-
adarowski at BtB asks whether active multi-Gold Glove winners deserve their reputations
Former Red Ken Griffey Jr and current Red Scott Rolen show up on the list. He only looks at current players with 3 or more Gold Gloves and at least 10 years in the Majors. Here's what he says about Rolen:
"Scott Rolen is another surprising one. Would you have guessed that his career WAR is better than Hall of Famers like Ryne Sandberg, Yogi Berra, Dave Winfield, and Wilie Stargell? He rides a ridiculous +141 TZ to get there, but also appears to be very underrated on offense. I believe Rolen has absolutely no chance of being inducted. I still have a hard time accepting he's Hall-worthy, but damn. Those are some good numbers." -
The Fay spoke with new pitching coach Bryan Price about watching Aroldis Chapman's first bullpen session
"I saw what I’ve seen a few other times before. It’s a live arm and he’s ready to compete. I think this kid could go into a ballgame tomorrow and be ready to compete. He’s extremely athletic. He’s a quick learner..."
Price also said Chapman could begin the year in the Reds' rotation (anything is possible, right?), but I don't really believe that, do you? -
Around the Horn has a point/counterpoint on whether or not Chapman should start the season in the Majors
It's not a terribly knowledgeable look at the situation (there is much hand-wringing over Dusty Baker's shoulder-exploding capabilities), but it's a pretty good take on both sides. Plain and simple though, Chapman will not start in the Majors because if he is with the Reds before June his 6-year, $30 mil deal basically turns into a 3-year, $30 mil deal. That will not happen if the Reds can help it. And they can.
EDIT - As Gray clarified below, the details of Chapman's contract are not as cut-and-dry as I implied here. The deal does not become a 3-year $30 mil deal if he is up to begin the season, but it does in fact become significantly less team-friendly. The contract is actually much friendlier to the Reds the longer Chapman is in the minors, so the spirit of my original comment stands. Chapman will not be up to begin the season due to his contract status. - CTrent tried to get some video of Jon Adkins at camp, but Aroldis Chapman kept getting in the way.
-
Shawn at the Reds FanHuddle blog says only two Reds pitchers are late reporting to camp
Enerio del Rosario and Pedro Viola are apparently having trouble leaving their native Dominican Republic. If Dusty Baker is anything like my high school biology teacher, he's going to make them stand up in front of everyone and try to explain just what makes them think they are so damn special. -
In response to the headlining article in yesterday's Reposter on the "Verducci Effect"
JC Bradbury ran a quick test to measure it's veracity. The results were not very supportive:
"Pitchers who were predicted to decline actually improved...Frankly, this is about as quick and dirty as you can get with a test; but, it’s a starting point, and I’d like to see others examine the effect further. While I appreciate the intuition behind the Verducci Effect, I don’t see much evidence for it." Thanks to Slyde for the heads-up.
Sheldon has Chapman's thoughts on his first day of Spring Training:
"I feel very comfortable," he said with (Dayton's pitching coach Tony) Fossas translating. "I had a really good day today, the first day out, with getting to know the guys. I feel this is a bunch of really good guys that have made me feel really at home. "I am learning pretty fast, the system and the way it is here. I'm very comfortable with it."
Jayson Stark conducted a Spring Training survey with a few baseball guys
about the winter and the coming spring. It's a fun read and a good run-down of the past months' doings. The one Reds-related item is that Aroldis Chapman was voted the third-most intriguing rookie to watch in the NL.
Another one from BtB
Jeff Zimmerman (Tucson Royal) looks at how much money individual players have cost their teams with trips to the DL since 2002. Ken Griffey Jr cost the Reds about $18.5 mil in dead time. Still heart-breaking.
Joe Pawlikowski at FanGraphs wonders what it would take for the DBacks to lock up Justin Upton
It got me thinking about what it would take for the Reds to do the same with Jay Bruce. Do you think it's a good idea? Upton and Bruce were constantly compared to one another a few years back when they were both top prospects. They are roughly the same age (Bruce is a few months older) but Upton came up in August of '07 while Bruce came up at the end of May in '08. Upton broke out last year with a 4.6 WAR performance though, something Bruce has yet to match. Perhaps it's a good idea to lock him up before he makes that big break, getting him on the cheap before his value skyrockets. Or is that just playing with fire?
The Fay spoke with Paul Janish about the Orlando Cabrera signing
"I spent the whole offseason thinking I was going to get a chance. More than anything, it’s a change in mentality. Obviously, I thought I was going to be the everyday guy. Now, I’ve got to go back into the utility role. That’s going to be the role. It is was it is. I’ve got to go back to focusing on spring training and being part of the club."
I really hate these kinds of interviews with players. Janish is clearly frustrated with the situation. I mean, wouldn't you be? He's dreamed his entire life of being a big league shortstop and he thought he would get his chance this season. The Reds didn't look him in the eye and say "we don't think you are good enough", but they basically said it without saying it. That sounds worse. It's gotta be rough. Of course, the team is better for it, but you know Janish is just heartbroken. But he can't really say that, can he? He's gotta be diplomatic. That's gotta be rough.