Noelvi Marte

[j.u.FAIRFIIELD]

I guess we should probably just shut down the message board since the Reds clearly know best in all things, and that's why they've been so successful the last 30 years.

I do agree that the default is "Well, he's the manager, so he's smarter" is hiding behind the door. It's usually when our opinion meshes with that of the manager. Still, it's also correct.

That said, the 30 years you mention would probably look a lot worse if most of us were in charge of it.

But as someone who's seen several sports message boards shut down, I have survived it. The process (I almost used decorum) for discussion is to disagree first, presume self-importance next, and finally ... throw some vitriol. Lord how could message boards survive that?

[757690]

Never said they were scrubs. But there is clearly a differentiation between players. The ones who are better should get the most playing time, not some cockamamie rotation system like they have in little league.

It’s not just about playing the best players. It’s about playing the best matchups. Playing the best players for each situation.

Marte and CES are talented, young and unproven. They have not earned the right to play against everyone at all times. The key is to find the best times to play them, that maximizes their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses.

Bell, Krall and the Reds staff have gazilions more information on that than we do, and will be using that information that we don’t have, to make the decisions on who to play and when. It will be nothing like a system used in little league.

[Kc61]

Marte and CES are two guys I'm most optimistic about. Hope they don't get benched too much.

If guessing, I’d expect Marte and CES to lose a fair number of games to the “rotation” system. Can’t quantify it, but more than some of the others. Especially against RHP.

There are 45 million guaranteed reasons for this - Candy will get priority. And Candy can’t be tucked away at DH too often. Reds have three corner outfielders capable of starting against RHP, Fraley, Benson and Steer. To get them in the game against RHP, one of them (can vary) will be DHing fairly often.

If India plays corner infield some, that too could reduce the PT of Marte and CES.

Injuries may balance things out. Also, Marte could get some middle infield time to boost his PT. Against LHP, I’d expect Marte and CES to be in the lineup a high percentage of the games.

[WrongVerb]

Judging from Bell's comments, you and me.

You're wrong.

[757690]

If guessing, I’d expect Marte and CES to lose a fair number of games to the “rotation” system. Can’t quantify it, but more than some of the others. Especially against RHP.

There are 45 million guaranteed reasons for this - Candy will get priority. And Candy can’t be tucked away at DH too often. Reds have three corner outfielders capable of starting against RHP, Fraley, Benson and Steer. To get them in the game against RHP, one of them (can vary) will be DHing fairly often.

If India plays corner infield some, that too could reduce the PT of Marte and CES.

Injuries may balance things out. Also, Marte could get some middle infield time to boost his PT. Against LHP, I’d expect Marte and CES to be in the lineup a high percentage of the games.

In none of these situations is Marte or CES being replaced to a worse player, especially when you factor in matchups.

If Marte and/or CES go on a tear and start producing like McLain did last year, I am certain that they will be get more playing time.

[j.u.FAIRFIIELD]

I suppose the hope for me is that the rotation strategy isn’t too rigid. If Marte is playing well and getting some nice rhythm, I’d hate to see him sit 2 out of 4 days because it’s Steer’s “turn” (or vice versa).

Personally, I like David Bell and I think he does a decent job of distributing playing time. I just hope if couple of the young guys really emerge, they’re able to leave the rotation and play every day.

As we know, a lineup is built to maximize potential for scoring runs. Part of that depends on who's pitching, or maybe if a guy fouled one off his ankle last night and it's sore. He'd play if asked.

There seems to be some kind of manufactured belief system in place that Bell will go into each day's game, first consulting last night's box score to see who didn't get to play. Welp, better put India in since I see he's moping today. No matter what the lineup, it's going to make 27 outs on the road in 9 innings ... and hopefully only 24 at home.

[Kc61]

In none of these situations is Marte or CES being replaced to a worse player, especially when you factor in matchups.

If Marte and/or CES go on a tear and start producing like McLain did last year, I am certain that they will be get more playing time.

I don’t disagree. But as emerging players, Reds shouldn’t keep these young starters, eg Marte, CES, on the bench too much. Sitting on the bench often isn’t necessarily the best training.

It’s a balance - the best lineup for today v the best lineup for player development. Reds hopefully will navigate this well.

[OldFashionedRed]

I do agree that the default is "Well, he's the manager, so he's smarter" is hiding behind the door. It's usually when our opinion meshes with that of the manager. Still, it's also correct.

That said, the 30 years you mention would probably look a lot worse if most of us were in charge of it.

But as someone who's seen several sports message boards shut down, I have survived it. The process (I almost used decorum) for discussion is to disagree first, presume self-importance next, and finally ... throw some vitriol. Lord how could message boards survive that?

I read that as "Process for Contrarians". A lot of the arguments here are necessary if one looks at the fact that we're all Reds fans, with varying degrees of experience in the actual sport, varying degrees of knowledge regarding stats. The trouble, as I see it, is that very, very few of us are interested in compromise .... looking for a middle ground.

[Kingspoint]

Management did a pretty decent job of spacing out the rookie insertions into the 25-man roster last season, so that each of them could be "the new guy" for a couple of weeks after others got their chance before them.

April and May is never a time when a team gives regular playing time to very many players. Everybody plays and everybody rests and the flow of the direction of the team, injuries and pressure from the Minors generally dictates June and July lineups.

Last year we were handicapped always having to have a very small bench because of the number of pitchers that were on the roster every day. That shouldn't be the case this season and we should generally have one more positon player every day than we had last season as we have starting pitchers who can go longer than last season and we have better depth in the bullpen than we had last season.

With Votto, Senzel, and the 3rd Catcher gone, that's four extra position players that there's room for on an everyday basis. That's probably why there was room for keeping India and adding Candelario.

All of that said, Barry Larkin never would have played a full season if it wasn't based purely on faith as he year in and year out had horrible Aprils and Mays the first half of his career. Some players pass the eye test and you can trust them to have a good season when given full-time duties. Marte is one of those players just as Friedl always was, if you know what to look for.

I have a lot of confidence that Bell is the right Manager for the job and whatever reasons he'll have for doing things will be based on 10,000 pieces of information he has about the players and the team that nobody here is privy to, nor anyone else in the organization is privy to. You can only glean this information if you are the Manager and adept at what you are doing. Bell has become an adept Manager.

[Kingspoint]

Nobody learns anything by only playing when they are playing well. Learning comes by overcoming low cycles through adaptation and applying that adaptation during the low cycle. If you think about how Bell stuck with Benson during April to the tune of a batting average below .100. Benson was given a long rope to try to get through the low cycle, eventually not getting out of it, but getting a chance at everyday play in AAA before being recalled and placed into opportunities to excel. I don't think he would have had the improvement if he hadn't been given the opportunity to try to make changes during April and apply those changes (while success didn't come in April, the groundwork was laid that he could continue to work on in AAA...you could see a slight change before he was sent down).

Bell gave De La Cruz an unbelievably long rope last season, strictly because of the potential. When we were finally in a pennant race in August and the experience of the pennant race would benefit everyone, that rope got a lot shorter very quickly.

I expect a lot of long ropes during April, May and June, but see the beginning of July as a time when Bell won't be giving anyone on the team a very long rope. It's going to be who's hot the rest of the season from there. Because most of our players will be very good bench players when they aren't starting, it's likely most of them get into 95% of the games they aren't too injured to play.

[AlaskaReds]

Well this doesn't seem like good news

[NebraskaRed]

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__

Noelvi Marte, serving a suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, is speaking with the media.

"In reality, it just appeared in my system. I really don't know how it came about unfortunately. That's as far as I know."

"The whole team has had my back since we learned about the suspension. I don't think it'll change anything that goes on with the team. They've always had my back."

"I felt anxious and ready to get back. Distraught that I wouldn't be able to be out there."

"Fortunately, I'll be able to be out there soon."

It just appeared in my system?

[MoneyInTheBank]

It just appeared in my system?

He was speaking through an interpreter so I wouldn't look too much into the exact wording

[NebraskaRed]

He was speaking through an interpreter so I wouldn't look too much into the exact wording

Sure, but his point is that he doesn't know when he took it. Isn't it something you inject?

[RedTeamGo!]

Exact excuse I gave my mom when she found a bowl the size of a squirrel in my cargo shorts when I was 17.

I regret to inform Noevii, that if that excuse didn't work for my mom it is not going to work in this scenario either.