What does this 2011 Red's team need more than anything else?

[EZ Living]

I say it is a legitimate leadoff man. Imo Stubbs has been given an adequate chance to prove he can do the job and has failed. He is hitting .262 with an OBP of .332 with only 26 walks and 84 Ks. He is on pace to strikeout over 210 times. Is that really what you want in a leadoff man? Stubbs himself has admitted he doesn't like the leadoff spot. With all his speed he can't steal first. He can't bunt for a hit, can't even get a bunt down for a sacrifice. He looks awful even trying to sacrifice. Is it too much to throw on a rookie like Cozart by bringing him up and slotting him in the leadoff spot where he has been batting at Louisville. Is he ready for big league pitching? Could he be any worse in the leadoff spot than Stubbs? Bringing him up could make this a better lineup by moving Stubbs down to around 6th and getting the weak hitting Janish out of the lineup. Maybe he could jumpstart this team.

[westsider]

Is it too much to throw on a rookie like Cozart by bringing him up and slotting him in the leadoff spot where he has been batting at Louisville. Is he ready for big league pitching? Could he be any worse in the leadoff spot than Stubbs? Bringing him up could make this a better lineup by moving Stubbs down to around 6th and getting the weak hitting Janish out of the lineup. Maybe he could jumpstart this team.

Even as good as he's been this year, Cozart has a .331 OBP in his professional career. Last year, he hit .255 with 40 walks and 107 strikeouts.

[nkufan23]

I say it is a legitimate leadoff man. Imo Stubbs has been given an adequate chance to prove he can do the job and has failed. He is hitting .262 with an OBP of .332 with only 26 walks and 84 Ks. He is on pace to strikeout over 210 times. Is that really what you want in a leadoff man? Stubbs himself has admitted he doesn't like the leadoff spot. With all his speed he can't steal first. He can't bunt for a hit, can't even get a bunt down for a sacrifice. He looks awful even trying to sacrifice. Is it too much to throw on a rookie like Cozart by bringing him up and slotting him in the leadoff spot where he has been batting at Louisville. Is he ready for big league pitching? Could he be any worse in the leadoff spot than Stubbs? Bringing him up could make this a better lineup by moving Stubbs down to around 6th and getting the weak hitting Janish out of the lineup. Maybe he could jumpstart this team.

 

I've been trying to say this, Cozart seems to be putting it all together...Yeah people can point out what he's done in the past prior to this years, But isn't their a time when a player figure's it out? I think Cozart has figured it out, he has a 16 game hitting streak every night he is getting on 2 or 3 times and he has above average speed...Your killing 2 birds with 1 stone here, you get Janish out of the line up and you get Stubbs in more of a comfort zone...People can say what they want about Cozart but he is the real deal, I watch almost every Bats game on either MILB TV or in person...I am awaiting his arrival in the Bigs probably more than anyone that I have in a while...I see Cozart as a lesser Tulo and I stick by it, Similar Minor League Power Numbers as well as college and a similar build...He is hitting .327 on the year now and had 30 sb last year...

[HammerTime]

They need a RF that can hit for average and a #1 starter. A SS that could hit over .260 and a someone at 3B that isn't hurt 50% of the time and can't hit a pitch at the knees if his life depended on it. Someone to bat leadoff hopefully the RF I was talking about before. coughdavesappeltcough. I am not that concerned with leadoff. Move Stubbs down to #7 where he hit better last year. His #'s in leadoff and 7th aren't that far off but in the 7th spot they are slightly better.

[HammerTime]

Reds SS have the 2nd most errors in the MLB. It's safe to save we can bring in someone else to replace Janish and DFA Renteria he is pretty much useless. His (Janish) defense is not even close to making up for his lack of production at the plate.

[EZ Living]

I've been trying to say this, Cozart seems to be putting it all together...Yeah people can point out what he's done in the past prior to this years, But isn't their a time when a player figure's it out? I think Cozart has figured it out, he has a 16 game hitting streak every night he is getting on 2 or 3 times and he has above average speed...Your killing 2 birds with 1 stone here, you get Janish out of the line up and you get Stubbs in more of a comfort zone...People can say what they want about Cozart but he is the real deal, I watch almost every Bats game on either MILB TV or in person...I am awaiting his arrival in the Bigs probably more than anyone that I have in a while...

 

Thanks for the input. It is easy to look at numbers alone and not be able to see the whole picture. Look at Stubbs numbers in the minors and you never saw the power potential that he has exhibited. The only thing I see blocking Janish losing his everyday job is the "toothpick's" stubbornness to stick with a player too long. I think he is determined to prove that Janish can hit at this level and quite frankly we haven't been seeing it. Janish playing everyday has also imo allowed some defensive deficiencies to emerge. I have seen a lot of times where I and the announcers doing the game thought that he should have turned an easy double play and he failed to do so. Of course this never shows up as an error but it extends innings and pitch counts and run potential for the other team. What kind of defense has Cozart exhibited when you have seen him play?

[nkufan23]

Thanks for the input. It is easy to look at numbers alone and not be able to see the whole picture. Look at Stubbs numbers in the minors and you never saw the power potential that he has exhibited. The only thing I see blocking Janish losing his everyday job is the "toothpick's" stubbornness to stick with a player too long. I think he is determined to prove that Janish can hit at this level and quite frankly we haven't been seeing it. Janish playing everyday has also imo allowed some defensive deficiencies to emerge. I have seen a lot of times where I and the announcers doing the game thought that he should have turned an easy double play and he failed to do so. Of course this never shows up as an error but it extends innings and pitch counts and run potential for the other team. What kind of defense has Cozart exhibited when you have seen him play?

 

Cozart can pick it, I edited my post before to say that if I was going to compare Cozart to a MLBer it would be Tulo...Good range but an absolute laser for an arm, definitely not going to hurt your ball club and I believe his offense would definitely not hurt...I agree about looking at the minor league numbers, you can't see the whole picture which is why I hate when people bring up past numbers in the minors where a player has struggled...Actually it isn't at all rare for a player to move up to the Bigs and go off and make a name for himself, again Tulo his numbers were comparable to Cozarts in the Minors as far as power goes, but Cozart has shown more speed...Watching almost every game it's easy for me to see what he could be and I can't say that about everyone, Janish for example I never saw anything I think I'd rather throw Leake out there at SS he's a good athlete and a better hitter...I could see people stubbornness to bring up aaa guys if the MLB guys were producing at their positions but we all know they aren't and yet people still think it's going to hurt the team, Newsflash people SS and LF can not be struggling any worse than they are now and fresh blood could in no way hurt the team...

[nkufan23]

They need a RF that can hit for average and a #1 starter. A SS that could hit over .260 and a someone at 3B that isn't hurt 50% of the time and can't hit a pitch at the knees if his life depended on it. Someone to bat leadoff hopefully the RF I was talking about before. coughdavesappeltcough. I am not that concerned with leadoff. Move Stubbs down to #7 where he hit better last year. His #'s in leadoff and 7th aren't that far off but in the 7th spot they are slightly better.

 

I agree strongly about Sappelt...He just came back yesterday and picked up where he left off with a couple hits...Sappelt was Minor League Player of the Year last year, he would make this lineup click a lot better potentially...He has really good speed, hits for power especially if he was at GABP but most importantly the guy gets on base and will even bunt to do so...Stubbs is a middle of the order hitter not leadoff...Francisco I would like to see up as well give him a chance to start against most Right handers and get Rolen in against Lefties and the occasional righty...

[nkufan23]

Today's Baseball America Hot Sheet

3 Reds prospects in the top 10... Impressive.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2611933.html

[nkufan23]

Here are the 3 Reds Prospects if you don't care about the others...

 

No. 3 DEVIN MESORACO, C

Team: Triple-A Louisville (International)

Age: 22

Why He's Here: .444/.516/.852 (12-for-27), 5 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: Mesoraco, a developing catcher, has gotten a chance to get acquainted with a whole new group of pitchers in recent weeks. Injuries at the big league level have necessitated callups galore and have forced the Reds to put out an opening casting call to fill holes in the Triple-A rotation. But even with all the shuffling, Mesoraco's work at the plate keeps getting better and better. His average exceeded .300 in April and May, and now he's hitting .406 in June with an equally gaudy .781 slugging percentage. Ramon Hernandez's near-.900 OPS in Cincinnati means that Mesoraco will likely remain in Louisville for the time being. But among the Reds' long list of blocked prospects in Triple-A, Mesoraco is the one most likely to take a roster spot from a veteran before too long.

 

No. 8 DANIEL CORCINO, RHP

Team: low Class A Dayton (Midwest)

Age: 21

Why He's Here: 1-0, 1.46, 2 GS, 12 1/3 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 18 SO

The Scoop: Corcino has been called the Reds' next Johnny Cueto for a while. He has a similar build (short but stocky righthander) and a similar delivery. And he's getting similar results. As a 20-year-old, Cueto was 8-1, 2.59 with a .191 opponent average and an 82-15 strikeout-walk ratio in 76 innings with low Class A Dayton back in 2006. At the same stage of his development, Corcino is 7-3, 2.77 with a .221 average and a 76-14 strikeout-walk ratio in 62 innings. Cueto's strong first half got him promoted to high Class A for the second half of the season, we'll have to see if Corcino can follow in those footsteps.

 

No. 10 ZACK COZART, SS

Team: Triple-A Louisville (International)

Age: 25

Why He's Here: .581/.606/.968 (18-for-31), 2 HR, 4 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBIs, 9 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: Cozart has roared back from a 7-for-56 (.125) start over the first two weeks of the season to resume his status as one of the top stealth shortstop prospects in the minors. No International Leaguer can top his 1.047 OPS since May 1, and on the year he ranks second in the circuit with 21 doubles and 44 runs scored, fourth with 28 extra-base hits and sixth in the batting race at .323. He may not be flashy, but Cozart has the skills to man the middle infield in the big leagues for years to come. He's shown power for Louisville for two seasons running (.442 slugging), while this year he's showing a better feel to hit with a higher average and lower strikeout rate.

[westsider]

Cozart can pick it, I edited my post before to say that if I was going to compare Cozart to a MLBer it would be Tulo...Good range but an absolute laser for an arm, definitely not going to hurt your ball club and I believe his offense would definitely not hurt...I agree about looking at the minor league numbers, you can't see the whole picture which is why I hate when people bring up past numbers in the minors where a player has struggled...Actually it isn't at all rare for a player to move up to the Bigs and go off and make a name for himself, again Tulo his numbers were comparable to Cozarts in the Minors as far as power goes, but Cozart has shown more speed...

Cozart ... comparable to Tulowitzki? Come on ...

 

Tulowitzki was an everyday shortstop at age 22, and a pretty good one. Cozart is approaching 26 and still in the minors. This is the first time in the majors that he's shown any indication that he might be ready to come up and help the Reds.

[ThrillVille Cardinal51]

Clutch hitting. Reds lead the National league in runners LOB.

[nkufan23]

Cozart ... comparable to Tulowitzki? Come on ...

 

Tulowitzki was an everyday shortstop at age 22, and a pretty good one. Cozart is approaching 26 and still in the minors. This is the first time in the majors that he's shown any indication that he might be ready to come up and help the Reds.

 

I said a lesser Tulo yes you seem to miss a lot when you read posts...Similar glove and Range and Similar numbers in the Minors if your going by that...Difference Tulo was not blocked and the front office didn't see him as blocked...Cozart has been blocked by Agonz and OCab rather or not he should've been can be questioned...What was Tulo before getting the call up, very similar to Cozart...Many people look at guys such as Tulo and say O he's a superstar how can Cozart be similar, well it's easy I watch Cozart almost daily and he hasn't had a chance yet to be a guy like Tulo...Tulo is what I see Cozart as being comp to and peaking at possibly, who do you think he is comp to do you watch a lot of Bats games? I'm looking past what Tulo has already done in the Bigs not everyone can do that...I see Cozart as a 20-25 Hr guy with 20 SB's and a .270-.280 average on the Big League Level...Tulo has proven to be a 20-30 Hr guy with slightly less speed than Cozart but a higher average most years...Tulo is good but I feel most people here his name and think he's a 40 Hr guy or something, he's not he is above average in every category but it is not out of the question that another player can be at his level...

[HammerTime]

He wasn't blocked by those guys. Guys get blocked by a great SS. Those guys were brought in as free agents because they didn't think he was ready.

[nkufan23]

Cozart ... comparable to Tulowitzki? Come on ...

 

Tulowitzki was an everyday shortstop at age 22, and a pretty good one. Cozart is approaching 26 and still in the minors. This is the first time in the majors that he's shown any indication that he might be ready to come up and help the Reds.

 

Just for the numbers game...Lot's of people love this one...

Tulo at 21...104gms, 34 Doubles, 2 Triples, 13 Homers, 61 RBIs and a .291 avg...

Coz at 22...109gms, 20 Doubles, 6 Triples, 14 Homers, 49 RBIs and a .280 avg...

 

I know Tulo was at 21 and Coz at 22 but it doesn't matter it was also both of their first full minor league season...Now Tulo gets called up to the Bigs that same year to end the season and hits .240 in 25gms with 1 HR, then the following year he starts out with the Rockies and the rest is History...But he never really did anything prior to his call up that Cozart hadn't as well only the Rockies organization didn't see any other options at SS...

Coz at 23...131gms, 29 Doubles, 2 Triples, 10 Homers, 59 RBIs and a .262 avg...and 10 SB

Coz at 24...136gms, 30 Doubles, 4 Triples, 17 Homers, 67 RBIs and a .255 avg...and 30 SB

Coz at 25...54gms, 21 Doubles, 1 Triple, 6 Homers, 25 RBIs and a .327 avg...and 6 SB...This years stats

 

Now what did Tulo do that Cozart didn't do way back at the same stage of their career to earn a Big League call up and get his chance? Nothing in my eyes...Judging by the numbers game and the numbers Tulo put up before getting promoted Cozart was ready for the Bigs back in 2008...And Since 2008 Cozart has continued to prove he should get a shot...But as a person not going by numbers at all I watch him a lot and he has been ready...