Red Reposter - The Last Paul Janish Discussion of the Off Season

John Sickels asks who you think is the best pitching prospect in baseball

Is it the Rays Jeremy Hellickson or our Aroldis Chapman? I know who you think it is (there is nothing wrong with a little homerism), but this conversation got me thinking about the state of the Reds farm system over these past few years. Jay Bruce was the #1 prospect in baseball in '08, Homer Bailey was in the top 10, and Joey Votto should win the MVP this year. Johnny Cueto is turning into a fine young pitcher, Drew Stubbs is showing some impressive potential, and Mike Leake and Travis Wood both look like rotation staples. And now Chapman is drawing comparisons to Randy Johnson. This is precisely why this team won 91 games this year. Well that, and Adam Dunn is finally gone.

Now that the Reds have gone home
Hall o' Famer Hal is wondering who you are rooting for. The Yankees, Rangers, Giants, and Phillies are the four still standing, and honestly I'm not impressed by any of them. I guess I'm pulling for the Giants because they haven't won in some 60 years or so, but I'm decidedly ambivalent to the remaining competitors. How 'bout you?

SS and LF are the two positions the Reds need to focus on this offseason
John Fay thinks Jonny Gomes is going to be in LF for the Reds in 2011 because his $1.8 mil option is cheap and his performance last season was adequate. I disagree with the latter claim. Fay uses RBIs and runs scored as a measure of success, which makes Gomes look ok, but it marginalizes his faults. His defense is bad and his power was way down this past year. $1.8 mil is relatively cheap, but I'd rather use that cash toward a more competitive option out there.

FanGraphs discusses the future of the Reds SS position
and of course, the conversation revolves around Paul Janish. Here's my favorite line though: "Between Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, and (mostly) Joey Votto, the Reds formed one of the best infields in Major League Baseball this season. Their cumulative performance – 16.4 WAR – ranks higher than all starting infields in the National League. And that’s without including a shortstop." Janish is definitely the most divisive player here at RR. Like Adam Dunn before him, there are more discussions regarding his value than about any other player. Healthy and informed debate is one of the hallmarks of RR (along with bad puns, trains, and the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet on Tuesday mornings), but one aspect of the Paul Janish discussion has me puzzled. It seems that the two sides of the debate continually mischaracterize the other sides' views. One side thinks the other absolutely hates Janish while the other thinks the other side loves him. So I'm curious: what are your personal feelings about Paul Janish? Answer in the poll below and maybe, just maybe, this will be our last Paul Janish conversation of the offseason.