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With help from Slyde and Ash's cousin Greg Gajus, the Enquirer team discusses the pros and cons of moving Chapman to the rotation. The main argument is the boner-inducing potential playoff rotation of Cueto/Latos/Bailey/Chapman> Although that will wreak havoc on the soft/hard theory™ that Dusty prefers to employ with his rotation. I'm in favor of the Reds giving Chapman a shot this year, with Leake ready in AAA should the experiment blow up in their faces. Erardi suggests that the Reds try and re-sign Broxton or Madson to close, but I'm not really jazzed about either of those options. (ed. note: I hate the new Bleacher Report format that the Enquirer is using now)
Mark Sheldon: Snax Reacts to Center Field
Billy Hamilton said all the right things when he sat down with Sheldon. The article is well worth a read, but the highlights include: Billy is working with Eric Davis and Darren Bragg in Arizona, Bill Bavasi thinks CF may mitigate Hamilton's injury risk, and he will not be playing Winter Ball in Puerto Rico. Oh, and this line:
"Whatever get's me to the big leagues, I'm down with it."
Right on, Billy. We hope to see you in September.
Reds.com: Donald Lutz is not Just a Pull Guy.
If the Knockwurst has any chance of playing for the Reds, it's not going to be at 1B*. Lutz played 61 of his 107 games in the outfield this season, so hopefully the big guy can hack it in left. It's either that or the NL adopts the DH. I've never been much of a DH guy, but if it comes down to it, I chose Donald Lutz.
*knock on ALL THE WOOD
Tom Tango: Early Returns on the Fans Scouting Report
As far as defensive metrics go, the Fans Scouting Report (FSR) might be the most reliable representation of defensive aptitude we have to go on right now, at least until FIELDf/x data becomes public. Over at The Book Blog, Tom Tango gives us the position by position leaderboard for 2012 so far. Brandon Phillips and Votto rank at the top for their respective positions (a tie in Votto's case), with Stubbs getting credit for his speed and Rolen receiving an honorable mention for his footwork. You can go here to vote before polling closes at the end of the World Series.
Physics of Baseball: The Goofiest Looking Guy in Baseball Gets a Goofy Hit
Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois, Alan M. Nathan, breaks down the lucky break that doomed the Cardinals season.
That super duper slow-mo camera is by far the best part of Fox's baseball coverage. Nathan has another post here with select GIFs using the 5000 fps camera shots and explanations of the events therein. Physics is crazy, yo!
I think Rob Neyer must have Jon under some kind of SABR mind control, or something. Be careful over there, Charlie Scrabbles!