Good starting pitching staff.
Good lineup.
Pretty good bullpen.
What am I missing?
Oh yeah, defense. Well, other than that, we're pretty good.
Printable View
Good starting pitching staff.
Good lineup.
Pretty good bullpen.
What am I missing?
Oh yeah, defense. Well, other than that, we're pretty good.
IF Cueto and Volquez pitch all season the way they have so far the Reds will have a very nice season. There are some question marks ( catching, defense, middle relief ) but it is time for Reds fans to be excited.
You're way too into crotch shots and underestimating Johnny Cueto for my tastes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
That picture is not a photoshop. He really did that.
He did it if he wanted to do it!Quote:
Originally Posted by guttle11
Good thing I took the over on 78.5 wins.
"Prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good."
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/aei/w...avid_photo.jpg
I'll tell you what, with this team's starting pitching they have a legitimate shot at winning four out of every five games they play. Of course, we all know they won't win at an .800 clip, but after getting a first look at the rotation I wish I had been more optimisitic in my win-loss prediction. Mid to upper 80s feels more right now.
I think they have a good shot at finishing above .500. That's all I'll predict right now.
I know how you feel. I'm incredibly excited after watching Cueto and Volquez pitch right now, but I'm trying to stay grounded as I know they're both rookies and are going to struggle at times. But right now, this is the most fun I've had during an opening week in a while. I think if they stay even remotely consistent though, that we can easily have the best rotation in the Central, especially if Fogg gets moved out for BelisleQuote:
Originally Posted by RedEye
The Reds have studly YOUNG pitching.
I haven't said that in years. I may have never said it before.
Matt,I have been a Reds fan since 1971 and I don't think I have ever said that. But I can now. With Ceuto and Volquez and some other young arms around it's one of the more optimitic times regarding pitching I can remember.Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt700wlw
I feel pretty good about the team, too, but I'll stifle it for now. I'm very impressed with the two kids, but I have been concerned about Arroyo and the 5th starting spot (whoever that may be), and the bullpen, though better, is nowhere near lights out.
The flaw in this whole feel good scenario is the offense. There will be nights (especially when the league figures out Edinson and Johnny) when we're going to need 7 runs to win. So far, only Kepp and maybe Phillips have shown they are in the zone. Maybe Griffey in the last two games, but we have to have production from Dunn, Encarnacion and first base to win consistantly. And for all the defense he provides, Corey Patterson will be an albatross before the season is over. Then there's Dusty pulling out players at will even when we're behind...
But enough worries for now. This is a better team than we've seen here in the last 7 years. I said 86 wins and I'll stick by it. And won't that be fun come October??
I feel better about this team than I have in years.
I feel ridiculously excited about 2-3 years from now.
This is the most excited I've been about the Reds organization since, well, ever since I was old enough to understand what baseball was. I was born in 1987 and this is the most talent I can ever remember the Reds having in my lifetime. The 1999 Reds were talented - they had some nice young hitters but severely lacked young starting pitching. This current squad has plenty of young talent on both offensively and on the pitching side. The two Dominican kids, Cueto and Volquez, teamed with Harang and Arroyo are going to give us a great rotation for a long time. Throw in Homer Bailey and Matt Maloney and it could only get better. On offense Dunn, EdE, Keppinger, Phillips, and Votto are all under 28 years old or younger. Throw in the best prospect in baseball in Jay Bruce and the core is there for a long time. We also have some key bullpen arms ready to break into the majors with Josh Roenicke, Bill Bray, Carlos Fisher, and Pedro Viola. This is a very exciting time in Cincinnati.
If Edinson and Cueto are hitting their spots, there won't be any "figuring them out." You can know what they're going to throw and it won't make a bit of difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by WVRedsFan
Same here. Another year or so of tweaking and we'll really be pumping our fists.Quote:
Originally Posted by edabbs44
We should be careful or we'll end up like Braves fans.
I mostly like what I see so far, but it is way too early.
I got jeans older then you! :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
If this youg pitching comes through, then we'll be competitive for the division crown. The bench is obviously stronger, and that is a huge plus.
Not so sure about the catching position though. And I'm gonna keep an eye on thiws bullpen. Didn't the BP come out of the gate on fire last year too? ;)
Wow - my hats are off to so many of you. I understand fully, it's early and our exciting is best tempered, but I appreciate many of you who have been skeptical coming into the season expressing your appreciation for the club in this first week. I said a week or two ago, that, optimist that I am, that quite a lot will have to go right to be successful this season, but I do very much like the nucleus of this team and the talent that is on the horizon. I hope it plays out well - it will be a lot of fun.
This is the best brand of Reds baseball I've seen since 1999-2000. This is also the most talented team, I believe, since the 1999-2000 teams. I picked them for 83 wins this season, and in in the back of my mind I was hoping it was a conservative estimate.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsmetz
A whole bunch of things can happen in the next 156 games, but for the first time in nearly a decade there's some legitimate and realistic excitement about some positive things happening in those next 156 games.
I wouldn't have pegged you as a Hulkamaniac.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
It's the last time I watched wrestling in earnest--as an undergraduate. You'd have to be a cretin not to like the Hulkster.Quote:
Originally Posted by Highlifeman21
Thanks a lot there. I'm with GAC. I have clothes older than you as well, but nothing that still fits.Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
I think we can't help but be a little optimistic. Like probably the majority of this board, I'd heard all about Johnny Cueto and I'd heard all about Edinson Volquez, but... let's be honest, it was hard to fully buy into the hype, given the history of young Reds pitchers in the last 25, 30 years. And then to finally see them pitch, and holy smokes they ARE that good... well, it allows the mind to wander places it has resisted wandering for many years, even though realistically I know we're not there yet.
I get excited about the Reds every year, but I'm usually disappointed right out of the gate. So far, no disappointment.
I haven't been this excited though since 1990
I am optimistic about the Reds chances at being over .500 this year. That may sound a little reserved, but I think it is realistic to still put them in that neighborhood- a team that is building a solid foundation but that also has some issues to deal with, the main one in my opinion being at two key positions up the middle, catcher and CF. Three if you count SS, but I'm all right with Gonzo for a little while, even though I still want to see them develop a long term solution.
Notice, I have not said pitching and that is possibly the most significant difference between today and the last decade- the Reds have a very bright pitching future.
Anyway, my feeling over the last decade has been that the Reds were just a mess- no pitching prospects in the pipe, seemingly no one who knew how to draft or develop talent and little commitment from the ownership to putting a winning program together. But now that Castellini is in charge, and with both Krivsky and Jocketty there to make the baseball decisions, I think this club is headed in the right direction. It's been a long time since I felt it would be safe to say that.
It's certainly looking good right now, and even if the DD's falter a little, I still think this club is in pretty good shape.
Boy that 87 team was rough....Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
It's kinda fun to be optimistic for a change though...hopefully that same feeling is still around in July....or even next week.
I'm still staying with my 80 win estimate.
I am glad they are off to a great start though.
But I think this team will hit a couple rough patches along the road.
The bullpen in particular, will have it's ups and downs, even though it's started off great.
I think there will be periods when this HR based offense will vanish as well.
I think the bullpen will be better at the end of the year than it is now. If guys like Mercker or Lincoln run out of gas, we can turn to Roenicke and Bray. I'm concerned about the offense also, but we can't ignore the fact that Jay Bruce could possibly have a Ryan Braun-like impact on this offense this year. I don't think it's likely, but it can't be discounted.Quote:
Originally Posted by REDREAD
Whether we go to the playoffs this year or not, this franchise is officially no longer a joke.
I like what you're saying here. Viz. Mercker and Lincoln, you're saying "if", not "when" and it speaks to the developing depth we'll have available in the minors to fill those gaps as they happen (and they will happen at some time or another throughout the grueling season).Quote:
Originally Posted by cincrazy
So far, a lot of things are going right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyclone792
Harang & Arroyo are Harang & Arroyo.
Cueto & Volquez both look like they can be the real deal. I'll reserve full judgment until the league gets a chance to see them and/or tapes start circulating for hitters to look for tendencies.
Jared Burton looks like he's actually gotten BETTER since last year. He's coming into games throwing strikes and
Mike Lincoln and Kent Merker have both had good outings -- which is outstanding considering neither one threw a baseball last season (or last 4 seasons, in Lincoln's case).
Keppinger continues to put up great numbers with the stick despite being a total dumpster-dive last season.
In the immortal words of Lou Brown "It's startin' to come together..."
My bad, the 87 team wasn't awful, I was thinking of the 89 teamQuote:
Originally Posted by deltachi8
man..I echo your exact thoughts. Right down to the year of birth!Quote:
Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
The Reds looked great, for the most part, last week. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't make the playoffs. Those worried about the offense should remember that the bats will heat up as the weather does. Don't worry about Adam Dunn, he'll get his 40, 100, & 100. I think Votto will be fine. He appears to be pressing some. Health is the big question mark. If they are healthy, they are the best team in the Central.
Pheh. he couldn't carry Flair's jock.Quote:
Originally Posted by Falls City Beer
http://christiansbehaving.files.word...1/ricflair.jpg
woooooooooooo!
I don't know about playoffs. I normally don't think you can take too much from one game, but, the lineup run out there today was pathetic. The Phillies kept their every day lineup on a getaway game while the reds inserted their scrubs. Anytime Castro starts a game the reds are behind the 8 ball. I don't care if Hamels is a tough lefty a guy like Votto or Hatty stands a better chance of getting a hit than Castro.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jpup
This is a really good point. I agree that they look like they both have the stuff to be successful, but the real measure of their impact will be whether they can adjust again once the hitters adjust to them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor
Anyone got an idea how long it takes for the league to "understand" a new pitcher? I suppose Danny Jackson got a 23-win season out before anyone really figured him out... right?