justintalk
EOG Veteran
1. The top of the rotation has been beefed up. To understand how badly G.M. Walt Jocketty wanted to add a top-of-the-rotation starter, consider what the Reds gave up for Mat Latos. They traded three of their top prospects and last season?s opening day starter, Edinson Volquez. Latos, 24, doesn?t come without risks, however. Namely, it remains to be seen how well his fly-ball approach that was suited for San Diego will play in a hitters park. Jocketty believes putting Latos behind Johnny Cueto will give the Reds a 1-2 punch that can hang with the Cardinals? Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. ?People are going to take notice,? Jocketty says. The rotation could get another boost if hard-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman eventually handles the transition from the bullpen.
2. There are new faces on the left side of the field. With All-Stars at first, second and in right field, the Reds have no issues on the right side of the field. But yet again, they don?t know what to expect from shortstop, third base and left field. In left field, Ryan Ludwick is in, Jonny Gomes is gone and Chris Heisey will continue to get his chances. Rookie Zack Cozart will get the nod ahead of light-hitting Paul Janish at shortstop. If Scott Rolen, who will be 37 when the season begins, stays healthy, he should get most of the at-bats at third base.
3. Francisco Cordero is out; so is Ryan Madson. After four years of Cordero, the Reds seemed determined to find a new closer. Their patience paid off when they signed Madson to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. (Cordero settled for a one-year, $4.5 million offer to set up for the Blue Jays.) With the Phillies last season, Madson converted 32 of his 34 save chances and had a 2.37 ERA. Unfortunately, he never even appeared in a Cactus League game this spring before learning he would need Tommy John surgery. Sean Marshall, another offseason pickup, is next in line to close.
[h=2]PROJECTED LINEUP[/h] 1. 2B Brandon Phillips. In 2011, he set career highs in average (.300) and on-base percentage (.353), but 14 of his 18 homers came at home.
2. SS Zack Cozart. Last year, his first in the majors, he hit .324 in 37 at-bats before Tommy John surgery (on his nonthrowing elbow) ended his season.
3. 1B Joey Votto. In 2011, he scored 101 runs, drove in 103 and hit .309 with 29 homers while leading the NL with a .416 on-base percentage.
4. RF Jay Bruce. He hit a career-best 32 homers in 2011 but struggled in the second half and finished with a career-high 158 strikeouts.
5. LF Ryan Ludwick. After hitting 13 homers with the Padres and Pirates in 2011, a cozy home park could boost him to 2008 form (37 homers).
6. 3B Scott Rolen. A left shoulder injury again ended his season in 2011, this time with a .242 average, five homers and 36 RBIs in 65 games.
7. CF Drew Stubbs. He scored 92 runs and stole 40 bases, but he also led the majors with 205 strikeouts.
8. C Ryan Hanigan. His average (.267) and on-base percentage (.356) plunged in 2011; he will need to hit better to hold off Devin Mesoraco.
[h=2]PROJECTED ROTATION[/h] 1. RHP Johnny Cueto. Other Reds starters struggled in 2011, but Cueto had career bests in ERA (2.31) and WHIP (1.09) in 24 starts.
2. RHP Mat Latos. Last season with San Diego, he settled down after the All-Star break, with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts (compared with a 4.04 ERA in 17 first half starts).
3. RHP Bronson Arroyo. Look no further than the long ball?he allowed a major league-high 46?to see why he finished 2011 with a 5.07 ERA.
4. RHP Homer Bailey. In 2011, he had career highs in wins (nine) and ERA (4.43) after reducing his walks per innings by one (from 3.3 in 2010 to 2.3).
5. RHP Mike Leake. His first trip to the minors served him well; he had a 5.70 ERA when demoted but a 3.36 ERA after his recall.
[h=2]PROJECTED CLOSER[/h] LHP Sean Marshall. He was acquired from the Cubs to set up after a career-best season (2.26 ERA), but he will close in place of Ryan Madson.
[h=2]SCOUT?S VIEWS[/h] Strengths: ?This is a high- strikeout team, but they?ll still score some runs, especially in that ballpark. They?ve got plenty of power. Jay Bruce really came into his own last year, and if he can stay in the strike zone?he did better last year?he will be even more productive. A couple of keys are keeping Scott Rolen on the field and getting some improvement out of Drew Stubbs.?
Weaknesses: ?Their biggest questions are the same as a year ago?on the left side of the field. Shortstop Paul Janish has no problems with the glove but he doesn?t hit enough, and Zack Cozart hasn?t done it at the big league level. They would really like Chris Heisey to win the left field job, but he?s not a youngster anymore. This could be the ballpark for Ryan Ludwick to have a bounce-back year, but his bat looked a little slow last year.?
[h=2]BOTTOM LINE[/h] The Reds took a step back last season after winning the division title in 2010. The main problem was starting pitching, which should be improved enough for Cincinnati to earn one of the NL?s wild cards in 2012?and make a strong postseason run.
2. There are new faces on the left side of the field. With All-Stars at first, second and in right field, the Reds have no issues on the right side of the field. But yet again, they don?t know what to expect from shortstop, third base and left field. In left field, Ryan Ludwick is in, Jonny Gomes is gone and Chris Heisey will continue to get his chances. Rookie Zack Cozart will get the nod ahead of light-hitting Paul Janish at shortstop. If Scott Rolen, who will be 37 when the season begins, stays healthy, he should get most of the at-bats at third base.
3. Francisco Cordero is out; so is Ryan Madson. After four years of Cordero, the Reds seemed determined to find a new closer. Their patience paid off when they signed Madson to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. (Cordero settled for a one-year, $4.5 million offer to set up for the Blue Jays.) With the Phillies last season, Madson converted 32 of his 34 save chances and had a 2.37 ERA. Unfortunately, he never even appeared in a Cactus League game this spring before learning he would need Tommy John surgery. Sean Marshall, another offseason pickup, is next in line to close.
[h=2]PROJECTED LINEUP[/h] 1. 2B Brandon Phillips. In 2011, he set career highs in average (.300) and on-base percentage (.353), but 14 of his 18 homers came at home.
2. SS Zack Cozart. Last year, his first in the majors, he hit .324 in 37 at-bats before Tommy John surgery (on his nonthrowing elbow) ended his season.
3. 1B Joey Votto. In 2011, he scored 101 runs, drove in 103 and hit .309 with 29 homers while leading the NL with a .416 on-base percentage.
4. RF Jay Bruce. He hit a career-best 32 homers in 2011 but struggled in the second half and finished with a career-high 158 strikeouts.
5. LF Ryan Ludwick. After hitting 13 homers with the Padres and Pirates in 2011, a cozy home park could boost him to 2008 form (37 homers).
6. 3B Scott Rolen. A left shoulder injury again ended his season in 2011, this time with a .242 average, five homers and 36 RBIs in 65 games.
7. CF Drew Stubbs. He scored 92 runs and stole 40 bases, but he also led the majors with 205 strikeouts.
8. C Ryan Hanigan. His average (.267) and on-base percentage (.356) plunged in 2011; he will need to hit better to hold off Devin Mesoraco.
[h=2]PROJECTED ROTATION[/h] 1. RHP Johnny Cueto. Other Reds starters struggled in 2011, but Cueto had career bests in ERA (2.31) and WHIP (1.09) in 24 starts.
2. RHP Mat Latos. Last season with San Diego, he settled down after the All-Star break, with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts (compared with a 4.04 ERA in 17 first half starts).
3. RHP Bronson Arroyo. Look no further than the long ball?he allowed a major league-high 46?to see why he finished 2011 with a 5.07 ERA.
4. RHP Homer Bailey. In 2011, he had career highs in wins (nine) and ERA (4.43) after reducing his walks per innings by one (from 3.3 in 2010 to 2.3).
5. RHP Mike Leake. His first trip to the minors served him well; he had a 5.70 ERA when demoted but a 3.36 ERA after his recall.
[h=2]PROJECTED CLOSER[/h] LHP Sean Marshall. He was acquired from the Cubs to set up after a career-best season (2.26 ERA), but he will close in place of Ryan Madson.
[h=2]SCOUT?S VIEWS[/h] Strengths: ?This is a high- strikeout team, but they?ll still score some runs, especially in that ballpark. They?ve got plenty of power. Jay Bruce really came into his own last year, and if he can stay in the strike zone?he did better last year?he will be even more productive. A couple of keys are keeping Scott Rolen on the field and getting some improvement out of Drew Stubbs.?
Weaknesses: ?Their biggest questions are the same as a year ago?on the left side of the field. Shortstop Paul Janish has no problems with the glove but he doesn?t hit enough, and Zack Cozart hasn?t done it at the big league level. They would really like Chris Heisey to win the left field job, but he?s not a youngster anymore. This could be the ballpark for Ryan Ludwick to have a bounce-back year, but his bat looked a little slow last year.?
[h=2]BOTTOM LINE[/h] The Reds took a step back last season after winning the division title in 2010. The main problem was starting pitching, which should be improved enough for Cincinnati to earn one of the NL?s wild cards in 2012?and make a strong postseason run.
