Jose Barrero Called Up

[OldFashionedRed]

Walk-off single today. Likely a formative experience for young Jose.

Again, there are reasons he's up with the big league squad.

I was fatigued today (stayed up late into the morning working on a problem in my C++ book), so I missed the game. I said to my hubby when I saw the boxscore that this could spark something in Barrero.

[UK Reds Fan]

It’s fine to let Barrero play out the string in this miserable season…but he’s been about as bad as you would’ve imagined a struggling minor league player would. He looks pitiful hitting. Giving him the job in 2023 would be a really bad idea to do


The ability of Reds to develop players is terrible. We can’t just only have guys in trades that can translate..we need to do a ton better job in minor leagues of developing players. I’d love to see us focus on re tooling the entire system in addition to just focus on trading off major league assets

[Old school 1983]

I keep Jose at SS until he establishes himself or another up and comer knocks him out of the spot.

[RedsFanInMS]

It’s fine to let Barrero play out the string in this miserable season…but he’s been about as bad as you would’ve imagined a struggling minor league player would. He looks pitiful hitting. Giving him the job in 2023 would be a really bad idea to do


The ability of Reds to develop players is terrible. We can’t just only have guys in trades that can translate..we need to do a ton better job in minor leagues of developing players. I’d love to see us focus on re tooling the entire system in addition to just focus on trading off major league assets

I 100% agree. I've been saying for years we need to pay whatever the price to go hire some development guys from an organization that knows what they're doing. Especially, if you're trying to win via the prospect/draft route. However, we are a poorly run organization with no leadership, so it will never happen.

[Assembly Hall]

I keep Jose at SS until he establishes himself or another up and comer knocks him out of the spot.

Right now he is de-establishing himself at SS.

[Kc61]

He had a plate discipline problem at AAA. He now has a plate discipline problem at MLB.

Shocker.

[Old school 1983]

Right now he is de-establishing himself at SS.

If that what happens, that’s what happens. The Reds have SS galore behind him. Give him a chance and move on if he can’t hack it.

[mth123]

I still don't think this year is a fair test. He's coming back from hamate surgery, and while he may be healthy enough to play, we know it can impair performance for quite a while afterwards. I think we need a clean sample to evaluate him. Is there a chance its not that and he's just bad, of course there is, but because of the lingering effects of his particular injury, I don't think this big-league trial informed anything regarding decisions about the future of Barrero at SS or anywhere else in his baseball career. I only hope it hasn't engrained some bad habits that will be difficult to shake.

IMO, Barrero needs the job on opening day 2023. From that point on, he needs to perform to keep the job. If he hasn't started hitting by say Memorial Day, then its time to send him down to work out his troubles in AAA and try somebody else (de la Cruz?? McLain??) then whoever gets the same treatment. If he doesn't hit, send him back down to work on whatever needs worked on.

The reds seem reluctant to send their top prospects back down to work on things once they've promoted them and gotten a look at what's wrong. They sent Eric Davis down 3 times to work on raising his contact skills and cutting the Ks. When he finally stuck, he was a superstar. I don't understand why it can't be done with Barrero or De La Cruz or Hunter Greene or anybody else who struggles. People seem to think that failing in the big leagues enhances development. I just don't agree. Working on weaknesses takes trial and error and lots of reps and that's what the minor leagues are for. Until you get it right down there, it makes no sense trying to develop at the next level. There are no shortcuts.

[Kc61]

If that what happens, that’s what happens. The Reds have SS galore behind him. Give him a chance and move on if he can’t hack it.

I’m surprised to read that, it’s a dismissive viewpoint toward this prospect. Maybe the Reds share this skepticism about him.

Jose was struggling at AAA this year, they thrust him into the majors, and things haven’t changed. It’s an odd way of developing a prized prospect.

Maybe they just wanted to create fan interest after the tear down. But I feel for the kid, he’s in a tough spot. Steer is doing well at AAA, he stays there, but Barrero struggled and gets a MLB starting spot. Odd.

[Roy Tucker]

I was fatigued today (stayed up late into the morning working on a problem in my C++ book), so I missed the game. I said to my hubby when I saw the boxscore that this could spark something in Barrero.

They still teach C++?

[mth123]

I’m surprised to read that, it’s a dismissive viewpoint toward this prospect. Maybe the Reds share this skepticism about him.

Jose was struggling at AAA this year, they thrust him into the majors, and things haven’t changed. It’s an odd way of developing a prized prospect.

Maybe they just wanted to create fan interest after the tear down. But I feel for the kid, he’s in a tough spot. Steer is doing well at AAA, he stays there, but Barrero struggled and gets a MLB starting spot. Odd.

I think its all about fan interest. All you have to do is read this site. Everyone was salivating over getting Barrero up in spite of his .600 OPS in AAA. The Reds had just traded their best guys and reinforced that it was all about the future, so ready or not they brought up a bit of the future to throw a bone to the impatient fan-base. I think it's counterproductive and won't do anything to make Barrero a big-league asset any sooner. In fact, I think it may slow him down and cut the top off his ceiling.

[Redhook]

I don’t want to lump Barrero and Aquino together, but why is Aquino rewarded a spot on the big league club when he clearly is too stubborn to change (per ED)? Keep him down in AAA until he changes his stance, swing and approach. It’s almost a certainty that Barrero is going to be more willing to change than Aquino, but he has a major weakness that needs to be worked on asap. Sometimes, when you get into a deep rut, it can have long-lasting effects on a professional athlete. I’m not 100% sure what the correct answer is regarding Barrero, but what they’re doing isn’t working or making him better long-term.

[mth123]

I don’t want to lump Barrero and Aquino together, but why is Aquino rewarded a spot on the big league club when he clearly is too stubborn to change (per ED)? Keep him down in AAA until he changes his stance, swing and approach. It’s almost a certainty that Barrero is going to be more willing to change than Aquino, but he has a major weakness that needs to be worked on asap. Sometimes, when you get into a deep rut, it can have long-lasting effects on a professional athlete. I’m not 100% sure what the correct answer is regarding Barrero, but what they’re doing isn’t working or making him better long-term.

and it hasn't worked. Why has Nick Senzel never been sent back down? Another example of just accepting a major prospect failing in the big leagues.

My take, the reds simply are clueless in how to go about it. They've re-built and have an exciting group of position player prospects that should be able to turn this team into a force in a few years (they need a lot more arms though). My expectations is that the Reds will screw it up. They'll promote before fixing major flaws and allow those flaws to be the undoing of some of these guys. They'll "contend" by getting to 80+ wins for a couple years and maybe squeak into the last wildcard spot once and then it will be time for the next rebuild.

[Kc61]

and it hasn't worked. Why has Nick Senzel never been sent back down? Another example of just accepting a major prospect failing in the big leagues.

My take, the reds simply are clueless in how to go about it. They've re-built and have an exciting group of position player prospects that should be able to turn this team into a force in a few years (they need a lot more arms though). My expectations is that the Reds will screw it up. They'll promote before fixing major flaws and allow those flaws to be the undoing of some of these guys. They'll "contend" by getting to 80+ wins for a couple years and maybe squeak into the last wildcard spot once and then it will be time for the next rebuild.

I don’t think Aquino and Senzel are comparable. Aquino is 28, has no options, and generally destroys AAA pitching. There is no purpose to more AAA stints.

Senzel has suffered by long injury absences, is 27 and an arbitration player. He never showed these issues at AAA, he’s long past that.

Barrero is different, he’s 24, the AAA pitchers figured him out. He needed time to adjust to them.

I’m not a big fan of long AAA stints or frequent return visits. But Barrero’s case cried out for more time. I believe he might well have made the adjustment at that level, more easily than in the bigs.

[mth123]

I don’t think Aquino and Senzel are comparable. Aquino is 28, has no options, and generally destroys AAA pitching. There is no purpose to more AAA stints.

Senzel has suffered by long injury absences, is 27 and an arbitration player. He never showed these issues at AAA, he’s long past that.

Barrero is different, he’s 24, the AAA pitchers figured him out. He needed time to adjust to them.

I’m not a big fan of long AAA stints or frequent return visits. But Barrero’s case cried out for more time. I believe he might well have made the adjustment at that level, more easily than in the bigs.

I disagree. I get the idea of bringing guys up to see what you've got (though they have to be healthy and over their injury adjustments to get a fair judgement) and to see what those issues are. You give them a reasonable amount of time to adjust and when it doesn't happen, you send them down with specific instructions on what they need to accomplish to be promoted again. I don't care if they have a .900 OPS in AAA. Once they've shown the fatal flaw, they don't get promoted until they fix it. Until they do they are minor leaguers.

we agree on Barrero.