Bats erupt in 10-2 win over Giants

by: Matt Bollmann
Staff Writer

Scottsdale, Arizona -- The Reds (14-16) traveled to Scottsdale on Saturday to take on the San Francisco Giants (16-13). It was a game that saw the Reds win 10-2 and moves them into position to finish the spring schedule with a .500 record, if they win their last two games. Jeff Francis pitched for the Reds matched up against Giants reliever Guillermo Mota. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the notables from today’s game against the Giants:

Notable stat rankings this spring

Yes, it's only spring and these games don't necessarily count. But I do believe we now have a good enough sample size to evaluate how teams stack up against one another. Here's a quick look at how the Redlegs rank among Major League Baseball in a few statistical categories:

How former Reds are faring this spring

A change of scenery has appeared to benefit Volquez so far

As the old adage goes, "once a Red, always a Red." Here's an overview of how some former members of the Reds are faring with their new clubs this spring, in alphabetical order if I may add:

1B Yonder Alonso
Current organization: San Diego Padres
Spring stats: Alonso is hitting .303 (20-66) with 1 HR, 11 RBIs and five doubles. He's drawn two walks against 10 strikeouts. He's currently slated to be the Friars' everyday starter at first base, according to the team's official depth chart.

Redlegs rally late to edge out Indians

Ryan LaMarre proved to be the unlikely hero on Friday

Goodyear, Arizona -- Cincinnati (13-16-1) used a 5-run eighth to help propel themselves past the Cleveland Indians (9-17) on Friday. Johnny Cueto made the start in what is fully expected to be his final tuneup of the spring. Don't look now, but Dusty Baker's bunch has now won three games in a row. Could they be building some momentum to carry into the regular season? We shall see.

Until then, here's a peek at the good, the bad, and some notables from Friday's matinee:

Behold! Joey VottO's cereal!

Move over Honey Nut Cheerios, there's a new honey nut cereal in town...or at least in the region of southern Ohio.

Cereal lovers, and fans of the Reds slugger alike, can pick-up a box of this limited edition item at any Kroger store in the greater Cincinnati/Dayton area.

This vitamin-infused food is made by PLB Sports and packaged in a majestic 14-ounce box of whole-grain goodness. This is certainly a must-have for any fan of Joey Votto and/or baseball's oldest franchise.

Grab your box today before they're all gone...they're sure to sell like hotcakes!

The battle for the last roster spots, who gets 'em?

Cincinnati faces a major dilemma in how to use Chapman

It's simply math, really. The Redlegs currently have 28 healthy players on their active roster, but only 25 will be in uniform on Opening Day. For all you number-crunchers out there, this means that three players won't make the cut. Luckily, most of the roster has already been set in stone.

However, there are a few decisions to be made. Most notably, who will be the team's fifth starter in the rotation and who will win the final two spots for position players? Here are the pros and cons of each potential candidate on the fringe of making the 25-man roster:

The battle for the last spot in the rotation....

Best case scenario for the season

The Reds come out like gangbusters in April and never look back. By mid-May they boast the best record in the National League and hold a comfortable lead over the rest of the Central Division. The GABP seats are full on a nightly basis, the weather is consistently good, and Cincinnati’s play on the diamond is even better.

Johnny Cueto picks up right where he left off last season – frustrating hitters with his sneaky fastball, tantalizing curve, and unpredictable change-up. After earning a nod to his first ever Midsummer Classic, many begin to tab Cueto as a serious contender for the NL Cy Young Award.

Chapman dominant again as Reds topple the Brewers

Will Chapman make the rotation?

The plot continues to thicken for Cincinnati, as Spring Training winds down and Aroldis Chapman continues to succeed as a starting pitcher. Today he and the Reds (12-16) outdueled Randy Wolf and the Brewers (11-14) by a score of 9-3. Chapman is really making this a tough decision for Reds' management.

Now for the good, the bad, and the notables from today's action:

A plethora of Reds links

Opening Day is less than a week away now, which means there's no shortage of Reds-related reading on the web. Here's my best attempt to roundup some of the more notables ones:

* The team wants to keep All-Stars Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto around long-term. But what they want and what they can do may not be the same thing, writes Tracy Ringolsby of FoxSportsOhio.com.

* The folks over at ESPN.com's SweetSpot blog have been posting some of their predictions for the season. On Wednesday they took a stab at National League Rookie of the Year. See which Red topped the list and which one finished sixth by following this link.

2012 projections: Ryan Hanigan

Ryan Hanigan has become a bit of a fixture with the Reds and I've got to believe fans are completely okay with that. The 31-year old is entering his sixth season with the club, thus making him one of the longest tenured players on the roster. But unlike the work force, seniority means very little in the professional baseball landscape. Hanigan will now be charged with tutoring Devin Mesoraco to eventually take over the catching duties full-time. Will Hanigan surrender the position easily, or will the Washington, D.C. make it hard to give the starting nod to someone else?

To help give us a better idea of whether or not he can, I've compiled projections from three various sources. They are as follows:

SweetSpot projects Devin Mesoraco as NL Rookie of the Year

ESPN.com's SweetSpot blog released its ballot for National League Rookie of the Year honors on Wednesday and, wouldn't you know it, Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco topped the list. Mesoraco edged out former teammate and current San Diego Padre Yonder Alonso by a tally of 76-68 overall.

Washington's Bryce Harper, Arizona's Trevor Bauer and Colorado's Drew Pomeranz rounded out the top five.

Reds rookie shortstop Zack Cozart finished sixth despite receiving six first-place votes -- the third-most of any player on the ballot, trailing only Mesoraco and Alonso.

You can view the full results of the ballot here.

Ludwick's walkoff blast lifts Reds past Angels

Ludwick may have gained some favor
with fans after one swing of the bat

Goodyear, Arizona -- Ryan Ludwick couldn't have picked a better time to unleash his first homer of the preseason on Wednesday, as his two-out, two-run dinger in the bottom of the ninth sent the Reds (11-16-1) past the visiting Angels (15-10) 5-4. Bronson Arroyo made the start and pitched relatively well for his club to help snap a 4-game losing skid. Here's a recap of the good, the bad and the notables from the affair:

Reds make three more cuts; Masset's shoulder ails



Masset will start 2012 on the DL.

According to multiple reports, Nick Masset's shoulder problems have flared up again. He will start the year on the disabled list per John Fay for the Enquirer. Dusty Baker said, "It's just inflammation," so hopefully he won't miss too much time, as this comes just days after it was announced that newly-acquired closer Ryan Madson will miss the entire season, requiring Tommy John surgery. With the bullpen down another man, and a setup man at that, this really hurts Chapman's chances of remaining as a starter, as Dusty Baker would love to have his 100+ mph fastball hurling out of the bullpen. It will be very interesting to see how that one plays out.

Our season outlook (part two)

Continuing on with our mini-series from yesterday, here's part two featuring some of our predictions for the upcoming season. Today we breakdown the best and worst case scenarios, as well as a bold prediction for the year:

Bold prediction:

@RedlegsWriter
- Mat Latos wins 21 games and the NL Cy Young Award.

@Redlegs_Review

- Scott Rolen wins the 2012 NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Also, Dusty Baker goes one whole inning without chewing a toothpick after repeated dares by @DatDudeBP.

Reds suffer a scare, lose 7-4 to Cubs

by: Matt Bollmann

Staff Writer

The Reds (10-16) welcomed the Chicago Cubs (13-14) to Goodyear, Arizona on Tuesday. It was a pitching matchup of two guys with high expectations this year for their respective ball clubs in Mat Latos for Cincy and Matt Garza for Chicago. It was a game that saw the team lose to the Cubs by the final of 7-4. Now, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the notables from the game against the Cubs:

Podcast: Chapman, Latos, Marshall & More

I recently got the chance to sit down and talk some Reds baseball with Michael Pichan of the RotoInfo.com Fantasy Nomad Show over the weekend. He was gracious enough to have me as a guest on his weekly show, which broadcasts live every Sunday at 1:00 PM from Foley's Pub & Restaurant in New York City. Be sure to check it out.

Here's the full podcast below. I encourage you to listen to the show in its entirety, but if you're pressed for time (like many of us are), you can tune into my segment in particular from the 00:58:30 mark to the 01:24:00 mark.

Among the topics we cover include:

Francis Hurts Rotation Chances - Takes Loss in 12-2 blowout

The Cincinnati Reds (10-15) threw out what could be considered the minor league team against the Texas Rangers (7-16) and it showed. After a scoreless first inning the Reds fell behind early giving up multiple runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th inning and were never able to recover. Despite wanting to put this game out of memory here is a look at the usual, Good, Bad and Notables from last night.

Our season outlook (part one)

As if there hasn't already been enough prognostication for the upcoming season, we provide you with a little more in this post. Today is part one of two in a mini-series featuring our predicitions for the 2012 campaign. In this one we provide our expected outcome of the season, the order of finish in the NL Central, and a brief opinion

Expected outcome of the 2012 season:

Cast your ballot for the Preseason All-NL Central team!

Even with the departures of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols over the winter the National League Central still boasts plenty of talent.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to compile a preseason squad made up of the best players from the division. But in order to do that we wanted to enlist the help of as many of our readers, and baseball fans alike, to help us in our endeavor to build a 25-man roster.

Here's a link to the ballot: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KM6YH3G

How the roster will be determined:

Votto chats with Boone, Kurkjian

While making a stop at Reds camp last Tuesday the Baseball Tonight crew sat down for a chat with Joey Votto...

Cueto shaky in 7-3 loss to Rockies

The Reds (10-14-1) made a trek to Scottsdale on Sunday and were handed a 7-3 defeat by the Colorado Rockies (12-10). Johnny Cueto started the game for the visitors, but was victimized by the longball on three occasions. Here's a full recap of all the good, the bad, and the notables from the exhibition match:

Roster size down to 33 after cuts

Carlos Fisher was among the players who were shown the door

The Redlegs made eight more cuts on Sunday to trim the roster size down to 33.

Among the cuts were RHP Andrew Brackman, INF Chris Valaika, and OF Denis Phipps (who were all optioned to Triple-A Louisville), and RHP Carlos Fisher, LHP Ron Mahay, LHP Clayton Tanner, LHP Clay Zavada, and RHP Kanekoa Texeria, (who were all reassigned to the minor league camp).

The club can only carry a maximum of 25 players entering the regular season...which means more cuts are looming in the near future.

ESPN magazine predicts Reds will finish second in division

So, another ESPN magazine arrived in my mailbox this morning, but this one was different. It featured baseball on the cover and promised to provide a 2012 MLB preview in the realm of its glossy pages. That was enough to lure me in as I seen uncovered their outlook on the Reds upcoming season.

The folks at the 4-letter network tabbed the team to finish second in the NL Central, just behind the reigning World Series Champion Cardinals. The Brewers occupied the third spot and were followed by the Pirates (4th), the Cubs (5th) and the Astros (6th).

2012 projections: Devin Mesoraco

Mesoraco is expected to occupy the area
behind home plate for many years to
come in the Queen City

It's not often that an organization boasts a catcher as its top prospect, but that's exactly the case for the Reds with Devin Mesoraco. In fact, MLB.com rated the 23-year old as the second-best catching prospect in all of baseball and no. 14 overall in their 2012 Prospect Watch rankings. All of this adds up to lofty expectations for the youngster as he prepares for his first full season in the bigs.

The former first round pick got his first taste of the majors at the tailend of last season, but struggled in the 50 at-bats he received (.180 BA, .226 OBP, 10 Ks). However, that small sample size should in no way suggest that he's offensively challenged. The no. 16 rated prospect by Baseball America batted .289/.371/.484 with 15 HR, 71 RBIs and a staggering 36 doubles in 499 plate appearances in Triple-A last season. Can he carry over that success to the big show in 2012?

To help give us a better idea of whether or not he can, I've compiled projections from three various sources. They are as follows:

Chapman dazzles as the Reds shutout the Padres

What will the Reds do with Chapman to start 2012?

Of course the big news of the day is that Ryan Madson will need Tommy John surgery and is done for the year. As if the Reds already didn't know what to do with Aroldis Chapman, now the situation is even more complicated. Should he remain a starter, and if so should he start in Cincinnati or Louisville, or should he just go back to the bullpen now? Chapman has made his case to start with a strong spring, including five shutout innings today, as the Reds claimed a 6-0 victory over the Padres.

Here's the good, the bad, and the notables from today's split squad action:

Bailey's spring woes continue as Reds fall

Bailey's struggles lately are a cause for concern

Goodyear, Arizona -- The Redlegs (9-12-1) partook in their final split-squad scrimmage of the spring on Saturday and consequently fell to the visiting Giants (12-8) by a tally of 6-4. Homer Bailey got the start for the club and labored through another sub-par outing. Here's the full recap of the good, the bad, and the notables for the contest:

Reds dealt major blow as Madson to miss season

The Redlegs received some unfortunate news on Saturday afternoon as it was announced that newly-acquired closer Ryan Madson needs Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, thus ending the right-hander's 2012 season before it even began.

Madson hadn't pitched in a live game all spring after coming down with a sore elbow early in camp.

Fellow newcomer Sean Marshall is expected to fill the closer role in his absence. Aroldis Chapman and Nick Masset are the likely candidates to setup Marshall.

Some weekend notes and links

March Madness continues to roll on. Here's a little reading material to help get you caught up on the latest Reds-related happenings:

* David Schoenfield of ESPN.com's SweetSpot blog breaks down what the team should do about their starting rotation in this piece from Thursday.

* Ryan Madson continues to be sidelined with a sore right elbow. He was scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on Friday, but that didn't happen. He has yet to pitch in a game all spring, but did throw in a simulated environment on Tuesday and by all accounts looked pretty good.

Cozart Stays Hot But Former Reds Show Potential as Padres Win 5-2

In a game that will surely have people discussing the Mat Latos trade once again, Edison Volquez pitched his best game of Spring Training and Yonder Alonso scored 2 runs as the Padres (13-9) beat the Reds (9-12) As we know, those were 2 of the 4 players sent in the trade to bring Latos to the Reds. However, it is important to remember that it is just ONE spring training game and let's not overreact about the trade just yet. Let's take a look at the rest of the game with a quick overview looking once again at the good, the bad, and the notables.

Nine Reds rank in bottom half of ESPN 500 list

It's a dubious honor to be recognized among Major League Baseball's Top 500 players, but it's an honor nonetheless. ESPN has made its way through half of its #ESPN500 rankings and here are the Reds players who have appeared on the list so far...

#286 Mike Leake (4.94)
#368 Homer Bailey (4.62)
#391 Bronson Arroyo (4.53)
#413 Chris Heisey (4.42)
#415 Ryan Hanigan (4.42)
#431 Bill Bray (4.35)
#437 Ryan Ludwick (4.34)
#444 Zack Cozart (4.32)
#450 Devin Mesoraco (4.30)

Reds turn away Rangers behind strong start by Latos

Goodyear, Arizona -- The Redlegs (9-11-1) and the Rangers (5-14) burned the midnight oil, so to speak, on Thursday as the two tangled in a late night bout at Goodyear Ballpark. Backed by a strong outing from starter Mat Latos coupled with an onslaught of offense, Cincinnati came away with a convincing 6-2 victory. Here's a recap of the good, the bad, and the notables from the affair:

2012 projections: Zack Cozart

All eyes have been trained on Cozart this spring

No offense to the players who have come before him in recent years, but it's been awhile since the franchise has boasted a solid, all-around shortstop. And many around Cincinnati are hoping that rookie Zack Cozart can be that guy.

The 26-year old certainly showed promise after debuting with the Reds last July. Cozart batted .324 (12-37) with 2 HR and 3 RBIs before a shoulder injury derailed the rest of his 2011 campaign. But luckily for him, he did enough in the 11 games that he did appear in to earn the starting nod entering 2012. Management is behind him and the fans believe in him, however, is he capable of living up to the expectations that have been set before him?

To help give us a better idea of whether or not he can, I've compiled projections from three various sources. They are as follows:

Latest odds to win series, pennant and more

The Reds made a bold decision to push all their
chips to the center of the table this year, and
Vegas seems to think their move could pay off.

I'll be the first to admit that I personally try and avoid gambling. I've never been much of a risk-taker and I cringe at the thought of not having control of my (betting) fate. With that said, I do find the odds coming out of Vegas very intriguing. Why so you may ask? Because they're usually pretty damn close to being right.

Here's a look at some notable Reds odds for the season from betvega.com and Bovada:

Odds to win the World Series: 20/1 (T-9th)

Remember this? (video)

July 5th, 1989 - The memorable play occurred during extra innings in a game versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. It is still heralded as one of baseball's all-time greatest bloopers. What happened exactly? I'll refresh your memory.

Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th, Reds right fielder Paul O'Neill can be seen here attempting to field a base hit, but failing to find the handle on it. He then proceeds to kick the cowhide, left-footed, back toward the infield to prevent the game-winning run from scoring. His efforts would be in vain however, as the runner scored on a passed ball just five pitches later anyway, thus giving the Phils a walkoff victory. But the unorthodox relay throw punt by O'Neill will live in infamy

2012 projections: Aroldis Chapman

Chapman is looking to "breakout" in 2012. Will he?

How do you project a player that doesn't even have a known role on the squad yet? I'm not sure, but that's exactly what we're attempting to do today with Aroldis Chapman.

After using the southpaw as a reliever for each of the past two seasons, the club opted to tab him as a starter this past winter. But because of various injuries to some of the team's relievers, coupled with the fact that the Reds' starting rotation is pretty much set (and has been for awhile now), the Cuban Missile may find himself in the bullpen again in 2012. Of course, one can't rule out the possibility of him starting the year in Triple-A as a starter either.

But for now we are left with having to guess his fate for the sole purpose of projecting his season numbers. Luckily, I've drawn from four different sources to help me in my endeavour. They are as follows:

BBTN crew previews Reds

The Baseball Tonight crew rolled into Goodyear, Arizona on Tuesday and seemed to have come away impressed. Watch and listen as Tim Kurjian and former Red Aaron Boone offer their insights on the team.

Former Red Dontrelle Willis signs with O's

Willis spent all of 2011 in the Reds organization

Although Willis' stint with the Phillies didn't last too long, it appears as though the left-hander has already caught on with another team. Here's the release from the Associated Press:

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Dontrelle Willis and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract.

The 30-year-old lefty, who won 22 games in 2005, was released by the Philadelphia Phillies on March 16.

2012 projections: Sean Marshall

Will the 29-year old post an ERA below 2.70 for the
third consecutive season?

It may have cost the Reds an arm (Travis Wood), a bat (Dave Sappelt) and a minor leaguer (Ronald Torreyes), but what they got in return was Sean Marshall this offseason -- a player who most around the league consider to be one of the top left-handed relievers in the game, if not THE best.

The VCU grad appeared in a whopping 78 games last season while posting a gaudy 2.26 ERA and 4.65 BB/K for the Cubs. The year prior to that he posted a 2.65 ERA and 10.9 SO/9 in 80 appearances. If those numbers aren't enough to intimidate opposing hitters, perhaps his towering 6'7" frame will suffice.

What will the 2012 season hold for Mr. Marshall? I'm glad you asked. Here are projections from four sources that attempt to pinpoint his season statline. They are as follows:

Seattle blisters the Redlegs 8-1

Perhaps looking ahead to their coveted off day on Wednesday, the Reds (8-11-1) took an 8-1 beating from visiting Seattle (12-7) on Tuesday. Left-hander Jeff Francis got the start opposite of Mariners' veteran Kevin Millwood. Here's a recap of the good, the bad and a few notables from the exhibition contest:

2012 projections: Ryan Ludwick

Ludwick was brought in over the winter to provide extra punch
to the batting order. Is he capable?

The 33-year old outfielder is entering his first season in the Queen City and 10th overall for his career. Reds fans probably remember Ryan Ludwick best from his time spent as a St. Louis Cardinal, and it's interesting to note that he's accumulated more homeruns (11), more RBIs (41) and more doubles (16) against the Reds than any other MLB team in his career. Yes, a real "Reds killer" indeed. And as fate would have it former Cards GM Walt Jocketty inked him to a free agent deal this offseason. His assignment? To add a much-needed, right-handed run-producing bat in the middle-of-the-lineup to compliment Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Of course, he won't have to do it alone as many expect him to split duties in left with Chris Heisey.

So, what can we expect from the Reds' latest free agent signing in 2012? I'm glad you asked. I've dug up projections from four different sources to help give us a better idea of what one can expect from him this year. They are as follows:

Bailey, Reds blank Sox 1-0

by: Matt Bollman

Staff Writer

The Reds (8-10-1) and the Chicago White Sox (5-11) faced off Monday in what turned out to be primarily a pitchers duel with little offense. The Reds got the best of the Sox and scored the only run of the game winning 1-0. Homer Bailey started for the Reds opposite of LHP Chris Sale. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the notables from today’s game against Chicago:

Who's hot and who's not right now

The Cuban Missile has enjoyed a nice spring thus far

The Spring Training schedule is now a little over halfway complete and Opening Day is a mere two and a half weeks away. Here's a look at who's been having success this preseason, as well as some players that haven't:

2012 predictions: Potential All-Stars

Today is the eighth and final day of the series featuring our season predicitons. We hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them. In this post we examine some of the team's potential All-Stars. Here's who we dubbed as the most likely hopefuls:

Reds rally falls just short

The Reds (7-10) snapped a modest 2-game winning streak as a 9th inning rally against the Arizona Diamondbacks (7-9) fell just short. The Reds took an early lead before blowing up in the 7th. A single lost in the wind, and a key error lead to 7 runs in the inning for the D-Backs. Trailing 8-5 going into the final frame the Reds were able to score 2 runs to make it an exciting ending but ultimately lost 8-7.

Here's the good, the bad and the notables from the affair:

Reds trim roster to 42 with cuts

by: Will Hicks/Jimmi Adair

The Reds invited 58 players to spring camp with the knowledge that only 25 will comprise the Opening Day roster. Thus, some whittling away of the roster size was inevitable. And that's precisely what took place on Sunday as 16 players received word of their fate.

Here's a list of the players who were cut:

Spring training: Does it really matter? (part two)

To take a look back on part one from yesterday click here. Otherwise, enjoy part two!

Here is a quick chart showing the averages of the charts and statistics we looked at before. You know, just in case you glanced over it looking for a more concise chart and summary. It’s ok, we all do it.

2012 predictions: Top Rookie

Today marks the seventh day in our 8-part series of season predicitions. The honor of being the Reds' Top Rookie of 2012 looks to be a two-horse race between SS Zack Cozart and C Devin Mesoraco. While both @RedlegsWriter and I agree on this, we're split between who will have the better season. Here's our picks:

Reds assembled best trade package according to poll

Did the Reds give up too much in acquiring young hurler Mat Latos? Drawing simply from the results of the latest poll conducted by MLBtraderumors.com, the answer is yes.

Here's the question posed by the site to its readers:

Cozart shines as Reds hammer the Indians

A green Reds' hat? That ain't right.

It's just spring training but it's always nice to beat those rivals from the north and that's just what the Reds (7-9-1) did in convincing fashion on Saturday, beating the Indians (4-9) by a score of 9-2. Bronson Arroyo had his best outing of the spring, while Zack Cozart led the way offensively.

Now let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the notables from today's St. Patrick's Day bout:

Updated depth chart

Here's the most up-to-date depth chart for the Reds. As you can tell, no real surprises.



Spring training: Does it really matter?

by: Will Hicks
Staff Writer

It’s a question that comes up every year among fans that are crazy enough to actually be excited (and concerned) about the arrival of Spring Training. Does success (or failure) provide any hints as to how the regular season will play out? General managers, managers and the “experts” we so often listen to suggest that there is hardly any correlation, if any at all.

Jimmi and I were debating the subject and without looking at any statistics thought that teams who were usually bad at the major league level (i.e. Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, etc) might perform better in Spring Training as a result of having young talent and high draft picks as opposed to teams like the Yankees who have powerful major league teams, but lack depth in the minor leagues. We all know that Spring Training gives plenty of opportunities to young and new talents and that the proven veterans just use it to get in “shape.” So, I decided to look up some stats and put some charts together.