Tag Archives: Reds

Trade Deadline Reactions — July 27th

Posted on July 28, 2011 | 2 Comments

Like most Jays’ fans, words cannot describe just how happy I am with the Colby Rasmus trade(s).  Enough words have been spent on the deal by my many, many, many contemporaries in the Blue Jays blogosphere, and there are more than a few professional opinions on the matter, so I shan’t bore you with mine.  Needless to say, this one is an unequivocal win for Alex Anthopoulos and his front office of ninjas.  It seems like every trade he makes, he doesn’t just come out on top, he leaves the entire industry dumb-founded.

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Maple-Boner Alert: Joey Votto’s low homerun total is due to bad luck.

Posted on May 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

I don’t want to let my maple-boner show too much (said the guy whose website is called ‘Baseball Canadiana’), but Joey Votto is one of the best baseball players in the world.  That’s just a fact.

He won the MVP last season with some stupid numbers such as a 1.024 OPS, a .439 wOBA, 37 homeruns, and he didn’t hit a single infield fly ball all season.  Because of his ability to make solid contact nearly every time up to the plate, he’s a major exception to the rule that roughly 30% of all batted balls in play will land for a hit.  His career BABIP is .356.

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Debunking Stereotypical Language in Baseball: The Brandon Phillips’ limp edition

Posted on April 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

Those of you who know me personally know that I am a man of many hats.  Along with being an avid baseball fan and aspiring baseball journalist, I am also a student currently acquiring a master’s degree in Communications and Social Justice at the University of Windsor *coyly removes monocle*.

On top of that, I’m a progressive activist who’s tightly involved with many other dedicated people in Windsor battling for workers’ rights and other causes such as the anti-war movement and equal rights for women, visible minorities, immigrants, and the LGBT community.

I don’t say that to brag, I say it because I have spent the last seven years of my life studying the media and being actively involved in changing the discourse of the mainstream media and of the broader public.  In essence, I’ve been trained to detect subtle variances in discourse, especially those found in the media.

That discourse, when it pertains to baseball, often involves race since there has always been a struggle to maintain equality in the game.  That struggle is constantly changing and evolving, but it never goes away.  Case in point, the way in which Major League Baseball treats Latin American players (a whole other subject that requires much more writing).

Long-held stereotypes also prevail in baseball today: The idea that the black players are the athletes who ride along on talent with nary a thought to hard work, the Latin players bring the emotion and the fiery attitude, and the white players bring the scrappiness, tough play, and of course, leadership.

Despite the fact that these stereotypes are unfounded and comically stupid, you still hear announcers and pundits alike spouting them off as if they are totally justified and ingrained in the game; as natural as the rosin bag.

I’m not saying it’s intentional on the part of the media; these things rarely are, but the fact remains that our collective discourse of the game contains these discriminatory ways of talking about players of certain backgrounds. Acknowledging these indiscretions when they occur is part of the way we can rid ourselves of them and attempt to form a new discourse that can inform fans without relying on well-worn pseudo-truisms.

On Saturday night, while watching the Reds play the Diamondbacks in Arizona, the D’Backs broadcast crew of Daron Sutton and Mark Grace committed one of these indiscretions concerning Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Phillips is one of the most underrated players in the game today.  Despite consistently putting up numbers that put him in the realm of the best two-baggers in the business, he doesn’t really get the notoriety that players like Robinson Cano, Chase Utley, or even Dan Uggla get.

When he does make headlines, it tends to be for reasons other than his direct play on the field.  Despite the cleanest of clean records off the field, Phillips is labelled as somewhat of a dirty player by the media for doing things that would make a white player tough, gritty, or a good clubhouse leader.

Make no mistake about it; Phillips is a tough player and a leader.  He’s also been nominated for the Roberto Clemente award for leadership and contributions to the community and is considered a very good teammate.

But Phillips does have a certain swagger about him; a confidence that radiates out of him.  Much like Jose Bautista has started to show and much like Derek Jeter has shown for the better part of two decades.

That brings us to Saturday night.

With one out in the top of the first inning, Phillips slashed a shot into rightfield for a single off of Arizona pitcher Daniel Hudson.  Then, with Joey Votto at the plate, Phillips took off running for second on what ended up being ball four to Votto.  Phillips slid into second base and tweaked his leg.  When he got up he called time and began limping around the bag, pulling up his pant-leg and checking his ankle and calf.  It was fairly clear that he wasn’t seriously injured, but whatever he had done to himself was causing him pain.

Enter the D-Backs broadcast tandem of Daron Sutton and Mark Grace:

Grace: “Ah, he’ll be just fine.  He’s kind of, he reminds me of Orlando Hudson, even when he’s perfectly healthy, he’s got a little hitch in his giddy-up”

Sutton: “I love that, by the way”

Grace: “Yeah!”

Sutton: “I think it’s great.”

Grace: “Yeah!…[Phillips] always kind of walks with just a little bit of a limp”

Now, this little exchange may have seemed innocuous, but let’s consider what Grace was saying here.  He compared Phillips to another black second baseman (Orlando Hudson) and went on to describe the way they walk.  In doing that, Grace has detailed a well-worn stereotype about the way black men walk and although it’s being used positively, it can just as easily be construed negatively and often is.

Phillips was then driven in from second on a Scott Rolen single and showed no ill-effect in his scamper toward home.  Sutton felt this was important:

“By the way, we were watching Phillips as he ran  around and scored, and as you [Grace] say, he was just fine”

This, of course suggests that Phillips limp (which was obviously a result of his awkward slide into second) was just Brandon bein’ Brandon.

I went back and watched both Hudson and Phillips walk under normal circumstances (I waste a lot of time, okay?) and noticed no discernable “limp” in either’s gait.  Both Phillips and Hudson are black second basemen, and both are vocal clubhouse leaders, but other than that, there’s nary a similarity between them and neither walks in any kind of unusual way.

So just what is Mr. Grace talking about here?

This may seem like a small and insignificant thing, and I am by no means suggesting that Grace or Sutton are racist or were doing this intentionally, but the fact is that they were following a stereotypical path when describing Phillips.  The only way to eradicate such nonsense from our discourse is to point it out and make it look foolish; which it most certainly is.

Brandon Phillips is a gritty, tough, clubhouse leader who plays with passion and copious amounts of talent.  One day, he’ll be recognized for that and the same old stale descriptors will be thrown away in the trash where they belong.  As for Grace, Sutton, and any other broadcaster or media personality; they should really know better.

ENDNOTE: For more subtle racism check out this post on Bleacher Report about the 20 most hated players in baseball today.  What do 15 of the 20 players have in common?  And is there a single shred of evidence in that useless tirade?  And did a five-year-old write it?  And did I just validate BR’s sad existence with a link?

ENDNOTE 2: For more subtle racism see any news related to the trial of Barry Bonds; or hell, anything in the news related to Barry Bonds at all.

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2011 Cincinnati Reds: Can virtually the same team repeat in the NL Central and win a playoff game for the first time since 1990?

Posted on March 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

2010 Record: 91-71, 1st NL Central
2010 Prediction: 85-77, 1st NL Central
Diff: 6
2011 Prediction: 2nd NL Central

Impact Player: 1B Joey Votto
Impact Pitcher: RHP Johnny Cueto
Best Reliever: LHP Aroldis Chapman
Top Prospect: LHP Aroldis Chapman

General Manager: Walt Jocketty
Manager: Dusty Baker (243-243, .500)

Significant Acquisitions:
RHP Jose Arredondo, SS Edgar Renteria, OF Fred Lewis

Significant Departures:
SS Orlando Cabrera, OF Laynce Nix, OF Chris Dickerson, RHP Aaron Harang, LHP Arthur Rhodes, RHP Micah Owings

SHAMLESS SELF-PROMOTION DISCLAIMER: Well, that week off was needed to catch up with the rest of life and now I’m back with the rest of the NL Central previews.  I also want to direct everyone to Getting Blanked, where my second column as the fantasy baseball writer was posted today.

On the strength of a ton of very talented home-grown players, the Cincinnati Reds leapt back into contention in 2010, winning the NL Central division and going to the playoffs for the first time since 1995.  However, the Reds were bounced by the Phillies in three straight games in the NLDS so the franchise has still not won a playoff game since winning the World Series in 1990.

In 2011, the Reds will field practically the exact same team as they did in 2010.  They replaced one aging shortstop (Orlando Cabrera) with another (Edgar Renteria) and still have one of the more talented young rotations in the NL.  NL MVP Joey Votto and five-tool outfielder Jay Bruce are back and anchor the middle of a solid lineup and the Reds once again look primed to contend in the weak NL Central.
Starting Rotation
What was amazing about the 2010 season for the Reds was that they were so competitive despite the fact that they were missing perhaps their best pitcher in Edinson Volquez.  After turning out a terrific 2008 season, Volquez missed half of each of the last two years recovering from Tommy John surgery and posted a mediocre 4.32 ERA when he did pitch.  Having now had over a year of recovery time from the surgery, Volquez could capture his 2008 form and reassume the position of ace on this team.

Filling in for Volquez in that department last season was Johnny Cueto who had a nice breakout campaign posting a 3.64 ERA.  His FIP was slightly higher at 3.97 but he was still a solid all-around pitcher last season.  He’s still just 25, but most people think last year was about the ceiling for Cueto.

The Reds re-signed veteran Bronson Arroyo to a three-year, $35-million contract this offseason after a 17-win, 3.88 ERA campaign.  Arroyo’s FIP of 4.61 suggests that he was more than a tad lucky last season.  In fact, Arroyo has only once posted a FIP under 4.15 and that was back in 2004 with the Red Sox.  His 4.50 FIP since that year ranks him among pitchers such as Doug Davis and Noah Lowry.  How do you spell overrated?

The final two spots will be battled for by three pitchers in Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Travis Wood.  After skipping the minor-leagues altogether, Leake was impressive in the first couple months of 2010 before his inexperience got the better of him.  He finished with a 4.23 ERA and 4.68 FIP in 138.1 innings of work, but should be able to approach the 200-inning mark this year if the Reds let him.  He might also do okay with a look at AAA if the team deems that Wood and Bailey are more ready right now.

Bailey was once a can’t-miss prospect, but has fallen off the map somewhat in recent seasons.  He’s still just 25 and began to show signs that he is coming around at times last season.  He finished with a 4.46 ERA, but his FIP was a much more respectable 3.74 which might be more what you’d expect from him in ERA going forward.

Wood is a projectable arm who most experts think can be a solid number four or five in the future, but not much more.  His high flyball rate is a scary thing at Great American Ballpark and he may end up being on the outside looking in with two much more projectable starters ahead of him.  Most of his 2010 starts came on the road.
Bullpen
The Reds have made it clear that they will not send Cuban import Aroldis Chapman back to the minors, so they look content to keep him in the bullpen at least for the 2011 season.  His ceiling is seemingly limitless and if the Reds decide to keep him in the ‘pen long-term, they could be looking at one of the most dominant relievers in the game for a long time.  It’s hard to see the Reds doing that given the amount of money they spent on him, but with a fastball that had an average velocity of 99.6 mph 2011 should be fun to watch.  His fastball is impressive, but his slider is his bread-and-butter.  There are few better breaking pitches in baseball.

The closer will be Francisco Cordero who’s back again for what could be a walk-year if the Reds don’t pick up his $12-million option for next season, which they probably won’t.  Cordero is a solid pitcher who posted 40 saves a year ago, but his 3.84 ERA ad 3.92 FIP are slightly (although not terribly so) erratic for one of the highest paid relievers in baseball.

Nick Masset was acquired a few years ago from the White Sox in the Ken Griffey Jr. trade and posted a terrific 9.98 K/9 rate and solid 2.58 K/BB ratio last season.  He has the stuff to be a dominant reliever and could be the closer beyond this season if Cordero signs elsewhere and Chapman moves to the rotation.

In middle relief, Logan Ondrusek had a decent rookie campaign in the Reds’ bullpen but was a tad lucky with a .241 BABIP that should normalize in 2011, while lefty Bill Bray is a good pitcher with a gift for missing bats.  He should have a long career.

The remainder of the bullpen will be fought over by Jose Arredondo, Sam LeCure, Jared Burton, Carlos Fisher, Daniel Ray Herrera, Matt Maloney, Jordan Smith, and the loser in the rotation pursuit.  Arredondo was once a solid reliever in the Angels’ system but missed all of last season with an injury, LeCure could also provide starting depth as a swingman, and Herrera and Maloney have more than a good shot being that they’re both left-handers.

Catchers
Veteran Ramon Hernandez is getting up there, but he’s still a decent offensive catcher.  He isn’t the fielder he once was, but he doesn’t embarrass himself either.  The Reds could do a lot worse than a .297/.364/.428 catcher.

Ryan Hanigan also had a nice year last season posting a .368 wOBA with a .300/.405/.429 slash line.  He’s a very patient hitter with a walk-rate over 13% in 2010 and is an average defender.  Most teams struggle to have one solid catcher, the Reds have two that combined for a 4.8 WAR last season.

Prospect Devin Mesoraco had a breakout year in the minors last season and is now scheduled to arrive sometime this year and could be the team’s everyday catcher as early as next season.  He posted a .421 wOBA in AA last year.

Infielders
Votto beat out fellow first baseman and consensus ‘best player in baseball’ Albert Pujols to win the NL MVP in 2010.  His 7.4 WAR was behind only Josh Hamilton in all of baseball and so was his .439 wOBA and he finished with a stupid .324/.424/.600 slash line for a 1.024 OPS.  Votto became the third Canadian-born player to win an MVP after Larry Walker and Justin Morneau.

At second base is the five-tool wonder Brandon Phillips who was once again very good in 2010.  He finished with a 4.0 WAR rating and has now averaged a 3.8 WAR over the past four seasons.  Only Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia, and Robinson Cano have accumulated higher WAR rating among second basemen in that time.

With Cabrera signing in Cleveland, the Reds appear to finally be giving defensive wizard Paul Janish the chance he deserves at shortstop.  Spelling him will be 2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria who signed for one year this offseason from the Giants.  If Janish appears unable to handle the everyday job, Renteria can step in and provide a veteran presence.  Even though his 2010 was considered a down year, Renteria was still a 1.3 WAR player who was solid defensively.

At third base, the Reds have former Blue Jay Scott Rolen who has been completely healthy the last two seasons and has looked more like his former self.  Last year, the 36-year-old proved he could still get it done with a .385/.358/.497 slash line and 10.6 UZR defensively.  He’d be headed to the Hall of Fame had injuries not taken a few of his prime years.  The trade the Reds made to acquire Rolen from the Jays for pitcher Zach Stewart and third baseman Edwin Encarnacion was a deal that appears to be working out very well for both sides.

Veteran Miguel Cairo is back as a utility infielder.  The 37-year-old had a .290/.353/.410 slash line last season at the plate and can provide depth at every infield position.

Chris Valaika had a .304/.330/.408 slash line in AAA and can provide depth in the infield if someone gets hurt.

Outfielders
Jay Bruce established himself as an elite defensive rightfielder in 2010 with a 20.2 UZR rating and seven outfield assists.  At the plate, Bruce complimented his outstanding glove work with a .281/.353/.493 slash line to go along with 25 homeruns.  He was a 5.3 WAR player which was second on the team to only Votto.  2011 is the year he establishes himself as an elite player in all facets of the game.

In centerfield, Drew Stubbs showed that his power stroke was no fluke hitting 22 homeruns and posting a .444 slugging percentage and although he was merely average in center still has a lot of defensive upside.  At 26, Stubbs could put it all together for a breakout year this season, but his career .329 BABIP has to be a concern.  If it normalizes, Stubbs could end up being a below average player.

The Reds don’t really have a legitimate starting leftfielder, and will likely have to rely on a platoon of a couple fourth outfielders in Fred Lewis and Jonny Gomes.  Gomes put up a negative WAR rating in 2010 mainly because of his god-awful defence in left.  He’s not a bad hitter, but is likely best suited as a barely passable DH on some AL team.

Manager Dusty Baker says he will give Gomes the majority of the playing time in left and will not platoon him with Lewis further cementing the theory that managers, like organized religion, do more harm than good.  Gomes’ .277/.372/.509 career slash line against lefties as opposed to his .232/.308/.437 line against righties makes it obvious that a platoon is in the Reds’ best interest; as does Lewis’ .280/.354/.442 career slash line against righties, compared with his .244/.324/.326 line against lefties.

Chris Heisey may be the best option of all in left this season, but it’s doubtful anyone in the Reds’ dugout will come to that conclusion this season considering it has almost entirely to do with his very good defensive ability.

For a chart breaking down the Reds’ lineup, rotation, bullpen, and extended roster, click here.

Overview
The Reds are returning virtually the same team that won 91 games last year and although it’s foolish to think that Votto, Rolen, and Arroyo will repeat their numbers, it’s also reasonable to think that Volquez will return to form, their young starters will mature and Bruce, Stubbs, and Chapman will continue to get better.  91 wins is a stretch, but contention in the AL Central seems inevitable.
Final Prediction: 85-77, 2nd AL Central

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