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"I think we’re starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball,” Votto said. “I think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. I’m going to do my part to help make that change.”
Geno cranks one out at the buzzer. 10-4.
Tom Servo (04-08-2017)
Regarding Stephenson, it's not as much a wake up call as sending him to a place appropriate for his development. He has mechanical problems which is why he can't locate his fastball. He needs to be down at a level where he can get away with it a little so he can stay in the game long enough to work on it. Stephenson has absolutely been mishandled. Mechanics are corrected through repetition until it clicks and becomes automatic, not through promotion just because. Working on that requires lesser competition IMO. I still think it will click with Stephenson eventually, but not if he's banished to the bullpen. His problems aren't secondary stuff where he needs to discontinue using a pitch (which would make the bullpen an appropriate place). His problem isn't adjusting to the big leagues (which can be accomplished by limiting exposure in the pen for a while). He couldn't throw it over in the minors either, so using the bullpen to get his feet wet isn't really what he needs either. His problem is repeating his delivery and throwing his fastball for strikes. That requires a bunch of repetition until he finds that delivery and can repeat it without thinking. IMO, that means starting every 5 days in a place where he can build his pitch count. I think having him on the 25 man roster in any role is mistake.
Last edited by mth123; 04-08-2017 at 05:04 PM.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Stingray (04-09-2017)
Since Stephenson has had 600 minor league innings, why is that environment suddenly going to help him?
You know what they say about repeating the same failing activity time and time again.
Stephenson can handle major league hitters. We saw some of that today. He just needs to pitch within himself. Settle for 92 with control instead of 96 without control. Go to 96 three times a game right now.
I'd tell him that the Reds are confident in him, he's not going down, I'd assign Jenkins or Power to spend time with him, and I'd try to get him to stop forcing the issue on the mound.
It's not suddenly going to help. It's simply a matter of him fighting through it every five days until it does. It may not come at all this year. But he has options and the time, why use him in the pen? If he can't figure out how to throw his fastball for strikes, no role is going to work. I don't care how many innings he's had in the minors. Until he can do the things he needs to do to be successful, I don't understand the idea of promoting him.
IMO, he's not forcing anything. He's always had this issue of not being able to repeat his delivery. It didn't show up in his stats much in the low minors where guys chase more, but he just can't locate well enough and needs to keep pitching until he can. I agree with assigning a mentor to him, but it's to help keep his mechanics on track not for reassurance or emotional support. He needs to fix his mechanics, When he finally does his stuff can dominate. Until then he's a minor leaguer.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
I'm guessing the Reds are probably more aware of the issues with Stephenson than any of us, and they will make the appropriate move.
Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. -- Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot)
klw (04-08-2017)
The moves they've made so far suggest otherwise. Seems like they are sticking him in the corner while his value evaporates and he'll re-emerge on some other team and it will click and he'll be a stud. Sort of the same story as how the Orioles handled Arietta. They need to make him a priority, not a guy who pitches one inning every 8 or 9 days.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
I agree with the notion that Stephenson needs to work at least every 5 days in order to improve on his command.
Last edited by Ron Madden; 04-08-2017 at 11:02 PM.
HokieRed (04-08-2017)
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