The Official 2022 Cincinnati Reds Thread

[14Red]

No player, not even Joey Votto, should be calling the shots. If the organization thinks the team is better off playing Tyler Stephenson at 1B, then Votto needs to accept being the DH. Other than his longevity, he really has no room to gripe since his production has fallen off precipitously the past few seasons aside from a spurt in the late summer of 2021.

I do agree with you that in all likelihood this rockheaded organization is penciling in Stephenson at catcher in 2023. I hope they are ready for extreme blowback from the fans and some media members (e.g. Mo Egger) as soon as Stephenson suffers another injury next season.

Stephenson would likely gain power by leaving the catcher position, by the way. The wear and tear on a catcher’s legs over the course of a season — much less the cumulative effect over a career of catching — is more than the average fan realizes.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

I don't disagree, but let's face it, today's players have that kind of juice. And honestly, given Votto's stature, if ANYONE can make those decisions, it would be Joey.
Now maybe you have a situation where you CAN convince Joey to DH 2-3 times a week and Stephenson could slide in there, but the thing that we are leaving alone is the fact that we have alot of first base options and so few catching options. Like it or not Stephenson is a very good major league catcher. I'd say he's above average.
I certainly hope the powers that be, rockheaded or not, do not allow the media or fans to run the organization. Most fans - myself included - couldn't run a major league ball club. We get too emotional with the players.

 

[AEW Champion]

Fans have definitely gotten too emotionally attached with Kyle Farmer. Even this year, he’s a below-average major league hitter who would be best served as a utility guy who plays against lefty pitchers. But he looks better than that compared to the rest of the moribund Reds lineup, so people have talked themselves into thinking he’s good when that’s really not the case.

The fact that he’s still here when every other arbitration-eligible Red of value was jettisoned at the trade deadline says something to me.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[GCPRO]

Fans have definitely gotten too emotionally attached with Kyle Farmer. Even this year, he’s a below-average major league hitter who would be best served as a utility guy who plays against lefty pitchers. But he looks better than that compared to the rest of the moribund Reds lineup, so people have talked themselves into thinking he’s good when that’s really not the case.

The fact that he’s still here when every other arbitration-eligible Red of value was jettisoned at the trade deadline says something to me.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

I presume that’s a dig at me and it may be warranted but I still like the young man. I trust the Jeff Brantley’s of the world and he says he’s a gamer.
On a another note I spoke with a former big league manager this morning and he tells me there is no way the reds can give up on Aquino. Dude is way too talented to do so. I guess we shall see.

 

[14Red]

I presume that’s a dig at me and it may be warranted but I still like the young man. I trust the Jeff Brantley’s of the world and he says he’s a gamer.
On a another note I spoke with a former big league manager this morning and he tells me there is no way the reds can give up on Aquino. Dude is way too talented to do so. I guess we shall see.

Funny you mention that. I was thinking about him last night. I don't know that I can name a Red in my 50+ years of existence that is more puzzling that Aquino. His ceiling is so high, yet his ceiling is very low, and to be honest he's played much closer to his floor than his ceiling. I looked him up this morning...

In 5 seasons, he's had 676 major league plate appearances
.214 batting average
38 home runs/ 103 RBI
on base % of .287
230 strikeouts - he's struck out over a third of his plate appearances.

He's this generations Dave Kingman. Last night, he hit two sliders for home runs. So is the narrative that he hit poor pitchers sliders, or has there been some improvement?

 

[AEW Champion]

I presume that’s a dig at me and it may be warranted but I still like the young man. I trust the Jeff Brantley’s of the world and he says he’s a gamer.
On a another note I spoke with a former big league manager this morning and he tells me there is no way the reds can give up on Aquino. Dude is way too talented to do so. I guess we shall see.

It wasn’t a dig at you at all. I was thinking about the Twitter firestorm from when the Reds first said Barrero would be playing SS every day and Farmer started liking some tweets that supposedly supported him staying at SS. There was a ton of debate on Reds Twitter about Farmer.

Kyle Farmer has a role on a winning Reds team, but it’s not as an everyday starter.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[AEW Champion]

Funny you mention that. I was thinking about him last night. I don't know that I can name a Red in my 50+ years of existence that is more puzzling that Aquino. His ceiling is so high, yet his ceiling is very low, and to be honest he's played much closer to his floor than his ceiling. I looked him up this morning...

In 5 seasons, he's had 676 major league plate appearances
.214 batting average
38 home runs/ 103 RBI
on base % of .287
230 strikeouts - he's struck out over a third of his plate appearances.

He's this generations Dave Kingman. Last night, he hit two sliders for home runs. So is the narrative that he hit poor pitchers sliders, or has there been some improvement?

At least he finally made some mechanical changes. Who knows whether that’ll work better or not.

Ultimately, I haven’t seen nearly enough from Aquino so far to think he merits a 2023 roster spot. A great arm but a terribly unproductive hitter. In any event, much like Senzel, time’s up by next summer assuming De La Cruz and McLain are here by then. It’s sink or swim time for both Senzel and Aquino.

The fact that he got DFA’ed earlier this year and not a single team claimed him on waivers tells me the league doesn’t believe he’s ever going to find it at the plate.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[wolves82]

I don't disagree, but let's face it, today's players have that kind of juice. And honestly, given Votto's stature, if ANYONE can make those decisions, it would be Joey.
Now maybe you have a situation where you CAN convince Joey to DH 2-3 times a week and Stephenson could slide in there, but the thing that we are leaving alone is the fact that we have alot of first base options and so few catching options. Like it or not Stephenson is a very good major league catcher. I'd say he's above average.
I certainly hope the powers that be, rockheaded or not, do not allow the media or fans to run the organization. Most fans - myself included - couldn't run a major league ball club. We get too emotional with the players.

Well, the organization was rockheaded enough this spring to spend $20M on Minor, Solano when fans voiced their displeasure with the purge.

They certainly are rockheaded enough to leave Stephenson behind the plate. It doesn't matter if he is the Reds best catcher. 2023 is not about winning games. It is about building for '24 and '25. If 1B is crowded, a smart club would have Stephenson working on LF or RF in the off-season and spring. The bat is most important.

Dale Murphy started as a catcher early on. Braves were smart... Bryce Harper was drafted as a catcher. Phillies were smart. Just once could the Reds be smart? One can hope...

 

[14Red]

At least he finally made some mechanical changes. Who knows whether that’ll work better or not.

Ultimately, I haven’t seen nearly enough from Aquino so far to think he merits a 2023 roster spot. A great arm but a terribly unproductive hitter. In any event, much like Senzel, time’s up by next summer assuming De La Cruz and McLain are here by then. It’s sink or swim time for both Senzel and Aquino.

The fact that he got DFA’ed earlier this year and not a single team claimed him on waivers tells me the league doesn’t believe he’s ever going to find it at the plate.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

The million dollar question is did he make changes, or is he just hitting poor pitching? His defense really improved this year. I'd like to see him really become more productive at the plate, hit the ball the other way. Obviously with his strength, I'd think popping the ball over the right field wall would make a ton of sense. He seems to have to pull the ball for all his homers. He almost never hits it even to centerfield. I hope McClain is ready to be called up.

 

[14Red]

Well, the organization was rockheaded enough this spring to spend $20M on Minor, Solano when fans voiced their displeasure with the purge.

They certainly are rockheaded enough to leave Stephenson behind the plate. It doesn't matter if he is the Reds best catcher. 2023 is not about winning games. It is about building for '24 and '25. If 1B is crowded, a smart club would have Stephenson working on LF or RF in the off-season and spring. The bat is most important.

Dale Murphy started as a catcher early on. Braves were smart... Bryce Harper was drafted as a catcher. Phillies were smart. Just once could the Reds be smart? One can hope...

I think you're giving the fanbase a little too much credit. I'd love to see Stephenson move to another position, but I just feel for 2023, he'll be primarily a catcher. After that, who knows. Harper came up with the Nats.

 

[14Red]

It wasn’t a dig at you at all. I was thinking about the Twitter firestorm from when the Reds first said Barrero would be playing SS every day and Farmer started liking some tweets that supposedly supported him staying at SS. There was a ton of debate on Reds Twitter about Farmer.

Kyle Farmer has a role on a winning Reds team, but it’s not as an everyday starter.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

Not sure if other teams are the same way but Reds fans change their opinon on players when they are either top draft picks or sign big contracts. Farmer was a Rocky Balboa story, never given a chance and worked himself into a starting position at a position he wasn't ever supposed to compete for. It's a great story and he should be commended for his efforts.
Around 2015-2016, when the Reds started a rebuild and Joey was on board, there began some sniping about him from Reds fans. Even though he's had one of the best offensive statistics in club history, there are a percentage of Reds fans who don't like him. To me, Votto has fulfilled his contract. The Reds signed him back in 2012 with the thought that he'd be their guy for the next several years, and he was. All players decline at the end, yet some always want to bring up what guys are paid.

As far as Barrero, I do feel the plan was that Barrero would be at shortstop, the wrist injury really set him back this year. My main concern with him is he's just so unproductive at the plate. We think Aquino strikes out alot, at about a third of his at bats. Barrero is striking out nearly half of his plate appearances. And yes, it's a small sample size and I'm ok with bringing him back next year, but we'll have guys pushing him. You could even call Farmer a shortstop insurance policy if Barrero bombs in '23 and none of the kids are ready.

 

[AEW Champion]

Kyle Schwarber was a catcher, Craig Biggio was a catcher … if I’m not mistaken, Joey Votto himself was a catcher. Bottom line: If you’ve got someone with a great bat, get them out from behind the plate unless they are the second coming of Pudge Rodriguez defensively.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[14Red]

Kyle Schwarber was a catcher, Craig Biggio was a catcher … if I’m not mistaken, Joey Votto himself was a catcher. Bottom line: If you’ve got someone with a great bat, get them out from behind the plate unless they are the second coming of Pudge Rodriguez defensively.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

I'm not sure about anyone else mentioned other than Schwarber, but he wasn't even a good college catcher, so I think it was a foregone conclusion he was moving to another position. Actually, it's been difficult finding any position for him as he's not a good outfielder or first baseman, but dude can hit. He was born to DH.

 

[14Red]

So talking about 2023, how does everyone feel about the new baseball schedule? Beginning in 2023, all major league teams will play all the other 29 teams. You will play the teams in your division very limited. So we won't play the divisional teams 15-18 times each like now, it will be only 12 games. Each opposite league team you'll play one series, and every other year it will be at home. I believe the Reds/ Guardians will have a home and home series as they do now.
Personally I kind of like it. It will be nice seeing every team in baseball into GABP minimally every other year. The home attendance will suffer some though as those home games with the Cardinals and Cubs normally brought in nice crowds.

 

[GCPRO]

I'm not sure about anyone else mentioned other than Schwarber, but he wasn't even a good college catcher, so I think it was a foregone conclusion he was moving to another position. Actually, it's been difficult finding any position for him as he's not a good outfielder or first baseman, but dude can hit. He was born to DH.

He’s correct on every person he named.

 

[14Red]

I know about baseball analytics and bunting and stealing bases are forbidden, but as bad as we hit, when we get someone on with any kind of speed, we do need to consider stealing a base. It's a legitimate offensive strategy.

 

[AEW Champion]

So talking about 2023, how does everyone feel about the new baseball schedule? Beginning in 2023, all major league teams will play all the other 29 teams. You will play the teams in your division very limited. So we won't play the divisional teams 15-18 times each like now, it will be only 12 games. Each opposite league team you'll play one series, and every other year it will be at home. I believe the Reds/ Guardians will have a home and home series as they do now.
Personally I kind of like it. It will be nice seeing every team in baseball into GABP minimally every other year. The home attendance will suffer some though as those home games with the Cardinals and Cubs normally brought in nice crowds.

I like the change. It’ll be 13 games against each divisional opponent, for what it’s worth.

Living in Cincinnati, seeing the Pirates and Brewers roll into town all the time is so, so boring. Even the Cubs become boring the second or third time through when they’re bad (which is often).

Losing one home series apiece with the Cubs and Cardinals will not hurt attendance overall when you factor in other fresh teams that will replace them on the schedule.

For example, look at next May’s home schedule. I’m pretty sure the Reds host the White Sox, Mets, Yankees and Cardinals that month. That is strong and will draw fans. The Yankees series alone will make up any ticket losses from the missing third Cubs/Cards series. Then factor in that AL playoff teams Toronto (August) and Seattle (September) visit and that looks way better than seeing the same matchups for the 18th time a year. Plus the Mariners series could draw well with Castillo, Winker and Suarez all returning to Cincinnati for the first time.

On a larger scale, I like the change because it prevents a team from a horrible division being able to stack up a semi-fraudulent win total. The Cardinals are the perfect example of that this year. Think of all the free wins they get because literally one-third of their 2022 schedule is the Pirates, Reds and Cubs. Meanwhile another NL division leader, the Mets, get one cupcake in Washington but have semi-competent Miami and good Philadelphia as the next-worst teams in their division.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[wolves82]

I like the change. It’ll be 13 games against each divisional opponent, for what it’s worth.

Living in Cincinnati, seeing the Pirates and Brewers roll into town all the time is so, so boring. Even the Cubs become boring the second or third time through when they’re bad (which is often).

Losing one home series apiece with the Cubs and Cardinals will not hurt attendance overall when you factor in other fresh teams that will replace them on the schedule.

For example, look at next May’s home schedule. I’m pretty sure the Reds host the White Sox, Mets, Yankees and Cardinals that month. That is strong and will draw fans. The Yankees series alone will make up any ticket losses from the missing third Cubs/Cards series. Then factor in that AL playoff teams Toronto (August) and Seattle (September) visit and that looks way better than seeing the same matchups for the 18th time a year. Plus the Mariners series could draw well with Castillo, Winker and Suarez all returning to Cincinnati for the first time.

On a larger scale, I like the change because it prevents a team from a horrible division being able to stack up a semi-fraudulent win total. The Cardinals are the perfect example of that this year. Think of all the free wins they get because literally one-third of their 2022 schedule is the Pirates, Reds and Cubs. Meanwhile another NL division leader, the Mets, get one cupcake in Washington but have semi-competent Miami and good Philadelphia as the next-worst teams in their division.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

The new approach to scheduling definitely balances out the schedule for strong and weak divisions as you say. Plus it gives fans a chance to see teams they don't see very often. An unusually good move by the MLB.

 

[wolves82]

Kyle Schwarber was a catcher, Craig Biggio was a catcher … if I’m not mistaken, Joey Votto himself was a catcher. Bottom line: If you’ve got someone with a great bat, get them out from behind the plate unless they are the second coming of Pudge Rodriguez defensively.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

I knew there were lots more examples that I wasn't remembering - thanks.

Lets see if the Reds can figure it out with Stephenson. Growing up most kids played a little OF at some point. Once he is healed, get him out there shagging flies. His bat could fill a big gap in LF / RF.

 

[14Red]

I like the change. It’ll be 13 games against each divisional opponent, for what it’s worth.

Living in Cincinnati, seeing the Pirates and Brewers roll into town all the time is so, so boring. Even the Cubs become boring the second or third time through when they’re bad (which is often).

Losing one home series apiece with the Cubs and Cardinals will not hurt attendance overall when you factor in other fresh teams that will replace them on the schedule.

For example, look at next May’s home schedule. I’m pretty sure the Reds host the White Sox, Mets, Yankees and Cardinals that month. That is strong and will draw fans. The Yankees series alone will make up any ticket losses from the missing third Cubs/Cards series. Then factor in that AL playoff teams Toronto (August) and Seattle (September) visit and that looks way better than seeing the same matchups for the 18th time a year. Plus the Mariners series could draw well with Castillo, Winker and Suarez all returning to Cincinnati for the first time.

On a larger scale, I like the change because it prevents a team from a horrible division being able to stack up a semi-fraudulent win total. The Cardinals are the perfect example of that this year. Think of all the free wins they get because literally one-third of their 2022 schedule is the Pirates, Reds and Cubs. Meanwhile another NL division leader, the Mets, get one cupcake in Washington but have semi-competent Miami and good Philadelphia as the next-worst teams in their division.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

This is all in the eye of the beholder, and yes I get it's much more "fair" than the divisional schedule. I will push you a bit, there is no way the Blue Jays / Mariner fans are going to equal a Cubs/ Cardinals weekend series. Yankees, yes. If the Tigers were decent you may get a decent visiting crowd from Detroit. But mostly, outside of the Yankees, Red Sox and of course the Guardians, you're not getting much from the AL teams. I do like the idea.

I do recall not too long ago when baseball took the Astros away from the NL central when the Astros were bad, we really missed those 12-15 easy wins a season, but then again, we were contending back then.

 

[wolves82]

This is all in the eye of the beholder, and yes I get it's much more "fair" than the divisional schedule. I will push you a bit, there is no way the Blue Jays / Mariner fans are going to equal a Cubs/ Cardinals weekend series. Yankees, yes. If the Tigers were decent you may get a decent visiting crowd from Detroit. But mostly, outside of the Yankees, Red Sox and of course the Guardians, you're not getting much from the AL teams. I do like the idea.

I do recall not too long ago when baseball took the Astros away from the NL central when the Astros were bad, we really missed those 12-15 easy wins a season, but then again, we were contending back then.

I'm sure you are correct that people from Seattle will not fly to Cincy for a 3-game series. That's not the point. Road team crowds are not just the cities that are driveable.

Most of the Cubs/Cards fans that come to GABP live in the tri-state area. Lots of people have relocated from everywhere in the country. Companies like GE hire people from all over.

There are probably a lot of Mariners fans here because they were 12 years old when Ken Griffey Jr was doing amazing things in Seattle. There are certainly lots of Yankee, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox fans in every city. Geography is somewhat irrelevant.

 

[AEW Champion]

Also, let’s not forget that the third Cardinals series at GABP just drew something like 11K, 13K and 13K fans — and there were far fewer bodies actually in the stadium. And that’s a first-place Cardinals team. Acting like losing a series like that from the schedule is a negative just doesn’t make sense to me.

(If only the Reds could field a consistently good team, people might show up regardless of the opponent.)

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[14Red]

I'm sure you are correct that people from Seattle will not fly to Cincy for a 3-game series. That's not the point. Road team crowds are not just the cities that are driveable.

Most of the Cubs/Cards fans that come to GABP live in the tri-state area. Lots of people have relocated from everywhere in the country. Companies like GE hire people from all over.

There are probably a lot of Mariners fans here because they were 12 years old when Ken Griffey Jr was doing amazing things in Seattle. There are certainly lots of Yankee, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox fans in every city. Geography is somewhat irrelevant.

Some...maybe a few, but the drive makes it. I mean I'd guess Indy is 50/50 Cubs/ Reds if not other teams, and certainly even if you live in Chicago, a weekend trip to Cincy is very dooable, same with the Cardinals and if the Pirates were ever any good they would bring more people in.
Again, I'm not against the schedule change, I'm just saying there will some gate sales lost, but as we all know, ticket sales doesn't really matter as much as it used to.

 

[14Red]

So we don't normally throw shade at opponents on here, but how about the trainwreck that has become of the Milwaukee Brewers?? On July 30, they were FOUR games in front of St. Louis. On August 1, they traded closer Josh Hader to the Padres By August 4, they were tied for first place, and by August 6, they were out of first place and it's been a steady decline since. On Wednesday of this week, they were a season low 9.5 games out of first place. Now the Cardinals were an amazing 22-7 in August and that didn't help any, but the Brewers have just not only fallen apart, but they really have jeopardized their future.
Now if they would had made the playoffs, it was a longshot that they could advance to the world series, but... BUT, they DID have the secret sauce come playoff time. They have 3 solid starters in Burnes, Lauer and Woodruff, and they had a bullpen that could get the job done with Williams and Hader at the back end.

 

[wolves82]

Yeah the Hader trade blew my mind. Basically management saying "we don't care about winning this year" while in first place. And it seems the players took their cue from management, and they are mailing it in.

This should never happen. Baseball is just a mess, financially speaking, when teams make moves like that and winning is the second priority. MLB blew their chance when negotiating this labor contract. I was saying then - MLB needs a hard salary cap and a salary floor. NFL does it, and they have the most successful league and the most parity. Even the teams that are a mess one year can be competing for a title within two years - see the Bengals.

NFL salary floor is 90% of the salary cap - meaning that owners cannot pinch pennies just to make huge profits. Most of the teams have comparable salaries, and therefore most of the teams are competitive. It makes for a healthy sport. Of course the MLB has a few teams that spend five times more on players than the cheap teams. That makes for an unhealthy sport with little parity.

 

[GCPRO]

Lodolo and Ashcraft sure look to be big time. Hopeful Greene matures to that level. Pretty exciting with those three guys at the top of your rotation.

 

[MitSulHer]

Come on Reds, need 7 more wins to not lose 100.

Magic number is 7.

 

[wolves82]

Come on Reds, need 7 more wins to not lose 100.

Magic number is 7.

Reds should do better than 7-17, we should be OK. I see 7 games against the Pirates, 6 against the Cubs, 4 vs. the Brewers.

 

[wolves82]

For all of the geniuses who said Suarez was done last year, who doubted when I said that Suarez would get back to his old self...

Stunning walk-off shows Mariners are ready for October stage

SEATTLE -- From the deepest depths of despair to the most exhilarating euphoria, the Mariners rode an unhinged roller coaster of emotions over an electrifying ninth inning on Sunday, which culminated with an 8-7 walk-off win over the Braves. It had anguish. It had gloom. But, according to their...

www.mlb.com

Last night in the heat of a pennant race, against the Braves, he hit HRs 29 and 30. 30 was a walk-off winner in the 9th vs. Kenley Jansen. Enjoy being wrong.

 

[vamp2syd]

So talking about 2023, how does everyone feel about the new baseball schedule? Beginning in 2023, all major league teams will play all the other 29 teams. You will play the teams in your division very limited. So we won't play the divisional teams 15-18 times each like now, it will be only 12 games. Each opposite league team you'll play one series, and every other year it will be at home. I believe the Reds/ Guardians will have a home and home series as they do now.
Personally I kind of like it. It will be nice seeing every team in baseball into GABP minimally every other year. The home attendance will suffer some though as those home games with the Cardinals and Cubs normally brought in nice crowds.

Hate it.

 

[14Red]

Yeah the Hader trade blew my mind. Basically management saying "we don't care about winning this year" while in first place. And it seems the players took their cue from management, and they are mailing it in.

This should never happen. Baseball is just a mess, financially speaking, when teams make moves like that and winning is the second priority. MLB blew their chance when negotiating this labor contract. I was saying then - MLB needs a hard salary cap and a salary floor. NFL does it, and they have the most successful league and the most parity. Even the teams that are a mess one year can be competing for a title within two years - see the Bengals.

NFL salary floor is 90% of the salary cap - meaning that owners cannot pinch pennies just to make huge profits. Most of the teams have comparable salaries, and therefore most of the teams are competitive. It makes for a healthy sport. Of course the MLB has a few teams that spend five times more on players than the cheap teams. That makes for an unhealthy sport with little parity.

I think Milwaukee over-thought this process. They thought they could move Hader, who they were likely not going to resign, Devin Williams would be their closer and they'd live happily every after. But there's so much more than that. Players know. When you give away players, players know.

Now the only rub I have with your NFL comparison is that NFL money is not guaranteed, and only certain position players get big dollars. Baseball doesn't have that, and the baseball players union is 10 times stronger than the football union. As you can guess with any union negotiations, the MLB players union will never give anything back, even if it ruins the game. Unions are about keeping and adding jobs and increasing money. If and only if you see such a negative reaction from baseball that franchises are not profitable, THEN you may see some changes. I'm afraid with no changes, baseball will become like the NHL and become such a nitche sport. And hockey blew up their player salaries about 10-15 years ago to just be as good as it can be.