Los Chicos de Nasty

[howyoufreelin]

Cueto and Volquez.

[Homer Bailey]

I've never experienced this excitement as a Reds fan.

[SoTxRedsFan]

Yeah, it's a great time to be a Reds fan. Those 2 pitchers have me as excited as I've ever been in my 18 years as a fan. Just give me a playoff push. PLEASE!!

[forfreelin04]

I echo the same sentiments all. We have ourselves, not only a better ballclub but a much better future.

[_Sir_Charles_]

It makes me wonder just how many people are still doubting the reasoning for the Hamilton/Volquez trade. This trade is still exactly what I thought it was when it happened. An exchange of 2 solid talents. It was a matter of need for each team. We had OF's to spare and needed power starting arms. For all the Wayne-haters out there, they've got to be rethinking their opinion of him currently.

And for you Hammy fans out there...He's playing great too. Hitting .304 with a dinger and 5 ribbies. Even though he's no longer on the Redlegs, I hope he succeeds.

[Lockdwn11]

It makes me wonder just how many people are still doubting the reasoning for the Hamilton/Volquez trade. This trade is still exactly what I thought it was when it happened. An exchange of 2 solid talents. It was a matter of need for each team. We had OF's to spare and needed power starting arms. For all the Wayne-haters out there, they've got to be rethinking their opinion of him currently.

And for you Hammy fans out there...He's playing great too. Hitting .304 with a dinger and 5 ribbies. Even though he's no longer on the Redlegs, I hope he succeeds.

I wonder how long it will be before people start calling it the "Edinson Volquez Trade"

[_Sir_Charles_]

I wonder how long it will be before people start calling it the "Edinson Volquez Trade"

I also wonder how long it'll be before people stop complaining about the Majik/Bray/Lopez/Kearns deal. That's another trade that worked out fine. Whether people realize it or not. Sure, Majik has sucked...but Bray (when healthy) has been decent. Lopez & Kearns, while fan favorites (mainly Austin), have declined sharply in terms of production. I don't think either of them would be starting on this current Reds lineup, do you? And at the time, we desperately needed arms for the bullpen. How was Wayne supposed to know that both Majewski & Bray would have health problems (and crappy stuff in terms of Majik)? Overall, that was a lose/lose trade at best. It certainly wasn't the horrible trade that many Reds fans made it out to be.

[TStuck]

I'm not complaining about the Majik, et al trade because I still believe that when it's all said and done, it will be known as the trade that acquired Daryl Thompson.:cool:

[Lockdwn11]

I never faulted the reds for making that trade because at the time I understood why it was done . 1) We needed bullpen help becuase we was still in it at the time of the trade. 2) Lopez and Kearns had fallen out of favor and was about to start making real $. That trade has alot to do with the team you see today. I mean the Reds would have had a hard time signing BP long term if they was still paying Lopez and Kearns

[Jr's Boy]

About time something went the Reds way pitching wise.And how about Lincoln having been out of the game for four year's and now providing solid relief.Gave up a run today,but thats ok when your up by seven.And he throws strikes.

[_Sir_Charles_]

You two are two of the few out there.

I also have high hopes for Thompson. But I still think the steal of the deal will end up being Bray once the health issues are in the past. His numbers were rather inflated last year (and the second half of '06) due to the surrounding pitchers quite a bit. All the bullpen numbers were inflated due to the company they kept.

[RedsFan2008]

Does anyone know what the situation is with HOMER? Do you think he will be pitching for us sometime this season? I dont see how having a bad pitcher over 30(Fogg), is better than have a talented pitcher with unlimited potential in his early 20's(Bailey).

Can you imagine this Rotation?:

Johnny Cueto(22 years old)
Aaron Harang(29 years old)
Edinson Volquez(24 years old)
Bronson Arroyo(31 years old)
Homer Bailey(21 years old)

[_Sir_Charles_]

The problem with bringing Homer up now is the chance of destroying his confidence. He's simply not ready right now. He's got very spotty control on his fastball of all things. Poor control isn't a rare thing...not by a long-shot. But poor control on a fast ball is much more uncommon. He needs time to sort through his mechanics. He'll be up sometime this year I'm sure. While he still may (and most likely will) struggle in the Bigs at first, he'll have a much better chance to succeed if we let him get in a groove first in Louisville.

It's in 2009 and 2010 that we should see that perfect rotation of Harangatang, Bronson, Homer and the super mario bros'. Fogg and Affeldt were brought in as stop-gaps for the youngsters. Hence their one year contracts.

[tommycash]

I think we should call Volquez and Cueto the Dominican Dominators

[RedsFan2008]

With all the excitment about our future pitching rotation, its important to realize that we have a bright future on offense as well.

Adam Dunn. Assuming we keep him we will have that one guy that can just smack the ball out of the city. Its important to have one of these kind of guys. Dunn is 28.

Jeff Kepp. He has been such a great surprise this season and even though he is not a power guy he will be able to get plenty of HR's at GABP because of its size. W ehave to keep this guy. He is only 27.

Jay Bruce. I have heard nothing but great things from this guy. Not sure when he will get some playing time but when he does I will be on the edge of my seat.

Joey Votto. Has not impressed that much yet but he says that he has always been a slow starter. He still has major potential and he could very well be a great player for us. Lets hope he gets it going.

Im so excited to see how our future turns our for our pitchers and our hitters.

[LouisvilleCARDS]

Whenever I think of Bailey, I think of another recent guy who shot through the minors maybe too soon and flamed out, a guy by the name of Ryan Wagner. That's why I'm nervous about just shooting him into the rotation if there's something wrong with his mechanics. If he pitches impressively in Triple A, he'll get his shot soon enough.

[AmarilloRed]

Does anyone know what the situation is with HOMER? Do you think he will be pitching for us sometime this season? I dont see how having a bad pitcher over 30(Fogg), is better than have a talented pitcher with unlimited potential in his early 20's(Bailey).

Can you imagine this Rotation?:

Johnny Cueto(22 years old)
Aaron Harang(29 years old)
Edinson Volquez(24 years old)
Bronson Arroyo(31 years old)
Homer Bailey(21 years old)

I imagine Homer will spent the year in AAA, unless the Reds decide to call him up in September. A good year and we can see him earlier, but he would really need to show considerable progress as a pitcher.

[ChatterRed]

I think this is a very good move by the Reds.

Right now, I'm pretty high on our scouting department and the fact that they occasionally have former pitchers like Soto and Rijo involved with these guys. The fact that they realized Cueto was more ready and had a more complete arsenal of pitches, ahead of Bailey deserves props. Also, the scouting of Volquez and pulling the trigger on that deal is another move deserving of props. My faith in this organization's ability to recognize and develop talent is increasing.

As for Bailey, he has been so hyped up ever since he was drafted that I believe even he is believing his press clippings. Todd Coffey has absolutely nothing left to prove in Triple AAA. In fact, Coffey is like a AAAA player. Dominant of the minor leagues, and can't seem to put it all together in the majors (hopefully this year he does). Bailey might be one of those players. His attitude has definitely been called into question........and this is by the same people who have evaluated Cueto and Volquez and gotten them to the major leagues. For Bailey to be surpassed by these two (Cueto and Volquez) has to be a wake-up call, IMHO. That is a reality check of huge proportions.

I can only imagine sitting in triple AAA reading about Cueto's 7IP, 1 hit, 10 K performance and just being so jealous. Bailey has not had anything near that in his multiple appearances up here. Now he can chew on Volquez's stats too.

I don't think Homer's appearance in the majors this year will depend on stats. It will depend on his learning curve and attitude. He has to convince the talent evaluators in this organization that he's developing his other pitches and willing to learn from them. It won't all be about stats.

[yab1112]

Cueto and Volquez.

I have this ticklish feeling in my stomach...is this love? :luvu: