Train Wreck (Reds at Padres - March 23, 2011)

First round draft pick and he sucked, never an interesting prospect, ever. He was one of the Reds top pitching prospects, simply because some how every other pitcher in the organization was somehow worse than him, yet they were all getting paid to pitch a baseball. Guys like Dustin Mosely should be C prospects with a chance of being a useful pitcher (Sam LeCure), not one of the better pitchers in your organization.

Since Dan O came on board every first round pick has been interesting and either already produced or expectations of producing soon. Bailey has underwhelmed us but he is still really young, and could break out this year, and was useful last year. Bruce has been an above average Right Fielder who will probably become more than above average. Stubbs was a solid rookie last year who could improve. Meso had a big year last year and is right on the right on the line of being a big league catcher. Alonso would be a big league first baseman if it weren’t for Votto. Leake was the only stable starting pitcher the first 2 months of last year, and Grandel looks to be an excellent catcher.

Compare that to 1999- LHP Ty Howington, his arm actually detached from his body sometime in 2003 never made it to the big leagues.

2000-SS David Espinosa, never made it to the majors, I have no actual memory of this guy at all. I am sure he was another in the long line of “short stops of the future”, somewhere between Pokey Reese and Gookie Dawkins.

2001- LHP Jeremy Sowers, despite his dad saying Sowers wasn’t going to sign he was going to go college, Jim Bowden drafted him. And you know what, thank god Sowers didn’t sign he really sucks, he could never strike hitters out, he is simply a pitcher with marginal stuff, who was big because he is left handed. But look at the Baseball-Reference page for the Reds 2001 draft, Sowers is the only one who’s name is a blue link, all the other are black font because they never played at the major league level for anyone. Some how Jim Bowden and company managed to go through an entire draft without singing one player who played a single game, had one at bat, faced a single batter, fielded for a single batter. I don’t even think anybody on RR could lead an MLB draft and get a single talent who are all some how worse than Aaron Miles and Mike Burns.

The 2001 draft is why I can’t believe that just because Jim Bowden or any of his staff are baseball executives know more about baseball than the guy who tried to sell me a Bud Light on the street yesterday. Hell, ‘tHan hasn’t actually watched a Reds game since American Idol debuted in 2002 and he knows more about baseball than Jim Bowden.

In 2002 the Reds drafted RHP Chris Gruler in the first round, and well he was like Ty Howington. Jim Bowden did some how draft Joey Votto that year, and Votto makes up the Major League talent from the 2002 draft.

In 2003 RHP Ryan Wagner was the first round pick. Wagner was pretty awesome in 2003 and was pretty much the suck ever since. He was 1/3rd of the Major League talent that year. Dickerson was the most successful of the players drafted that year.

Between 1999 and 2003 the Reds drafted and signed 14 players who made the big leagues, (they also drafted but failed to sign Rich Hill and the before mentioned Sowers). Of those Votto was the only star, and Brousard was the only other one who put up any sort of career as a regular. So the Reds average 2.8 MLB players a year from drafts those years. In 2005 the Reds drafted Bruce, Wood, LeCure, Ondrusek, who all played an important part in 2010.

not to post pics of harangutan in a different uniform. it’s depressing. :(

looks like heisey’s been hitting the ecto-cooler hard. too many calories, not burning them fast enough.

Scary

A big 10 on the scale of greatness!

Awesome, awesome jobs on all of these. These are consistently making my days more enjoyable.

You can’t just look up and drive toward the stadium lights.

That is exactly the method I used when I first visited SR FATS (The Rockies/Diamondbacks’ new ST venue).

They have their ways.

He promptly gave up a single to Curtis Maybin, and Dusty signaled for the D-Train.

Curtis Maybin?
Any relation to Cameron Maybin?

The Dontrelle Willis Traveling Road Show.
Brought to you by by… The Detroit Tigers Baseball Organization!
(2010:$11.73M paid by Detroit )

6/1/2010: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Billy Buckner.
7/6/2010: Released by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

7/14/ 2010: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Francisco Giants.
11/6/ 2010: Granted Free Agency.

11/23/2010: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
On the one hand…when you consider what he was with Florida, and what he’s dealt with since – the expectations unrealized, the mental issues looked at with skepticism – it’s sad. I think he’s done, and it’s a guessing game as to who’s going to admit it first – baseball, or Dontrelle himself.

On the other hand… even if I never appeared in a regular season game – if I was going to be paid 12 million to get shelled in Spring Training and the minors for a constantly changing number of teams – I’d still gladly give my left nut to be Dontrelle Willis.
Hell, take the right one too.