Homer wins NL Player of the Week

by Daedalus on Oct 5, 2009 5:38 PM EDT Comment 40 comments

Yep, he did. Homer Bailey won NL Player of the Week for kicking ass. Actually, if you think about it, the fact that Homer won 8 games this year and wasn't up with the Reds all year is pretty darn awesome. And to think he was also the victim of a couple of blown saves.

I'll never forget that Major League debut, when I stayed home on a Friday night just to watch the game, only to lose electricity after the fifth inning due to a storm. I got out a transistor radio and dialed up 700 WLW all the way here in Washington, DC.

Oh, if I had the time, I'd go through and post all of those comments saying Homer would never be a Major League pitcher and we should trade him and blah, blah, blah, but I don't have the time, and really, what's the point? I'm just reveling in the sweet Homer goodness that was promised to us all of those losses ago.

To those who were calling to trade Homer in the spring - Ha! What do you think now?

(So we got two POW's in a row? Next year's not looking so bad...)

0 recs | Comment 40 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Great stuff from Homer, and well-deserved

I remember his debut as well. I was finishing a drive home to Dayton, so I got to listen to 700 in the car. I pulled up just as the game was getting underway, and sat parked on the street as I listened to him strike out some Indians. Heady times, and nice to be around as he starts to make good on all his potential.

by Brendanukkah on Oct 5, 2009 5:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was there when Homer made his debut

it was an electric crowd. It was amazing when he got the K to end the 5th inining.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 5:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was at his 2nd start

which was a lot of fun…another waxing of the Indians. Hats off to Bailey, my official Favorite Red going forward.

"And then there was the USAID guy in Kandahar who drove a giant pink Cadillac, which the locals set on fire one day. If you wanted to destroy something symbolic during a riot, you just could not do better than that. Good stuff." - Ghosts of Alexander

by Cy Schourek on Oct 5, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Homer definitely deserved it

and I just don’t want to think about those blown saves. Watching hinm strikeout the side after letting runners get on the corners yesterday was a cool moment. Hopefully he can keep going forward next year.

It is really cool to have two players of the week back to back—one for offense and one for pitching. I think the strong finish and the recognition of some of their hardwork really will be a boost for this team going into 2010.

by Red_Poodle on Oct 5, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

like i keep saying...

Harang
Arroyo
Cueto
Bailey
Maloney

CL-Coco
RHSET-Masset
LHSET-Rhodes
LOOGY-DRH
Middle Relief-Fisher
Middle Relief Burton
Long Relief-Owings

Stubbs 8
Rolen 5
Votto 3
Phillips 4
Bruce 9
Gomes/Dickerson 7
Hanagin 2
Janish 8
Pitcher

Is nothing to sneeze at.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

or write home about

Made from 100% Recycled Awesome,

by 'tHan on Oct 5, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lets just say

Bruce and Bailey break out next year, this team can pick up 5 or 6 wins in just those two players, plus hopefully they won’t waste time on McFlurry, T-Virus, Gonzo and the like. T-virus had a WAR of -0.3 while Stubbs had a WAR of 1.4, Gonzo had a WAR of .4 while Janish had a WAR of 1.1. So you take T-virus and Gonzo out of the equation, and plug in Stubbs and Janish that might be another 4 or 5 wins right there. I think this team has the ability to improve in house and I am saying it right now, the Reds will have a winning record in 2010.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

is WAR a rate state or cumulative?

Because if Stubbs has a 1.4 WAR with a month of playing time, well, he’s much much much better than Lincecum

by Cy Schourek on Oct 5, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Doug said in one of his articles at RML.com (I can't remember which one or i'd provide a link)

that he thinks Stubb’s coudl be a 4 WAR player.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure what those big words mean,

but WAR takes playing time into account, so it’s hard to accumulate a high number in limited playing time. (Janish achieved a 1.1 WAR in VERY limited PT)

So, yes, it’s pretty impressive. (just remember that the defensive side of WAR might be affected negatively with a larger sample size)

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 5, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

could less at bats/innings in the field improve Janish's WAR

like if he were to bat 8th every game, so he would be more likely to see 3 at bats rather than 5?

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

FEWER ABs would be an addition by subtraction,

assuming he still hit so poorly. But obviously, if he’s the everyday SS he’s going to get more ABs next year, even batting 8th.

Regarding the defense, some might say that more innings in the field tends to cause the defensive number to revert to the mean, but in cases of really great defenders like Janish I’m not sure that’s true.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 6, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

WAR is cumulative

and Stubbs piled up a ton of value by playing like a maniac on defense (probably not sustainable) and smacking a good many home runs (probably not sustainable either). he’s likely not a 5-6 WAR player going forward, but fwiw Franklin Gutierrez was the most valuable CF in the AL this year (5.7 WAR) by hitting a touch above average and being the best defender out there. Stubbs might be able to do that in his peak year, but i think a more reasonable projection for him is something like 3 WAR. which would be awesome.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Oct 5, 2009 10:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree the homers probably aren't sustainable,

but he started walking much more in the last month (BB rate in August: 4.6%, in September: 9.1%)

His OBP in September was .344, which I think is not only sustainable but could improve, making up for the probably drop in power.

Also, I’m not sure about the numbers side of things, but I don’t think Stubbs’ amazing defense this season is unsustainable. He’s young and doesn’t have a big injury history, so I’d bet he could play crazy good defense all year, making him a solid 4 WAR player.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 6, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hmmm

so Dickerson was worth 1.1 WAR, Gomes was worth .8

By these stats and logic, Dickerson should be the LF next year. This would also mean a pretty solid 1-2 at the top of the order.

Is anyone actually ok with this, though? Or is this an example of stats writing checks reality can’t cash?

by Cy Schourek on Oct 6, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

this is why i think they are better off in a platoon

Dickerson got his value from his OBP, speed, and defense and Gomes got his from his contact rate and prodigious power. each strength is the other’s weakness, so i’d like to see them both in LF next year.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Oct 6, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Except that doesn't really apply here

because Dickerson’s value this season is based on starting 20 of his 97 games in CF (and a bunch more when he switched over there from a corner) and being worth 6.2 runs there. If he’s in LF most of the time he’s much, much less valuable as a defender, and therefore much, much less valuable as a player.

My guess is if Gomes and CDick each played a full season in LF, Gomes would be worth more.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 6, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mom and Dad wouldn't know what the fuck I was talking about.

by Brian B on Oct 5, 2009 10:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Justin, my sources say that if Larry Rothschild gets back with his ol' bud, The Duster - you'll be lookin' at:

Harang
arroyo
Cueto
Bailey
Wells/Lehr

I see that you pounced on my idea of a few weeks ago to have Rolen in the #2 hole….Mads is old and crotchety, he’ll not even notice…..that’s what they’re all saying…

Bullpen
Coco
Masset
DRH
Arhtur
Bray
Burton

Owings will be traded if he doesn’t agree to learn to play the outfield.

Jay Bruce will become a major league baseball STAR, starting in April, 2010.....

by Madville on Oct 5, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And add the possible lineup of

Taveras
Janish
Votto
BP
Rolen
Bruce
Nix
Hernandez

That’s another 82-90 loss season.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 5, 2009 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

look let me be excited

let me build my hopes up to just have than dashed next July when an intradivions rival hits a grand slam in a game Cincinnati was seemingly cruising towards victory.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 5, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

which makes an interesting question

When was the season lost for the Reds? Looking at the schedule, I’m liable to say that it was the July 20-26 0-6 road trip. Followed by the 2-8 homestand. That was fun, wasn’t it?

by Cy Schourek on Oct 5, 2009 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

im going to say Independence Day

the last full day they were above .500

by Charlie Scrabbles on Oct 5, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to be emotional and say when Joey went on the DL.

The team was 26-20 at that point and was never the same after that.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 6, 2009 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd say the Pujols grand slam game

we did maintain .500, as Charlie Scrabbles notes, but only for about two days. I remember Weathers saying “you can’t win the division in one day” and I thought “but you can lose it”.

by Red_Poodle on Oct 6, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I say June 25

When the Reds decided to get Corky Miller for Norris Hopper while Willy T was still starting. That’s the day I gave up on the season.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Oct 6, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

When they signed Willy T

I don’t mind them signing him so much as how much they gave him (in time and money). That was when I realized the Reds braintrust had gone insane.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Oct 6, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The POWs will never be forgotten

I still feel like Homer’s hanging in by a thread from start to start. 8 victories. 4 against the Pirates. His motion looks more repeatable now than it has in the past, but he’s missing laterally too much with the fastball. And his curve still looks like it has too much upward tilt, a la Jimmy Haynes.

But if he just has to pitch against the Pirates, then I have no problems.

by Brian B on Oct 5, 2009 10:43 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

He looked pretty good against some good teams too.

He handled the Cardinals pretty good twice this year. His control is significantly improved, and his K rate was the highest of his MLB career. Kid’s definitely headed in the right direction.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Oct 6, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

why can't Slyde's machines play baseball?

they feel no emotion.

i mean sometimes Walt is like a prison shower, you know it is gonna happen, but it isn’t a good thing.

by justin007000 on Oct 6, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You mean like this one?

At least I think this is Slyde’s

by Brian B on Oct 11, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Ah the good old days

I wish MVN hadn’t destroyed all of my archives from Reds & Blues.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Oct 11, 2009 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he also handlded the Dodgers and Fish beautifuly

the particularly interesting thing abnout the Dodgers is that he bombed his first start against them, but when they came to play at GABP, a hitter’s park, he shut them out! That shows his ability to make adjustments and that he has the stuff to over power good offenses, even in a homerun haven

by Red_Poodle on Oct 6, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs