Oh, Happy Day, Reds Fans! Taveras traded to Oakland!

• Ironman92

  

  I don't care if anyone on the Reds hits 2 HR or 45......as long as they are not swinging for them but on a rare occasion. Hit line drives....follow the swings of Votto and Rolen...and Phillips if he has his RF approach....if he does he'll hit .315 regardless of where he bats.....if he doesn't he'll hit .280 with good protection.
• BCBulldog

  

  Ironman92 wrote: I don't care if anyone on the Reds hits 2 HR or 45......as long as they are not swinging for them but on a rare occasion. Hit line drives....follow the swings of Votto and Rolen...and Phillips if he has his RF approach....if he does he'll hit .315 regardless of where he bats.....if he doesn't he'll hit .280 with good protection.

  And much more important for Phillips, he won't hit into as many DPs if he takes is RF approach. Which, of course, makes him a perfect 2-hole. That is, if the Toothpick and Jacoby haven't entirely screwed his swing up.
• Ironman92

  

  another good point
• RiverRat13

  Phillips and Bruce should flip-flop batting 4th depending on if a LHP or RHP is on the mound. It won't happen but it should. Jay crushes righties and BP crushes lefties.
  
  Setting your line-up based on the POTENTIAL that you MIGHT see a LOOGY in the late innings is asinine.
• RiverRat13

  The biggest question for this team in '10 and going forward is left field. I'm afraid solid prospects like Heisey, Frasier, and Francisco just won't hit well enough to be above average in left. Their bats would certainly play elsewhere (Heisey - CF, Fraiser - 2B, SS, 3B, Francisco - 3B), but I'm not convinced they would be good enough in left. I'd like to see the Reds package a couple of these guys to get a legit hitter in left for '11, especially if they are dead-set against Joey Votto moving to left to make room for Alonso.
• crab42

  I can't remember if it was Chris Buckley or Terry Reynolds, but they said that Alonso could possibly move to LF. He made comments about how Alonso is more athletic than people give him credit for, blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda... I think its a must for this team going forward to find a way to get both guys on the field. Alonso is another potential high OPS guy that the Reds lack. I think Frazier would be fine in LF, but i agree that his bat profiles better at 2B or 3B... I think Francisco has the potential to be that bat because of his raw power, but he also runs the risk of being a Wily Mo Pena. I think it would be beyond huge to see Frazier and Alonso take the next step and knock down the door to the majors. These draft and develop guys are going to be the ticket to teams like the Reds competing as long as there is such a payroll inbalance in MLB.
• thavoice

  To be quite honest......for a team that had Dunn in LF......Im thinking probably any other kid in the system could play it at least as mediocre as he could so yeah, I bet Alonso could.
• crab42

  LF defense is the least important defensive position on the field... So if it takes moving Yonder to LF in order to keep Votto happy and getting Yonder's bat in the lineup, sign me up. Votto does have some experience out there but he's made it known that he doesn't really want to leave 1st base. Give me the D up the middle, and I'll sacrifice it for some pop on the corners.
• thavoice

  ^^that is true. I do have a question........and I of course have played the game and have coached for 10+ yrs of HS aged kids....why exactly is that?
  
  Most hitters are RH and more times the balls are hit to the left side. Is it because in RF ya deal with the slice off the RH bat?
  
  OR...is it this....as a 3rd base coach there is a perception between LF and RF. If the ball is hit to LF ya are more close to it and it looks ike the fielder is 'closer' and could easier throw the runner out.....and in RF it is farther away and the perception is ya will send the runner more often..
  
  I know it may be a dumb question....i just always wondered that..and yeah.....at times if we have to hide a guy it is in LF.
• crab42

  I think with the majority of hitters being righthanded that playing the slice in RF could be one of the bigger reasons. RF is also normally the sun field, even though Cincy is LF... Maybe it's the throw from RF to 3rd and not to home... It just seems like balls hit to RF are tougher plays. I played 1st and 3rd in college, but I do know shagging during batting practice was more fun in LF. lol
• thavoice

  The arm def comes into play on the 1st to 3rd. Best arm usually was in RF and yeah, our RF is the sun field and its a bitch in the summer. Also get more duckfarts in RF as well and also the slice but Ill be honest.....there have been times Id rather have the better guy in LF to deal with the gap shots and to gun down guys getting sent to the plate on singles.
  
  RF was a graveyard for shaggin n BP thats for damn sure.......thats where the BB's went.
  
  As for moving postions...I think if you are athletic enough to play INF you will catch on in the OF. Had a player recently who played SS his whole life, moved to third for his jr yr then to 2B his SR season (kid is prototype 2B with his footwork and hands) and as a FROSH in college they moved him to OF just to get him some PT cause he was hitting. Said it was a little bit of a difference physically but said it was more mental difference staying into the game.
  
  I never played OF...always SS/3B/P with a season @ 1B till the 3B graduated so I cannot say I know exactly how it feels to move from INF to OF.
• norwalk

  How about trading Phillips now for high level prosopects? He's due to make 11m next year and I believe the Reds are at least a season away from contending. Phillips is my favorite player so I hate to see him traded but if you could get a solid MLB ready LF and high end prospect and maybe a single A player I would think about doing it. Don't ask me for names, I guess you could see who needs an all star 2nd baseman and go from there. Yankees? Gardner, Hughes and prospect?
• thavoice

  ^^Nah. BP isnt that old and could have some very good years ahead of him. If he progresses like I expect you cannot just trade that away for prospects. He is a good, solid anchor in the INF.
  
  Reds fans are getting impatient. Trading away a solid player like him is something ya do if you are just blowin up the org and starting over. Reds are well in the midst of that rebuilding. It woudl be like knocking down the walls of a house to start on over. No need to...he is good enough, young enough to be part of the foundation they are building.
• crab42

  I would trade any player if the return is right... I've been an advocate of moving BP in the past as long as a plan was in place. His contract (IMO) will make him tough to move if the Reds feel that is the right thing to do because he another 12 million due to him in 2012. But that Yankees package would barely get the conversation started... Gardner is of no use for a team like the Reds, but Hughes could be interesting. The Reds have been using Frazier at 2B, and Valaika seems to be more of a 2bagger than a SS. I don't want to trade Brandon just to trade, I would want the Reds to trade him if it improved the team. What and who that trade may involve? I don't know.
• thavoice

  Well, of course....but Im not so sure what the Reds could get from BP to be honest. He is a good, solid player but I dont think teams will shell out something that would for certain get the team marketly better. Mostly prospects and those are hit and miss.
• crab42

  I'd say BP isn't going anywhere until at least 2012... in which case I could see him being moved around the trade deadline in order to avoid losing him for nothing in free agency.
• thavoice

  I agree.....if he goes itll be in season, near the deadline when a contender is a bit desparate and offer more than what they would in the offseason.
• mhs95_06

  I think its the throw to 3B. The actual catching of balls is equally important so the two corner outfielders are the same there, and with just about as many left handed hitters as right, the slice would be the same. But if they miss it the right fielder has more of a chance to turn it into a triple because of the long throw. So if you have two equivalent fielders, you want the stronger armed one in right, especially to hold down the runner going from 1st to 3rd on a single to right, and cut down on the triples. Even Johnny Damon can keep a runner from going from 1st to 3rd on most singles to left.
• norwalk

  Trust me I don't want to trade BP, I'm just saying that the Reds are still a couple of pieces away. Add another good young arm to the mix and an outfielder and go with Frazier at 2nd. Not sure if there is a trade like that out there but if so I would look at it.