We finally made it to another game last night not having been since game 2. Mike Leake looked great last night if you don't count the two two-run homers he gave up. The second was particularly bad, a pinch-hit home run to Garrett Anderson after the Reds had just taken the lead. But the Reds tore up the Dodgers' bullpen in the 7th, scoring four runs to re-take the lead 8-5. They won, taking 2 of 3 from the Dodgers and inching toward .500. At 7-9 and a weekend series coming up with the Padres, hopefully the Reds will be at .500 by Monday.
The Reds have struggled this season so far and I've struggled with how to write it up on the blog. Here's what I've come up with: it's too early to panic, but Dusty has to go. I'm formulating my argument and will post as soon as I'm sure what I want to say.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Survivor: Heroes v. Villains
After last week where we witnessed perhaps the dumbest Survivor move in a long time, this week we saw perhaps the greatest. SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen last night's Survivor yet, stop reading.
Last week, J.T. attempted to get the edge on the Villains by giving his immunity idol to Russell, figuring Russell was on the outs of an all-girl alliance. J.T. recommended the Villains take out Parvati. (Everyone seems to think Parvati is a huge threat and they want her gone. She has, after all, already won a Survivor All-Stars.) Of course, that move was not smart because Russell was actually in control of the alliance. (As Rachel pointed out, Steven is sitting at home saying, "see, I told you I was the brains behind my alliance with J.T.")
This week we got the much anticipated merge, with the added bonus that the two sides were equal with five each. So this is the big vote. Whoever goes home, the other side has the majority and can "easily" reach the final five. So this is why Pavarti's move was so brilliant.
She already knows that the Heroes think there is an all-girl alliance among the Villains and that they have "flipped" Russell. So there's a pretty good bet that Russell is safe from the first vote by the merged tribe. So she tells Amanda she has an idol and Amanda tells her she better play it. Here's the big move. They made a big deal last week about how Amanda has played over 100 days of Survivor and Parvati is like one day behind. So they're the top two players ever, at least by that stat. Parvati's instinct tells her Amanda is not being entirely truthful so she sets out to protect her ENTIRE TRIBE. First, she gets a second idol from Russell, who assumes she's going to be voted out by the Heroes because they already wanted Parvati out. And he assumes the Heroes think he and Parvati already think they played whatever idol they had (because he told them that).
Then, and here is where the brilliance of the plan starts to show, Parvati and Danielle outlasted everyone on the immunity challenge. So what does Parvati do knowing that she's going to be voted out? She concedes the challenge so that Danielle will have immunity. So Russell and Danielle are now safe. And what do the Heroes do? They fall for Parvati's move and start to think that maybe Parvati does have an idol (as told to them by Sandra). So the Heroes decide for sure, say Parvati, vote Jerri. This plays right into Parvati's plans.
At tribal, she gives the two immunities to Jerri and Sandra, leaving her entire tribe, except for her, safe from the vote. Here is where she had to rely on her instinct about Amanda, which of course was correct, and take a risk. It paid off handsomely, because the Heroes went for Jerri and the Villains all voted for J.T. Brilliant.
So the Villains will coast to the final five, right? Don't count on it. This has been a great season of Survivor and I expect it will only get better. Jerri seems a sure bet to follow Parvati anywhere after last night. But Sandra still has it in for Russell. Maybe we will see that all-girl alliance after all. (And when I say "we" I mean everyone but J.T.) And Russell has to be angry that Parvati played his idol without telling him her plan. Russell likes to be in control and he lost that control last night. His ego won't let him see the brilliance of the plan and the net result. He'll be gunning for Parvati. But so what, they've been gunning for Parvati since the opening credits first ran and she still there.
Last week, J.T. attempted to get the edge on the Villains by giving his immunity idol to Russell, figuring Russell was on the outs of an all-girl alliance. J.T. recommended the Villains take out Parvati. (Everyone seems to think Parvati is a huge threat and they want her gone. She has, after all, already won a Survivor All-Stars.) Of course, that move was not smart because Russell was actually in control of the alliance. (As Rachel pointed out, Steven is sitting at home saying, "see, I told you I was the brains behind my alliance with J.T.")
This week we got the much anticipated merge, with the added bonus that the two sides were equal with five each. So this is the big vote. Whoever goes home, the other side has the majority and can "easily" reach the final five. So this is why Pavarti's move was so brilliant.
She already knows that the Heroes think there is an all-girl alliance among the Villains and that they have "flipped" Russell. So there's a pretty good bet that Russell is safe from the first vote by the merged tribe. So she tells Amanda she has an idol and Amanda tells her she better play it. Here's the big move. They made a big deal last week about how Amanda has played over 100 days of Survivor and Parvati is like one day behind. So they're the top two players ever, at least by that stat. Parvati's instinct tells her Amanda is not being entirely truthful so she sets out to protect her ENTIRE TRIBE. First, she gets a second idol from Russell, who assumes she's going to be voted out by the Heroes because they already wanted Parvati out. And he assumes the Heroes think he and Parvati already think they played whatever idol they had (because he told them that).
Then, and here is where the brilliance of the plan starts to show, Parvati and Danielle outlasted everyone on the immunity challenge. So what does Parvati do knowing that she's going to be voted out? She concedes the challenge so that Danielle will have immunity. So Russell and Danielle are now safe. And what do the Heroes do? They fall for Parvati's move and start to think that maybe Parvati does have an idol (as told to them by Sandra). So the Heroes decide for sure, say Parvati, vote Jerri. This plays right into Parvati's plans.
At tribal, she gives the two immunities to Jerri and Sandra, leaving her entire tribe, except for her, safe from the vote. Here is where she had to rely on her instinct about Amanda, which of course was correct, and take a risk. It paid off handsomely, because the Heroes went for Jerri and the Villains all voted for J.T. Brilliant.
So the Villains will coast to the final five, right? Don't count on it. This has been a great season of Survivor and I expect it will only get better. Jerri seems a sure bet to follow Parvati anywhere after last night. But Sandra still has it in for Russell. Maybe we will see that all-girl alliance after all. (And when I say "we" I mean everyone but J.T.) And Russell has to be angry that Parvati played his idol without telling him her plan. Russell likes to be in control and he lost that control last night. His ego won't let him see the brilliance of the plan and the net result. He'll be gunning for Parvati. But so what, they've been gunning for Parvati since the opening credits first ran and she still there.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Reds get much needed off-day
The Reds are off tonight for the first time since the day after opening day. Boy, do they need it. They have lost five in a row after starting 5-3. But all five of their wins came in their last at-bat. So they were getting a little lucky. That luck caught up to them in Pittsburgh where they got swept, including two walk-off wins for the Pirates.
The starting pitching has been nothing to write home about (or blog about, apparently) and the bullpen has been mediocre at best. But the problem is clearly the offense. Bruce hit two home runs yesterday, so he may be breaking out, but so far his much touted breakout hasn't happened yet. And the Reds continue to get poor on-base percentage from their lead-off hitter. I don't think Dusty is ever going to agree that the main trait you need in lead-off guy is the ability to get on base. The fact that a guy is a fast outfielder with good defense doesn't necessarily mean he's a lead-off hitter.
But the big question on everyone's mind: What's up with Aaron Harang and how long before Chapman takes his spot in the rotation?
I don't see it happening soon for a couple of reasons. 1. I'm holding out hope that Harang turns it around. 2. The Reds must have Harang pitching well to either help the team or bump his trade value. 3. Chapman's not really that stretched out. Right now, Chapman is shadowing Leake, but that's only one spot removed from Harang. Stay tuned. . .
The starting pitching has been nothing to write home about (or blog about, apparently) and the bullpen has been mediocre at best. But the problem is clearly the offense. Bruce hit two home runs yesterday, so he may be breaking out, but so far his much touted breakout hasn't happened yet. And the Reds continue to get poor on-base percentage from their lead-off hitter. I don't think Dusty is ever going to agree that the main trait you need in lead-off guy is the ability to get on base. The fact that a guy is a fast outfielder with good defense doesn't necessarily mean he's a lead-off hitter.
But the big question on everyone's mind: What's up with Aaron Harang and how long before Chapman takes his spot in the rotation?
I don't see it happening soon for a couple of reasons. 1. I'm holding out hope that Harang turns it around. 2. The Reds must have Harang pitching well to either help the team or bump his trade value. 3. Chapman's not really that stretched out. Right now, Chapman is shadowing Leake, but that's only one spot removed from Harang. Stay tuned. . .
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Cuban Missile takes off
Rachel and I went to Toledo yesterday to see Aroldis Chapman make his professional debut. Here's a video of his first pitch. We bought our tickets before we knew Mike Leake was also making his debut, but with the Reds. Had we known, we probably would have stuck with the Reds game and skippped the 6 hours in the car. But we did have a good time. Chapman looked very smooth in his warm-ups, although he has a bit of an odd start to his wind-up. A video of his warm-ups is at that bottom of this post.
Chapman ended up going only 4 2/3 innings. I suspect he was on a strict pitch count because he came out after 85 pitches, one out from a victory. He was let down a bit by the defense and could have easily been out of the fifth but for on error in the infield. (An aside on minor league baseball. When the error was made we saw Homer Simpson say d'oh about 40 times on the replay board, but were never told whether the first baseman or third baseman got the error. And I still don't know the first name of the Mud Hens' stating pitcher.)
Chapman consistently hit 99 on the radar gun in the first inning. We deduced the gun didn't go to 100, but were proven wrong (thank goodness; that's a long drive to see "100" on the gun and have the gun not go that high) on the last pitch of the first inning. A 101 mph fastball to strike out the Mud Hens' number three hitter. Chapman gave up three hits (none cheap) in the third, but worked his way out of the jam. He stuck out 9 and didn't walk anyone. He did give up the one unearned run, and did not factor in the decision.
Zach Cozart looked good, too, with three doubles. He batted second and played short. He'll be the Reds' shortstop in 2011 if he keeps it up.
One more note. The Reds' best hitting prospect is Todd Frazier. But he doesn't have a clear position. He was in the line-up (clean-up) on Sunday, but was the DH. What's the point of that? He should be playing somewhere in the field.
Chapman ended up going only 4 2/3 innings. I suspect he was on a strict pitch count because he came out after 85 pitches, one out from a victory. He was let down a bit by the defense and could have easily been out of the fifth but for on error in the infield. (An aside on minor league baseball. When the error was made we saw Homer Simpson say d'oh about 40 times on the replay board, but were never told whether the first baseman or third baseman got the error. And I still don't know the first name of the Mud Hens' stating pitcher.)
Chapman consistently hit 99 on the radar gun in the first inning. We deduced the gun didn't go to 100, but were proven wrong (thank goodness; that's a long drive to see "100" on the gun and have the gun not go that high) on the last pitch of the first inning. A 101 mph fastball to strike out the Mud Hens' number three hitter. Chapman gave up three hits (none cheap) in the third, but worked his way out of the jam. He stuck out 9 and didn't walk anyone. He did give up the one unearned run, and did not factor in the decision.
Zach Cozart looked good, too, with three doubles. He batted second and played short. He'll be the Reds' shortstop in 2011 if he keeps it up.
One more note. The Reds' best hitting prospect is Todd Frazier. But he doesn't have a clear position. He was in the line-up (clean-up) on Sunday, but was the DH. What's the point of that? He should be playing somewhere in the field.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Legend: Part One
After watching the fun spring training prologue from afar (Cincy), Rachel and I are headed up to Toledo on Sunday. Look for a full report on Monday.
Game 2: O-Cab and the wave
Game 2 is in the books and it looked a lot like game 1, with the Reds never getting the lead in spite of decent pitching and the bullpen not able to hold on. Cueto gutted out 6 tough innings only to have the bullpen blow it, this time mostly by rookie Logan Ondrusek. He came in (after Herrera gave up a hit to Schumaker) and walked Brendan Ryan on four straight pitches with Pujols on deck. Not a winning recipe. Rather than wasting Herrera on one guy and bringing in the rookie, Dusty should have gone straight to Rhodes with the idea that Massett would pitch the eighth and Cordero the ninth. But that didn't happen, and the Cards scored big off of the bullpen for the second straight game.
O-Cab had a bit of a coming out, with a two-run homer and an rbi double, but his leadership was on full display last night, and that's much more important to this team. Cueto seemed upset when Yadier Molina seemed upset that Cueto hit him. In fact, Ramon got into a shouting match with someone in the Cards' dugout, which further upset Cueto. O-Cab aggressively took control of the situation at the mound and the Reds and Cueto got out of the inning with the score tied.
Rolen had a nice game but it won't show up in the box score. He hit the ball hard each time, with little to show for it, and made a great defensive play to end a Cards rally. O-Cab made a nice diving catch, but it wasn't as timely as Rolen's gem. Those guys are going to be really good for the Reds this year.
Finally, a thought about the fans. It was very discouraging for me, and I'm sure worse for the players, to be in a tight ball game in the late innings with a rally going. O-Cab doubled in a run late, but nobody noticed. The fans were doing the wave.
O-Cab had a bit of a coming out, with a two-run homer and an rbi double, but his leadership was on full display last night, and that's much more important to this team. Cueto seemed upset when Yadier Molina seemed upset that Cueto hit him. In fact, Ramon got into a shouting match with someone in the Cards' dugout, which further upset Cueto. O-Cab aggressively took control of the situation at the mound and the Reds and Cueto got out of the inning with the score tied.
Rolen had a nice game but it won't show up in the box score. He hit the ball hard each time, with little to show for it, and made a great defensive play to end a Cards rally. O-Cab made a nice diving catch, but it wasn't as timely as Rolen's gem. Those guys are going to be really good for the Reds this year.
Finally, a thought about the fans. It was very discouraging for me, and I'm sure worse for the players, to be in a tight ball game in the late innings with a rally going. O-Cab doubled in a run late, but nobody noticed. The fans were doing the wave.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Alonso moves to the outfield
It looks like the Reds are moving Yonder Alonso to left field in hopes of getting him to the majors more quickly. If he looks good in left, he could help right away, but I wouldn't count on that. Plus, guys that change positions often take a step back offensively as they concentrate on their new roles. We'll keep you updated on this ongoing experiment.
TV update
Several great things happening on T.V. right now. Here are some notes:
1. Veronica Mars may be back.
2. Surprisingly, last night's American Idol, doing the Beatles, had more good performances than cringe-worthy moments. You haven't heard from me about Idol this year, but that's because the season has been so uninspiring. I do think the contestants are getting better and most of the bad singers are gone. But there's not that much there to like this season. I think Andrew Garcia is going home tonight.
3. The best show on T.V. is back next week: Glee!
4. Last night's Lost gave me actual hope that the show's ending will be satisfying. They may not tell us everything, but I think we're going to know all of the big stuff.
5. Damages has been terrific this year. The season finale is April 19. Taking its place in our line-up, the terrific new series, Justified, based on an Elmore Leonard story and starring Timothy Olyphant.
1. Veronica Mars may be back.
2. Surprisingly, last night's American Idol, doing the Beatles, had more good performances than cringe-worthy moments. You haven't heard from me about Idol this year, but that's because the season has been so uninspiring. I do think the contestants are getting better and most of the bad singers are gone. But there's not that much there to like this season. I think Andrew Garcia is going home tonight.
3. The best show on T.V. is back next week: Glee!
4. Last night's Lost gave me actual hope that the show's ending will be satisfying. They may not tell us everything, but I think we're going to know all of the big stuff.
5. Damages has been terrific this year. The season finale is April 19. Taking its place in our line-up, the terrific new series, Justified, based on an Elmore Leonard story and starring Timothy Olyphant.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Blue Sox in last place
After day one, the Blue Sox are in last in the bgal. Too early to give up though, right?
Worst thing to happen: Jason Frasor blows his first save chance. Loosing the save is bad, but if he loses the job, then I'm in serious trouble. I have Gregg as a back-up, but I want to cut Gregg in favor of a starter. Now, it looks like I'll have to keep him.
Worst thing to happen: Jason Frasor blows his first save chance. Loosing the save is bad, but if he loses the job, then I'm in serious trouble. I have Gregg as a back-up, but I want to cut Gregg in favor of a starter. Now, it looks like I'll have to keep him.
League of Nations draft re-cap
I wasn't too thrilled with my bgal team and the jury is still out on the Colonial League draft (a re-cap to come), but I was thrilled with my League of Nations team, The East Dillon Lions.
League of Nations is a Yahoo! league, which is head-to-head, not roto. We have 21 categories including things like net steals and OPS for hitters and holds and on-base percentage against for pitchers. I did the best I could putting the categories into BP's Player Forecast Manager and used the results to pre-rank my players for the draft. The Yahoo! computer draft page is really nice. It allows you to toggle back and forth between the Yahoo! rankings and your own rankings. We did our draft by computer, although it was still live -- some guys used the computer to draft, others followed along and made each pick.
We can make daily moves, so you have to have a good mix of relief and starting pitchers so you can have as close to a full staff as possible everyday, and you need good position eligibility flexibility for the same reason.
Anyway, here's how I ended up:
C Joe Mauer
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Dustin Pedroia
3B Martin Prado
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
OF Andre Ethier
OF Shane Victorino
OF Michael Cuddyer
Utl Miguel Tejada
Bench: Juan Rivera
Chris Iannetta
SP: Josh Beckett
SP: John Lester
RP: Mariano Rivera
RP: Trevor Hoffman
P: John Lackey
P: Max Scherzer
P: Rich Harden
P: David Price
Bench: Joba Chamberlain
Ryan Madson
Chris Perez (since dropped for Brandon League -- remebmer we use holds)
League of Nations is a Yahoo! league, which is head-to-head, not roto. We have 21 categories including things like net steals and OPS for hitters and holds and on-base percentage against for pitchers. I did the best I could putting the categories into BP's Player Forecast Manager and used the results to pre-rank my players for the draft. The Yahoo! computer draft page is really nice. It allows you to toggle back and forth between the Yahoo! rankings and your own rankings. We did our draft by computer, although it was still live -- some guys used the computer to draft, others followed along and made each pick.
We can make daily moves, so you have to have a good mix of relief and starting pitchers so you can have as close to a full staff as possible everyday, and you need good position eligibility flexibility for the same reason.
Anyway, here's how I ended up:
C Joe Mauer
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Dustin Pedroia
3B Martin Prado
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
OF Andre Ethier
OF Shane Victorino
OF Michael Cuddyer
Utl Miguel Tejada
Bench: Juan Rivera
Chris Iannetta
SP: Josh Beckett
SP: John Lester
RP: Mariano Rivera
RP: Trevor Hoffman
P: John Lackey
P: Max Scherzer
P: Rich Harden
P: David Price
Bench: Joba Chamberlain
Ryan Madson
Chris Perez (since dropped for Brandon League -- remebmer we use holds)
Opening Day
We had great weather, but not so great a game. Harang was okay, but not great and certinaly not good enough to beat Pujols and gang today. Harang's slider looked great when he kept it down, getting a lot of swings and misses, but he got a couple fastballs up and Pujols and Rasmus crushed them.
The bullpen really gave it up, with Massett giving up a grand slam late that put it out of reach. The bullpen will not be that bad, though.
You have to wonder why the Reds went with their fourth and fifth outfielders, especially Nixy, who barely made the team. Gomesy has the most power on the team (as evidenced by Sunday's batting practice display) and should be playing. But with Harang pitching (a fly ball guy) I could see using CD in left, but not center with Nixy in there and Drooooo on the bench. That doesn't make sense. Of course, when Drooooo did get in there he went 2-2 with an rbi. He's got to play every day, not platoon, or he should be in AAA.
Rolen, Rolen, Rolen looked good with a big fly and so did Joey Votto. Broooooce struck out looking with guys on late (but pre-grand slam). That hurt.
Not a great day, but I'm still excited about the season. The Reds still have a chance. I was back on the Dusty band wagon coming out of the spring, but I'm right on the edge, about to fall off.
The bullpen really gave it up, with Massett giving up a grand slam late that put it out of reach. The bullpen will not be that bad, though.
You have to wonder why the Reds went with their fourth and fifth outfielders, especially Nixy, who barely made the team. Gomesy has the most power on the team (as evidenced by Sunday's batting practice display) and should be playing. But with Harang pitching (a fly ball guy) I could see using CD in left, but not center with Nixy in there and Drooooo on the bench. That doesn't make sense. Of course, when Drooooo did get in there he went 2-2 with an rbi. He's got to play every day, not platoon, or he should be in AAA.
Rolen, Rolen, Rolen looked good with a big fly and so did Joey Votto. Broooooce struck out looking with guys on late (but pre-grand slam). That hurt.
Not a great day, but I'm still excited about the season. The Reds still have a chance. I was back on the Dusty band wagon coming out of the spring, but I'm right on the edge, about to fall off.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Reds show intent to win with "final" roster announcement
The Reds Opening Day roster will be as follows:
Catchers:
Ramon Hernandez
Ryan Hanigan
Infielders:
Joey Votto
Brandon Phillips
Orlando Cabrera
Scott Rolen
Miguel Cairo
Paul Janish
Juan Francisco
Outfielders:
Jay Bruce
Drew Stubbs
Chris Dickerson
Jonny Gomes
Laynce Nix
Starters:
Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Johnny Cueto
Homer Bailey
Bullpen:
Francisco Cordero
Nick Massett
Arthur Rhodes
Daniel Ray Herrera
Mike Lincoln
Micha Owings
Logan Ondrusek
I say "final" roster because this roster does not include a fifth starter. The Reds don't need one right away, so they're not taking up the roster spot right now. But Mike Leake has won the fifth starter spot. If we needed proof the Reds are trying to win this year, it's this move. If the Reds didn't think they could win, there would be no reason to use Leake right away. He has zero minor league time. Instead, however, the Reds picked the guy they thought would give them the best chance to win as many games as possible. Cutting Aaron Miles and Jared Burton, in favor of rookies Juan Francisco and Logan Ondrusek confirms this.
The Reds will have to make one more cut when they do activate Leake. I hope they send down Janish. O-Cab will play everyday and only needs an emergency back-up. BP can do that and so can Miguel Cairo. Janish just doesn't do much for the team since he can't hit. I wanted the Reds to keep Drew Sutton for his left-handed pop, but they went with Nix and Francisco instead. Those guys should get the job done, but look for Sutton to make and impact later this year when someone gets hurt.
Rachel and I are headed to batting practice today. Like last year, today is a beautiful day. Hopefully, like last year, tomorrow will not be crappy weather. I remember last year listening to Marty at the Q & A discussing the fact that Gomesy hadn't made the team (Marty didn't know; a fan told him). I was really disappointed, but the point here is Gomesy was a big part of the Reds last year. So this is a fluid roster. I like the Reds' depth this year and I feel confident the AAA guys will be helpful when called on to contribute.
I guess the big question here is this: What does the Mike Leake situation say about Aroldis Chapman? I have to assume the Reds will go with the best guy for the spot. So as soon as Chapman is declared healthy, it might get very interesting. Stay tuned.
Catchers:
Ramon Hernandez
Ryan Hanigan
Infielders:
Joey Votto
Brandon Phillips
Orlando Cabrera
Scott Rolen
Miguel Cairo
Paul Janish
Juan Francisco
Outfielders:
Jay Bruce
Drew Stubbs
Chris Dickerson
Jonny Gomes
Laynce Nix
Starters:
Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Johnny Cueto
Homer Bailey
Bullpen:
Francisco Cordero
Nick Massett
Arthur Rhodes
Daniel Ray Herrera
Mike Lincoln
Micha Owings
Logan Ondrusek
I say "final" roster because this roster does not include a fifth starter. The Reds don't need one right away, so they're not taking up the roster spot right now. But Mike Leake has won the fifth starter spot. If we needed proof the Reds are trying to win this year, it's this move. If the Reds didn't think they could win, there would be no reason to use Leake right away. He has zero minor league time. Instead, however, the Reds picked the guy they thought would give them the best chance to win as many games as possible. Cutting Aaron Miles and Jared Burton, in favor of rookies Juan Francisco and Logan Ondrusek confirms this.
The Reds will have to make one more cut when they do activate Leake. I hope they send down Janish. O-Cab will play everyday and only needs an emergency back-up. BP can do that and so can Miguel Cairo. Janish just doesn't do much for the team since he can't hit. I wanted the Reds to keep Drew Sutton for his left-handed pop, but they went with Nix and Francisco instead. Those guys should get the job done, but look for Sutton to make and impact later this year when someone gets hurt.
Rachel and I are headed to batting practice today. Like last year, today is a beautiful day. Hopefully, like last year, tomorrow will not be crappy weather. I remember last year listening to Marty at the Q & A discussing the fact that Gomesy hadn't made the team (Marty didn't know; a fan told him). I was really disappointed, but the point here is Gomesy was a big part of the Reds last year. So this is a fluid roster. I like the Reds' depth this year and I feel confident the AAA guys will be helpful when called on to contribute.
I guess the big question here is this: What does the Mike Leake situation say about Aroldis Chapman? I have to assume the Reds will go with the best guy for the spot. So as soon as Chapman is declared healthy, it might get very interesting. Stay tuned.
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