I'm cautiously optimistic with Hamilton. I think he'll get a fair number of days off, particularly if Skip Shumaker can get on base.

 

Hamilton is a valuable weapon to have, especially when you can pick & choose when he gets on first base. As an every day player, he'll have plenty of 0'fers & limit his own value. He's such an asset to put on 1st base in the 8th inning...

I hope he can manage the zone. Too small a sample to tell what kind of clue he has with regard to balls and strikes.

 

Gonna toss this out there (not that I think it'll happen), but just for giggles...

 

If Hamilton doesn't start off the way we (and the Reds) would like him to...instead of sending him down to AAA to work on his stroke...why not keep him up, but use him the way we did the final two weeks of the season? And by that, I mean if you get to the 7th and you're tied or down a run and somebody (really, anybody except maybe Votto or Bruce) gets on, put Billy in to pinch run. Save the stinkin' sacrificing, and let him steal a base (or two). Put the pressure on the pitcher and the defense. Who knows what may happen.

 

I don't have a real good option for who'd be playing CF instead of him to start the game (Schumaker?), but do a double-switch to leave Hamilton in the game. The beauty of what happened last year, was the it really didn't matter who got on base, or where you were in the lineup, Hamilton was always a weapon. If he's already in the lineup, and you're in the wrong spot in the lineup, it may be too late til he comes back to the plate, let alone being able to get on.

 

Like I said, just a thought.

I'm cautiously optimistic with Hamilton. I think he'll get a fair number of days off, particularly if Skip Shumaker can get on base.

 

Hamilton is a valuable weapon to have, especially when you can pick & choose when he gets on first base. As an every day player, he'll have plenty of 0'fers & limit his own value. He's such an asset to put on 1st base in the 8th inning...

 

Took me two paragraphs to say what you said in two sentences!

I'm a huge Billy Hamilton fan. Him batting leadoff will be huge. I feel like Choo struck out a lot last year. If he has the same amount of strikeouts Choo had then this kid is going to be dangerous. All he has to do is put the ball in play and let his legs do the work. It's going to be a fun year

 

Choo struck out 130 times. Only 50 times in the 2nd half of 2013.

 

Jay Bruce led the team in K's with 185. Joey Votto was #2 with 138. Frazier (125), Cozart (102) & Phillips (98) round out the top 6.

Have to remember we aren't in the Dusty era now. Who knows what the pitching coach turned manager will do.

 

Price has been making it clear that he wants the team to run more.

Does anyone have any guesses as to how many bases he will steal this season?

 

I'll go with 65.

Price has been making it clear that he wants the team to run more.

I hope he puts his money where his mouth is. He also wanted Chapman to start. So, I won't hold my breath until I see it with my own eyeballs.

Does anyone know how Phillips' hitting statistics break down when comparing fastball v. breaking ball/offspeed?

 

The only thing I've found is this:

 

Phillips slugged .528 versus fastballs in 2011, topping the major league average by nearly 100 points. That figure dipped a bit in 2012 (.482) and then plummeted to .393 in 2013. You might think his power outage against the heat is the product of his hitting more ground balls, but Phillips actually hit more fly balls and line drives in 2013 than in the previous few seasons. It's just that the fastballs he lofted didn't travel as far: Phillips' fly balls and liners carried an average of 257 feet this past year, compared to 271 feet in 2011.

 

Can Brandon Phillips Stand the Heat? - Baseball Analytics Blog - MLB Baseball Analytics

 

If BP is in the 2-hole behind Hamilton, he's going to get some pitches to hit.

I hope he puts his money where his mouth is. He also wanted Chapman to start. So, I won't hold my breath until I see it with my own eyeballs.

 

I think he's somewhat handcuffed regarding Chapman, which is not the case on the basepaths.

I think he's somewhat handcuffed regarding Chapman, which is not the case on the basepaths.

Probably. I sure hope he uses it as a weapon, assuming that weapon gets on base at a decent clip.

I hope he puts his money where his mouth is. He also wanted Chapman to start. So, I won't hold my breath until I see it with my own eyeballs.

 

If the players don't want to run, he will have trouble getting them run and be successful. Chapman doesn't want to start. Votto doesn't want to play left field. Barry Larkin did not want to play any position other than SS. The players do have a say in things in MLB. But I think the players will all be in favor of running more. I think we will see more stolen bases for every starter on the team this season.

I'm more interested in seeing this team go from 1st to 3rd again than stealing bases.

If the players don't want to run, he will have trouble getting them run and be successful. Chapman doesn't want to start. Votto doesn't want to play left field. Barry Larkin did not want to play any position other than SS. The players do have a say in things in MLB. But I think the players will all be in favor of running more. I think we will see more stolen bases for every starter on the team this season.

Oh, come on. I'm talking about him putting the brakes on Hamilton.

Oh, come on. I'm talking about him putting the brakes on Hamilton.

 

And why do you think he would do that?

And why do you think he would do that?

 

I hope he doesn't. I hope he doesn't try to start Chapman. He hasn't managed a single game, so forgive me for waiting to see how things go.