May 10, 200818 yr Author I guess you missed the 6 weeks last year that saw Homer Bailey go from best prospect in baseball to a guy most wanted traded. I guess I forgot every can't miss prospect just jumps right in at the big league level and blows people away when playing somewhat out of position and misplaced in the batting order... How long are you going to try and play that excuse? If a guy isn't mentally strong enough to get past the media, and the ire of the fans in Cincy, then he's not going to last long in the majors. The D'Backs had no problem bringing up their youngsters (Upton, Drew, Reynolds) and just letting them play.
May 11, 200818 yr I guess you missed the 6 weeks last year that saw Homer Bailey go from best prospect in baseball to a guy most wanted traded.First of all, who said Bailey was "the best prospect in baseball?" The guy was pitching very well at Louisville, and the Reds needed some help in the rotation. So what if he wasn't an instant Cy Young candidate? Let the guy learn in the big leagues if he's got nothing left to prove in the minors? And ... who cares that some idiotic Reds fans wanted to trade him? Let the idiots say idiotic things ... and ignore them. I guess I forgot every can't miss prospect just jumps right in at the big league level and blows people away when playing somewhat out of position and misplaced in the batting order... Never said anything like that. But if the Reds feel that Bruce is ready to play in the majors, and the parent team is going nowhere, give the kid a shot.
May 11, 200818 yr Drew hit .238 with an OBP of .313 in his first full season. Upton .221 and .283. Reynolds .279 and .349. Mark my words. He comes up and struggles people will be drilling Dusty for rushing him up. The kid is 21 and has pretty limited experience at AA and AAA ball. I don't think he's ready, and if you rush him up you play him every day in a corner OF spot and insert him between 5-7 in the batting order. I don't see that happening...
May 11, 200818 yr First of all, who said Bailey was "the best prospect in baseball?" Several publications had him as the #1 pitching prospect in the game before last year. Do you think people would have cared much if there wasn't all of that hype? Give me a break...
May 11, 200818 yr Author Drew hit .238 with an OBP of .313 in his first full season. Upton .221 and .283. Reynolds .279 and .349. Mark my words. He comes up and struggles people will be drilling Dusty for rushing him up. The kid is 21 and has pretty limited experience at AA and AAA ball. I don't think he's ready, and if you rush him up you play him every day in a corner OF spot and insert him between 5-7 in the batting order. I don't see that happening... And Bruce will struggle this year, but he will get used to ML pitching and the like. How they looking this year?
May 11, 200818 yr Author If the Reds were thining about bringing up Bailey after Belisle's latest performance, well he picked a bad time for his worst performace of the year. 4 1/3....... 11 H....... 6 ER
May 11, 200818 yr Drew hit .238 with an OBP of .313 in his first full season. Upton .221 and .283. Reynolds .279 and .349. And the Diamondbacks had no problem keeping those guys in the field ... you didn't see them bring in a veteran player to get in their way. That's the way good organizations do it. They have a game plan and stick to it. Mark my words. He comes up and struggles people will be drilling Dusty for rushing him up.So what? If Bruce is ready, give him a shot ... what other viable options do the Reds have? The kid is 21 and has pretty limited experience at AA and AAA ball. I don't think he's ready, and if you rush him up you play him every day in a corner OF spot and insert him between 5-7 in the batting order. I don't see that happening...OK, you don't think he's ready ... that's fine. Some do, and their opinion is just as valid as yours.
May 11, 200818 yr Several publications had him as the #1 pitching prospect in the game before last year. Do you think people would have cared much if there wasn't all of that hype? Give me a break...Again, who cares what fans and "preseason publications" think? All that matters is what the Reds think of Bailey ... and his performance.
May 11, 200818 yr I guess you missed the 6 weeks last year that saw Homer Bailey go from best prospect in baseball to a guy most wanted traded. I guess I forgot every can't miss prospect just jumps right in at the big league level and blows people away when playing somewhat out of position and misplaced in the batting order... I don't think you can compare the two. Bruce is ready, and once he gets here, I think he will be here to stay.
May 11, 200818 yr Again, who cares what fans and "preseason publications" think? All that matters is what the Reds think of Bailey ... and his performance. 21 year olds trying to live up to the hype can be very prone to trying to live up to expectations. You're smart enough to know a lot of baseball is played between the ears. He'll be up long before September call ups, but now isn't that time...
May 11, 200818 yr And the Diamondbacks had no problem keeping those guys in the field ... you didn't see them bring in a veteran player to get in their way. That's the way good organizations do it. They have a game plan and stick to it. So what? If Bruce is ready, give him a shot ... what other viable options do the Reds have? OK, you don't think he's ready ... that's fine. Some do, and their opinion is just as valid as yours. I understand where GT is coming from. It's not that he doesn't think he's going to be good, just don't think he needs the presure. But in my opinion, Bruce is going to be the face of this Team for awhile. He's ready, and age shouldn't worry anyone. Not with this kid.
May 11, 200818 yr I don't think you can compare the two. Bruce is ready, and once he gets here, I think he will be here to stay. Based on what? His stellar spring against the big boys? In terms of their showings in the minors to this point last year for Bailey and now for Bruce there isn't much difference...
May 11, 200818 yr These guys are pro athletes ... as long as they're playing, they're going to have to deal with pressure. I would never advocate bringing up a guy before he's ready, but if they are ... then let's see what they can do.
May 11, 200818 yr Based on what? His stellar spring against the big boys? In terms of their showings in the minors to this point last year for Bailey and now for Bruce there isn't much difference... So he will be more seasoned, and ready to come up in sep. though right?
May 11, 200818 yr Looking at Bruce's stats ... he's hitting .323 with 14 extra-base hits in 135 plate appearances and an .893 OPS. He's also 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. The downside ... 8 walks and 32 strikeouts. That's enough to be of some concern as for Bruce's immediate readiness. Bruce has 314 ABs at Louisville, counting last year ... he's hit .312 with 16 HR and 47 RBI. To go along with it, he has 17 doubles and 6 triples and 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts. Again, the only downside is the K/BB ratio ... 23 walks and 80 Ks. Everything else looks OK. If he ain't ready, he's pretty darn close ...
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