, though with Cast, he may not bring in anybody better(a more scary thought).

[lollipopcurve]

And now bad Wayne shows back up again and says his 23 year old first baseman who has spent the season tearing up AAA, burning an option in the process, isn't seen as a major league player .....

He hasn't said anything remotely like this. Pure hysteria.

I listened to his radio interview today and all he said was that he's had a fine season and it was implied he needed work on his defense, which is likely true given that he's been playing OF for the first time.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by dfs

It's maddening.

he is a walking contradiction. he does some really good things and then mixes in the inexplicable.

[BRM]

Originally Posted by flyer85

he is a walking contradiction. he does some really good things and then mixes in the inexplicable.

Maybe there is a method to his madness? I still hold out hope...although I've stopped holding my breath.

[AmarilloRed]

I also listened to the interview. He sounded like we had the veterans around until the prospects are ready, and his scouts told him the prospects were not ready yet. Maybe Wayne should hire better scouts?

[nate]

Originally Posted by AmarilloRed

I also listened to the interview. He sounded like we had the veterans around until the prospects are ready, and his scouts told him the prospects were not ready yet. Maybe Wayne should hire better scouts?

Is there a chance that the scouts know something we don't?

[BRM]

Originally Posted by nate

Is there a chance that the scouts know something we don't?

Scouts? Pfft. They're just guys getting paid to watch baseball games.

[AmarilloRed]

It is certainly possible. Players like Votto and Bruce look like they are ready to the average fan, but maybe the scouts know something we don't.

[flyer85]

I would worry about scouts that recommended Cormier, Majewski, Stanton, Saarloos, Ellison, etc.

[Eric_Davis]

Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

How you could determine if a guy is a AAAA talent without giving him a shot is a mystery to me. Especially when you have guys on the 25 man who are hardly even AAA guys.

You can't.

Nobody know how well a player will do in the Majors until he's given a "full-time" chance to prove it. You can guess, and you might be right most of the time, but you can't know for sure, even 75% of the time.

Otherwise, why would every G. M. and their entire evaluating staffs miss on players every single year. There's 50 guys every year you can list where G. M.'s and their staffs "judged" wrong about their abilities or inabilities.

[Eric_Davis]

Even though he struggles power wise against lefties, he has a very good OBP against them. ...and really, how much better defensively can a 38-year old 1st Baseman be than a player 15 years younger than him? ...and how important is it really to have a good glove at 1st Base? He can't be any worse than Cantu.

What Votto offers with his ability to hit Right-Handers, which by last count is still over 2/3rd's of the league, is immensely more valuable than what Hatteberg offers.

The Mariners and A's would love to have Votto.

Management definitely has some holes, as Doug pointed out, in evaluating talent. They're good more times than not, but they miss some, what seem to us, obvious identifications of talent.

After last year, Hatteberg was a Type-C player (he was 4 players behind the B-Level) and the REDS would have gotten nothing for him if he had been available in free-agency. With his increased play this year and his good year last year he's pushed himself into the Type-B class and returns a 1st Round supplemental pick if we let him go, of which someone will surely sign him. But, we won't get anything for him next year as he's sure to drop back down to a Type-C player. So, the REDS, by picking up his option are going to throw away a supplemental first round pick in the 2007 draft. That makes no economic sense or does it make sense in support of the minor leagues and the franchises overall talent level.

Votto should be playing 1st Base Opening Day for the REDS, and let him have his success against right-handers and take his lumps against left-handers or let Cantu start those games.

[Eric_Davis]

Originally Posted by redsmetz

What surprises me is that so many assume that reporters really are privy to so many things they blather on about on the 2nd inning portion of the game and on their respective blogs. Is it any wonder that WK is so tight lipped about moves the club are making.

Now maybe it's a "cause and effect" situation: Wayne's silence evokes writers to grasp at straws for any modicum of information etc. Do they make it up out of whole cloth? I'm not saying that, but I think they take any tiny fragment and blow it up bigger than it actually is.
It's really getting terrible about Reds town these days. I think the press plays an important role in our society, but the sports writing community surrounding this club is just getting goofy, IMO.

That's for sure.