Maybe it's one of those 'no news is good news' situations. I'm guessing they're thinking Lodolo and Greene are ready to be fast-tracked to the show. Losing Bauer shouldn't hurt but, hopefully someone will step up and fill the void. I believe we have pitchers that are capable of doing so without having to pay $40M a year to just one. If this could be a year where our hitters don't collectively start the season in a slump we've got a shot to make another serious run. And I'm not at all concerned with SS. Farmer can handle it and I believe Garcia is about to show some flash in the field as well as at the plate. I think we'll be ok. Go Reds!
reds.comDavid Bell is heading into the final year of his three-year contract, his first big league managing job. The team’s record over this span is 106-116, including 31-29 in ’20. When asked if he is concerned about lacking long-term security, he said he isn’t.
Bell said. “I'm Very blessed and grateful for every day to be able to do this job and be able to be around our players and definitely do it here in Cincinnati. That's truly, 100 percent truthfully, my focus. I'm very happy to be able to say that, because it's really enjoyable and I love it, and it's a great responsibility. Thinking beyond that in any way is just not any fun.”
Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
David Bell said he considers Nick Senzel their everyday center fielder. "We know the talent. We know the ability. We're all excited to see Nick play over the course of a long season." #RedsC. Trent Rosecrans
@ctrent
David Bell when asked if Nick Senzel is the "everyday CF" he said yes
And later, "At one point, everyday may have meant 162 games, but that's not what I mean. We have four outfielders who need to play"
Last edited by Ron Madden; 02-25-2021 at 01:55 PM.
ochoa30 (02-25-2021)
https://twitter.com/ctrent/status/13...520089604?s=20C Trent Rosecrans
#Reds David Bell said Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray will be in consideration for the Opening Day start, but "we'll have to delay that a little bit longer"
https://www.baseballamerica.comAmong the 18 players the Reds invited to their early minor league spring training this year was 23-year-old righthander Graham Ashcraft.
The 2019 sixth-round pick out of Alabama-Birmingham has pitched just 53.2 innings in his professional career, and all of those came with Rookie-level Greeneville in his draft year.
With the 2020 minor league season canceled, Ashcraft spent time working on a new pitch to add to his two-seam fastball, slider and changeup.
“He's really working on his curveball,” Reds director of pitching Kyle Boddy said. “He didn't throw one at all in Greeneville, and he didn't throw one in college, either. It’s turned out to be a really good pitch. “
Along with a new breaking ball in his repertoire, Ashcraft has also been picking up velocity on his fastball. The combination of his velocity and stuff is one of the reasons the organization invited him to the early minor league camp.
“We asked what’s best for our hitters as we play a bunch of B-games? And we can have someone with top-end big league stuff—(Ashcraft is) sitting 97 (mph) and touching 100 every outing, and his secondaries are really good,” Boddy said.
“That just really helps our hitters so they can see stuff, but also you can develop him along the way, too. “
“I think we could move him really fast as a reliever,” Boddy said. “You also want to stretch a guy like that out as long as possible. We’d like to give him as many turns in the rotation as possible and go from there. “
757690 (02-25-2021),mbgrayson (02-26-2021),Mitri (02-25-2021),ochoa30 (02-25-2021),Rdirtypirates (02-25-2021),RED VAN HOT (02-26-2021),UKFlounder (02-25-2021),wally post (02-27-2021)
Like that quote...... "top end big league stuff"
Bud Selig: "I'm the worst commissioner ever"
Rob Manfred: "Hold my beer"
https://redsintelligence.com/smforum/index.php
BillDoran (02-27-2021),CySeymour (02-26-2021),Ron Madden (02-25-2021)
Can't get enough World of Ashcraft.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Puffy (02-26-2021)
Sitting at 97 and tops out at 100 got my attention.
I wonder if there might be a bit of an industry blindspot wherein the Reds (and Boddy) might take advantage.
Small college and small baseball programs often don't have to money or know-how to provide top-flight pitching instruction for diamond-in-the-rough arms. Guys with rather messed up mechanics-- throwing across their bodies, losing steam, or no feel for an off-speed pitch, wildness-- might benefit greatly from Driveline basics and develop into really interesting prospects with just a couple of miles per hour or a more effective off-speed selection. It'd take some luck, of course, but Antone (and Ashcraft) give me a bit of hope as to the possibilities. There is, I suspect, a fine line between dominance and adequacy or even looking for another job.
As the Reds continue to hopefully churn out solid pitching, we may see them focus on offense early in the draft, then look for bargain arms as the draft moves later than the first 100 picks. At the very least, as fans, we might analyze college numbers similarly to HS numbers-- as near to meaningless as just about anything there is to offer on a prospect.
On another note, it's interesting to note that Ashcraft (and other pitchers) are being used as de facto MLB-level starters. Allowing prospects to see the stuff is something that, frankly, I hadn't considered before, and I don't know why. How else, after all, would you develop a hitter? He has to see MLB stuff, right?
MoneyInTheBank (02-26-2021)
Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
Shogo Akiyama is out of #Reds camp right now because of a personal matter. It is not COVID related.
1:29 PM · Feb 26, 2021·Twitter Web App
Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__
Reds outfielder Jesse Winker on no DH: “I always prepare to play the outfield. I’m an outfielder, I’m not a DH."
Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__
Reds OF Nick Castellanos: “I’m sure if we had 162 games, my numbers would have been where they normally are."
boddy is one of the very few aspects of the reds' organization when i'm like, "wow, instead of being behind the times, it seems like we're ahead of the times. or at the very least at the cutting edge." i feel the same way about pitching coach derek johnson. the list pretty much ends there.
Charlie Goldsmit @CharlieG__
Reds relief pitcher Lucas Sims is out here throwing for the first time.
He got a late start because of elbow tightness but has said he’ll be ready for the season.
He looked sharp warming up.
Edd Roush (02-26-2021),Gallen5862 (02-27-2021)
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