Brandon Phillips is already doing a good job of leaving June behind him. Phillips, who went 2 for 3 and scored twice in his first game of July, had a pretty putrid last month, and C. Trent Rosecrans picked his brain about it. I'd failed to remember (which is lawyer speak for "I forgot") that he was hit on the wrist on exactly June 1st, and perhaps that helps to explain the clear cut selective endpoints of his slide. .193/.247/.265 is just plain ugly.
Today is officially International Signing Day, and John Sickels over at minorleagueball.com has it covered. Since the Reds were rather kick-ass in 2012, they've got a relatively small bonus pool with which to sign any top international prospects, but I doubt that will prevent them from being at least a bit active today. Stop by that thread from time to time today for updates on who has signed where.
Interested in the Futures Game pitchers? Check out Mark Hulet's breakdown from FanGraphs. The Reds will send Carlos Contreras to the game from Bakersfield.
John Fay analyzed exactly what the Reds are missing with Ryan Ludwick sidelined. Remember how often we heard Luddy talk about how great the team chemistry was last season, and how the clubhouse was so tight? Yeah, I haven't really heard much of that this season despite the amount of success they've seen. Attempting to quantify things like "leadership" and "veteran presence" is impossible (though it's fun to watch people try), but I don't think anyone would dismiss the notion that the 2013 edition of the Reds has significantly less than the 2012 vintage.
Today's the day when Bobby Bonilla finally gets paid. I love baseball, and I'm pretty certain I'd watch it and follow the Reds regardless of circumstances...but it's really, really hard to overstate how much fun it is to have teams like the Mets and the Cubs around just to make things that much more hilarious to follow. A 23 year annuity is going to be damn nice to wake up to every July 1st. Congrats to Bobby Bo's agent for this orchestration. It really is a great year for the Pirates, both past and present.
Jay Jaffe from Sports Illustrated did a brief breakdown of Trade Deadline targets. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the Reds are listed as often as any other team as a potential destination; it sure means that they're good enough to be buyers at the deadline, but it also means there are plenty of holes to fill. He suggests Mike Morse, Marlon Byrd, and Jesse Crain as potential acquisitions.