Well, I finally got to catch a Reds game yesterday, and it went about as expected, we are going to have trouble manufacturing runs. Gonzalez was actually playing, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.
Nobody really stood out in this game in my eyes, we looked like last seasons Reds IMO.
I think our pitching staff should be pretty decent this season. We can run 4 decent starters and if Bailey would stop throwing meat balls down the center of the plate it could possibly go to 5. Our bullpen should be solid from top to bottom. Where this team is going to fail is at the plate because we are to cheap to go out and solidify the lineup with a household name or two. I did like the trade that brought us a quality starting caliber catcher to the club.
Stats of guys this Spring:
Keppinger, who I like and who is out of options to be sent down to the minors has had a terrible spring at the plate. He has hit for a .145 avg this spring, which is terrible.
Dickerson is once again proving that he belongs on the team, he has had a great spring for the Reds and imo should be penciled in as the opening day starter in left field. This Spring he has .321 for the Reds. He has some pop/power at the plate, plays a decent field and can steal a few bases. However, he does strike out quite a bit, he has struck out 18 times in 53 at bats.
Bruce .294 avg
Phillips .289 avg
Votto .267 avg Hopefully this improves 20 to 30 points
Encarnacion .194 avg, if he could ever get out of the gates early in a season he would put up nice numbers, but it looks like Reds fans can expect to see him get off to another slow start this season. Nobody else that has played 3rd for the Reds has done anything to replace him in the lineup imo.
Taveras has had a decent spring and has found a way to get on base. I think the Reds might have finally found a decent lead off man
Surprises:
Ryan Hannigan: He continues to swing a good bat at the big league level and should be a great back up catcher for us this season. He has hit .394 for the Reds this Spring.
Jonny Gomes: He never really panned out to be the star that he was hyped up to be while he was with the Devil Rays, but he has been the biggest threat to go yard for the Reds this Spring. He has hit 4 home runs for the Reds this Spring in only 39 at bats. That is a home run every 9.75 at bats, which is great. His average isn't the greatest at .256, but it isn't terrible for a guy with some power. 13 k's in 39 at bats is a strikeout once out of every 3 at bats, which are Dunn numbers.
Darnell McDonald I honestly never even heard of the guy until this Spring, but he has made the most of his opportunities and might be a decent platoon guy for the left field spot with Gomes and Dickerson. This Spring McDonald has hit for an avg of .317 and he leads the team in stolen bases percentage, he has had 3 stolen bases and has yet to be caught.
Alex Gonzalez is actually playing this Spring, since the Reds signed him he has missed about as many if not more games than he has played, but he is a good short stop who plays great in the field. His average this Spring is .250, which is right at what he has done for his career.
Ramon Hernandez wasn't with the team much during the Spring because he was playing in the World Baseball Classic or whatever it was called. I caught him playing in one of the games and in that game he threw out two guys trying to steal second on him. For his career he is around a .260 hitter with some power. If he does that for the Reds, the Reds should be in good shape. Catcher used to be a real area of need for the Reds over the last several seasons, but the Reds have plenty of depth at this position today.
Hopefully some of these young talents can progress into quality players at the big league level. If not, it will be a long season for the Reds and fans of the Reds.
