The Candidates For The Reds Last 2 Rotation Spots

[Ron Madden]

Brandon Williamson Untimely Poor Outing

Competing for a rotation spot, left-handed prospect Brandon Williamson had an untimely poor outing. Williamson started and gave up nine earned runs on eight hits over 2 2/23 innings, walking three and picking up three strikeouts. He also allowed two home runs against his former organization.

"In three days it doesn’t matter," Williamson said. "Hopefully tonight doesn’t dictate what a whole season would look like for me. I don’t think it would. I don’t think of myself as any less prepared to be ready for a big league season. Tonight sucks. It’s a lot to learn from. It’s what happens, so whoever makes those decisions, it’s obviously on paper. I have to deal with it. I still feel like I could handle the season."

https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/nick-s...s-league-games

[Kc61]

Can’t imagine Williamson avoids AAA to start the season, but one never knows.

[Falls City Beer]

Per usual. Because the Reds won’t go out and grab a veteran, they’re shoe-horning some unprepared prospects and bullpenners into rotation slots. Nothing ever changes.

[RedTeamGo!]

To answer the question put forth by this thread:

I know it matters, but does it really matter?

[JCM11]

Per usual. Because the Reds won’t go out and grab a veteran, they’re shoe-horning some unprepared prospects and bullpenners into rotation slots. Nothing ever changes.

This is what happens when you spend fewer than 10 million dollars total on your starting rotation.

[NebraskaRed]

Williamson reassigned to minor league camp, surprising nobody.

[Bourgeois Zee]

So it looks like it's Greene, Lodolo, Ashcraft, Cessa, and Collin Overton?

[NebraskaRed]

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__

David Bell says Connor Overton will start game 4 and Luis Cessa will start game 5.

[Falls City Beer]

To answer the question put forth by this thread:

I know it matters, but does it really matter?

Yeah, it does. Collective pitching burnout and overpromotion are real things. Definitely matters.

Follow what the good teams do. Hint: They don’t do this.

[cumberlandreds]

I suppose they are the best of a a bad bunch. Going to be a loooong season with two black holes in the rotation.

[JCM11]

I suppose they are the best of a a bad bunch. Going to be a loooong season with two black holes in the rotation.

Cessa could be decent, but he'll likely be gassed by the ASB. The real problems will start when/if one of the big 3 has to miss time.

[Tom Servo]

I suppose they are the best of a a bad bunch. Going to be a loooong season with two black holes in the rotation.

And that’s assuming perfect health for Greene, Lodolo, and Ashcraft. Not good.

[westofyou]

It's gonna be a Hairshirt season for Reds fans

Feed me banks of light
And hang your hairshirt on the lowest rung
It's a beautiful life

[Kilgore_Trout]

In the case of Overton, I'm sure it couldn't happen to a better guy.

Somewhere around 200 innings total in the minors.
Put up a 4+ ERA as a 25 year old in independent ball for the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Found his way on the Pirates in 2021 at 27 where he was rocked.

But his story didn't end there. He is now the #4 starter (technically, if not literally) to start the season for the Cincinnati Reds.

Good for him. Bad for us.

[NebraskaRed]

Joel Luckhaupt
@jluckhaupt

Luis Cessa (399 career IP) has the most MLB innings of any Reds pitcher (SP or RP) on staff to start the 2023 season.

Since 1901, the Reds have never gone more than 4 games into a season without pitching at least one pitcher who had 400+ career MLB IP coming into the year. We could see them going a couple of weeks before doing it in 2023.