http://www.sportsnipe.com Cincinnati Reds, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048015/reds-make-moves-fill-out-roster.html Reds make moves, fill out roster Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048014/laynce-nix-free-agent-daryl-thompson-outrighted-off-40man-roster.html Laynce Nix a free agent, Daryl Thompson outrighted off 40-man roster Mark Sheldon tweets it. I think we all expected Nix to get nixed with so many better, cheaper options, and Thompson shouldn't be a surprise either. Dude's been riddled with injuries. Remember his debut at Yankee Stadium though? That was awesome. MLBTraderumors also says Craig Tatum was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. Plenty of roster clean-up going on with deadline to set the 40-man fast approaching. Update at 4:04 PM (by BK): We have a list of players added to the 40-man roster: RHP Enerio Del Rosario OF Chris Heisey RHP Logan Ondrusek RHP Jordan Smith IF Chris Valaika LHP Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette LHP Travis Wood No shockers there, and Wood and Heisey get protection from the Rule 5. Anyone you think should have been protected but wasn't? Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048013/plenty-transactions-for-reds.html Reds writer John Fay believes after all the Reds moves today, the team will offer Jonny Gomes arbitration. If they weren't, they could have done what they did with Laynce Nix and kept Daryl Thompson. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047152/greatest-reds-34-31.html 34. Billy Rhines Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1890-92, 1895-97 SP 33 9 86 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1890 1890 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A ERA+ – 1890, 1896ERA – 1890, 1986WHIP – 1890, 1896Hits Per Inning – 1896 -9th in career ERA+-11th in career complete games-19th in career wins-34th in career strikeouts-39th in career walks per inning Billy Rhines, a household name in all but the most rustic of homes, has the 9th best peak in Reds history, but just the 86th best prime score. How is this possible? In 1890, as a 21 year-old rookie playing in the inaugural NL season in Cincinnati put together a season which has not been topped since: Rhines had a 28-17 record with a 1.95 ERA (leading the league), which was good for a 184 ERA+ (also led the league) over 401.1 innings (6th best in the NL). He started 45 games, and finished them all. As great as that season was, it did not portend a great future: over the remainder of his career, most of which was with the Reds, he was strictly an average pitcher, with a .500 W-L record and a 105 ERA+. He did, however, manage a blast-from-the-past type season in 1896, recording a 2.45 ERA (188 ERA+), albeit in just 143 innings. 33. Jim Maloney Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1960-1970 SP, RP 30 42 35 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1965 Never 3% 0% 97% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1965 Strikeouts Per Inning – 1963Shutouts – 1966 -1st in career strikeouts-2nd in career hits per inning-7th in career wins-9th in career games started-20th in career ERA+ From 1963 through 1969, Jim Maloney had a 117-60 record, and a stifling 2.90 ERA, which was good for a 125 ERA+. Over that period, he won 20 games twice, and finished in the top 10 in wins five times. His ERA+ ranked in the top 10 four times over that period, and his strikeout totals ranked in the top 10 five times—due in large part to his 99 mph fastball. So why doesn’t Maloney’s name roll off the tongue like the other pitching elites of the era? While he clearly wasn’t as good as a Gibson or a Koufax, Maloney also had a few cards stacked against him: his pitched in a stadium which inflated offense, sometimes as close to 15% higher than Dodger Stadium; he didn’t play for a team playing on the big stage; and he had the incredible misfortune to have the worst season of his career during the Year of the Pitcher, 1968. While some pitchers were decimating the 2.00 ERA threshold, Maloney struggled to a 3.61 ERA (88 ERA+). Nonetheless, in 11 seasons with the Reds, Maloney won 53 more games than he lost, while compiling a 117 ERA+. Maloney’s career ended abruptly, with all but 47 of his 1849 innings coming before his age-30 season. 32. Bob Ewing Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1902-1909 SP 30 44 30 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1905 1907 3% 0% 97% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -5th in career WHIP-8th in career innings pitched-14th in career ERA+-14th in career strikeouts-16th in career wins Long Bob Ewing, standing at 6’6", became a Red after he pitched well against them during an exhibition between the Reds and a local semi-pro team. He made his major league debut the following year at the age of 29, and not once in his eight seasons with the Reds did he post an ERA+ below 100. Ewing had three very good seasons in which he posted top-ten ERA+ seasons, using his spitball to full effect, winning 20 games in 1905, and pitching to a sub-2.00 ERA in 1907. Despite his career ERA+ of 121 with the Reds, Ewing only had five more victories than losses. From 1903 through 1908, Ewing finished in the NL top ten in strikeout/walk ratio. 31. Dan Driessen Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1973-1984 1B, 3B 22 72 58 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1980 Never 88% 12% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Walks – 1980Hit By Pitch – 1980 -9th in career walks-13th in career doubles-15th in career hits-16th in career HR-16th in career RBI I remember as a kid having a baseball card which referenced Driessen as the Reds’ RBI leader from the prior season (1982). So what if he did so with only 57 RBI that year, right? Known as the guy who made Tony Perez expendable, Driessen was steady, but never excellent: every season with the Reds saw Driessen hit to an OPS+ between 102 and 125 en route to a cumulative total of 115. He didn’t hit for a particularly high average (.271 in 12 years as a Red), and was limited, power-wise: he never hit more than 18 dingers. He was good, however, at taking a walk (his on-base percentage with the Reds was 90 points higher than his batting average), and was known as an excellent fielder, leading first basemen in fielding percentage three separate times. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042809/red-reporter-book-club-season-2-episode-1-machine-prologue.html Welcome to Red Reporter's second hurrah into some old-timey nerdery in the form of a book club.  This time we'll be reading Joe Posnanski's The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.  As most of you know, Posnanski is a former Cincinnati Post reporter, current Sports Illustrated writer, and a Clevelander at heart.  I think he does a great job discussing the personalities and stories of the 1975 Reds, and if you have the means I highly recommend acquiring The Machine and giving it a read.  I'll try to post something every week or two covering a chapter of the book so that we finish the book before Opening Day.  Like a great leadoff hitter the Prologue sets the table for the tour de force to follow.  Appropriately, the Prologue begins by describing Pete Rose.  Plenty of guys play the game hard, but it's hard to imagine any player today who acts as ferociously as Rose on field, in the dugout, and in the clubhouse.  With the Reds down three runs in the sixth inning of Game 7, Pete paced the dugout, cursing and getting in the faces of any teammate to tell them how much they (and the Sox) sucked.  Of course, Tony Perez would then hit a two-run HR and the Reds would come back to beat Boston by a run, securing not just a champsionship but an escape from the choker label that had dogged the pre-'75 team. So here are a few questions and observations for discussion. - How important is it to have a fiery leader like Pete Rose in a game 7?  I think it's natural to evaluate a championship team and concoct a story about how the team "gelled" or that so-and-so wouldn't let the team lose.  Over the course of a 162-game season, I don't think these intangibles matter all that much.  But in the World Series, in game 7?  I don't think it's inconceivable that personalities player a larger role and that some players react differently to the pressure than others. - With the Reds down by 3 in the 6th inning, Tony Perez told Sparky "Don't worry.  I hit a home run."  And then: Earlier in the game, [Boston pitcher Bill] Lee had thrown his slow curve, a lollipop of a pitch that peaked at about ten feet off the ground and then dropped gently into the strike zone....  Doggie was mesmerized, and he could not unleash his swing.  "Throw it again," he muttered now....  Bill Lee began his windup, and then he unleased it one more time, his slow curveball, and Perez saw it, his eyes widened, and he did something funny in his swing.  He buckled, like a car trying to jump into second gear. I watched the at bat after reading the book, and man, did Perez crush it.  Well over the Monster.  With Bench on first after Rose had ferociously broken up the DP, the Reds were within one and would win the game, and the championship, on Joe Morgan's bloop RBI single in the 9th.  Perez's reputation as a clutch hitter may well have pushed him into the Hall of Fame.  Is that reputation deserved, and if so, does that justify his inclusion into the Hall?  If you had to pick between Perez and Rose, who would you put in the Hall?  - It's interesting how the perceptions of each team have evolved since the Seventies.  The Reds have gone from dynasty to forgotten man.  The Red Sox have done more or less the opposite.  Before '75 they weren't known as a "cursed" franchise (I believe that wasn't invented until after 1986, but someone correct me if I'm off).  They were simply known as a bad team that had appeared in two WS since 1918 and were the last to integrate.  Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1041212/leake-finishes-whirlwind-year-strong.html Leake finishes whirlwind year strong Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039034/greatest-reds-38-35.html 38. Miller Huggins Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1904-1909 2B 50 34 26 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1905 Never 75% 25% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Inducted to Hall of Fame – 1964 Walks – 1905, 1907Singles – 1906 -11th in career sacrifice hits-20th in career walks-25th in career stolen bases-26th in career on-base percentage-44th in career runs scored Bill James once fashioned a way of calculating a player’s most similar players, statistically, and he posited that if a player’s most similar player had a relatively low similarity score, it was evidence of that player’s excellence. In Miller Huggins’s case, he shared a rather low score with his most similar player (Don Blasingame), but in his case, it was due to the unique nature of the 5’6" player’s game. Consider: over Huggins’s 13-year career, his on-base percentage was 68 points higher than his slugging percentage. He routinely topped 600 plate appearances in a season, but never even reached 20 doubles in any one year, despite his good speed (324 career steals). He scored nearly three times as many runs as he drove in. Roughly half of his playing career was with the Reds, accumulating a batting line of 260/362/310 (104 OPS+), before being traded to the Cardinals for a pair of players who never did much to help the good guys. 37. Sean Casey Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1998-2005 1B 33 34 49 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 2004 2001 91% 9% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Hutch Award – 1999All Star – 1999, 2001, 2004 N/A -11th in career doubles-12th in career batting average-13th in career OPS-19th in career home runs-22nd in career RBI Acquired in a strange deal where the Reds gave up the presumed Opening Day starter (Dave Burba) during the final week of Spring Training, Casey went on to become both a fan favorite and a source of fan disappointment. At his best, Casey was a sweet-swinging hitter, capable of .300+ batting averages, 40+ doubles, and 20+ homers. In his worst moments, his flaws became more evident: a poor fielder, a remarkably slow runner, and a swing that—when off—seemed auto-tuned to hit ground balls to the 2nd baseman. The statistical record is equally polar: Casey had three seasons where he had a batting average over .300, and a slugging percentage over .500. He also had three seasons where the average fell below the .300 mark and his slugging percentage was below .420. Overall, this accounted to a rather middling stat line with the Reds for a modern day first baseman (305/371/463; 114 OPS+), and his peaks, while strong (three times over a 900 OPS), weren’t good enough to carry a team. Casey was the best Red one time: in 2001, he finished first on a dismal offense in RBI (89) and runs (69). 36. Jake Beckley Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1897-1903 1B 37 50 32 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1900 Never 88% 12% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Inducted to Hall of Fame – 1971 N/A -3rd in career batting average-10th in career triples-12th in career OPS+-24th in career runs scored-24th in career RBI When Beckley retired in 1907, he held records for most games played at first base, as well as most putouts recorded at first. The games played record has since been eclipsed by Eddie Murray, but the putouts mark remains. 7 of Beckley’s 20 seasons were spent in Cincinnati, where he signed partway through the 1897 season as a free agent after the Giants released him, thinking his skills had fully receded. Instead, he got even better (his OPS+ with the Reds was 128 as compared to his career mark of 125), routinely hitting over .300 and finishing in the NL top 10 in RBI, doubles, and triples. Over the course of Beckley’s career, several idiosyncrasies appeared: he was known to flip his bat around and bunt with the handle; he once hit three home runs in a game—in a season where he had a total of eight; he was known for pulling the hidden ball trick; he was occasionally witnessed cutting across the diamond to score from 2nd base; and he once—early in his career while still with the Pittsburgh National League team—jumped to the upstart Players League in a bid to make more money. His quality hitting skill remained even and constant throughout his career, however: the Reds sold Beckley to the Cardinals after the 1903 season because manager Joe Kelley wanted to play first base instead. Beckley responded with a 144 OPS+ in 1904. 35. Bug Holliday Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1890-1898 CF, LF 41 40 26 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1892 Never 81% 19% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Home Runs – 1892At Bat / Home Run Ratio – 1892 -8th in career batting average-9th in career stolen bases-13th in career runs scored-14th in career triples-18th in career RBI Holliday made his career debut, at age 18, for the Chicago White Stockings in that era’s version of the World Series. They needed a fill-in outfielder one day, and he got the call. Four years later (1889), he re-debuted as a member of the Red Stockings in their final year in the American Association. As a 22 year old, he led the league in home runs. Upon the team’s switch to the National League, he hit a home run on Opening Day, and was over the next five seasons one of the league’s pre-eminent power hitters, despite the dead ball of the times. In fact, through age 27, Holliday had a career NL OPS+ of 127, and in his best two seasons had OPS+ marks above 140. In 1892, Holliday had top-ten finishes in hits, runs, triples, and RBI, in addition to his league-leading home run total of 13. Two years later, in a higher offensive environment, Holliday hit .372, knocked in 119 runs, and topped a 940 OPS (123 OPS+). So what kept him from being one of the true deadball-era greats? An appendectomy in 1895 apparently removed the greater part of his talent as well. From 1895 through the end of Holliday’s career in 1898, he was a part-time player, only appearing in 152 games, with just 2 home runs and a sub-par (for him) OPS+ level of 96. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1034760/dustys-father-dies.html Dusty's Father Dies After all the bad things I've said about Dusty, I wish him and his family nothing but the best in what has to be a very difficult time. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1033053/piniella-to-be-in-attendance-for-redsfest.html Piniella to attend Redsfest Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031094/baseball-america-releases-their-reds-top-10-prospects-list.html Baseball America releases their Reds top 10 prospects list Guess who's #1? (hint: his name DOESN'T rhyme with Bonder Garbanzo) This in an interesting list....thoughts? If you have a BA subscription JJ Cooper, who made the list, is hosting a chat at 2:30 E.T. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031093/greatest-reds-42-39.html 42. Curt Walker Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1924-1930 RF, LF 42 50 44 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1926 1926 82% 18% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -6th in career triples-10th in career on-base percentage-26th in career RBI-29th in career hits-33rd in career runs scored In Walker’s seven years as a Red, he was a consistent source of triples, hitting a total of 94, and at least ten each year. Five of those years, he finished in the NL top 10. Additionally, Walker was above average in terms of taking a walk, and his career hitting rates as a Red were 303/378/441 (113 OPS+). Ultimately, however, the Reds might have been better off keeping the player they traded for Walker (George Harper), who from 1924 through the end of his career in 1929 hit for an OPS+ of 127, albeit in about 1100 fewer plate appearances, plus being a better defender in right field. 41. Johnny Temple Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1952-59, 1964 2B 43 46 35 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1959 1958 71% 29% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1956, 1957, 1959 (2) Singles – 1956At Bats – 1956Walks – 1957Sacrifice Hits – 1957, 1958Sacrifice Flies – 1959 -16th in career on-base percentage-16th in career walks-26th in career hits-29th in career runs scored-38th in career doubles Owning all the tools except for power, but none of the tools in abundance, Temple was a good second baseman for the six years he was a full time starter there for the Reds. Perhaps his greatest skill was in his bat control, and his command of the strike zone: Temple had more than twice as many walks as strikeouts during his Reds tenure, and frequently finished on the sacrifice hit and sacrifice fly leaderboards. When he hit for just a little bit of power, like he did in 1958 and 1959 (40 and 49 extra base hits, respectively), he became a quite valuable player, with both seasons’ OPS+ at or above 110. After that strong ’59 season, he was traded cross-state to the Indians for Gordy Coleman—who went on to be the starting 1st baseman for the ’61 pennant winners—as well as Billy Martin and Cal McLish. For the remainder of his career with the Indians, Orioles, Astros and the Reds again, Temple had trouble consistently staying in the lineup. 40. Mike Mitchell Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1907-1912 RF 47 33 32 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1909 1909 87% 13% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Triples – 1909, 1910 -7th in career triples-17th in career stolen bases-29th in career OPS+-37th in career RBI-38th in career hits After kicking around the minors for several years, Mitchell finally clicked as a hitter during his age-26 season, for which he was rewarded with a major league contract. Over the next six seasons, Mitchell was a very good hitter (totals with the Reds: 283/345/387, 118 OPS+), and an average defensive right fielder. At his peak in 1909, Mitchell rebounded from a poor 1908 season to hit .310 (2nd in NL), with a .378 OBP (5th in NL), a .430 slugging percentage (2nd in NL), 83 runs scored (8th), 17 triples (1st), 4 home runs (6th), 86 RBI (4th), and 37 stolen bases (6th). His OPS+ of 152 was second only to Honus Wagner. He never again finished in the top ten of any of the rate categories. In December of 1912, Mitchell was involved in an eight-player trade with the Cubs that amounted to very little on either side. 39. Jose Rijo Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1988-95, 2001-02 SP, RP 38 44 38 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1993 1993 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard World Series MVP – 1990All Star – 1994 W-L Percentage – 1991WHIP – 1991Strikeouts – 1993Strikeouts Per Inning – 1993Games Started – 1993, 1994 -2nd in career ERA+-3rd in career K/BB ratio-4th in career strikeouts-9th in career W-L percentage-9th in career WHIP Having broken into the Majors at age 18 with the Yankees, Rijo had not yet enjoyed any real level of success when the Reds traded Dave Parker for him four years later. Employing him in a hybrid starter-reliever role, Rijo broke out in a big way: 13-8, with a 2.39 ERA (150 ERA+) in 162 innings. It was the first of six consecutive seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA. Despite his great pitching, and despite being on some pretty good teams, Rijo never topped fifteen wins in a season. Unless, of course, you count the 1990 postseason, in which Rijo added three wins to his 14 in the regular season. In the World Series of that year, Rijo started two games for 15.1 innings, and only allowed nine hits and one run en route to the WS MVP award. In Rijo’s apex in 1993, he posted career highs in innings (257.1), games started (36), strikeouts (227), and ERA+ (163). Two years later, elbow troubles ended his season, and kept Rijo out of the game for five years, before a up-and-down comeback with the Reds that lasted for 94 innings over two seasons. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031092/former-red-joe-morgan-to-sell-cars.html Former Cincinnati Reds second baseman Joe Morgan hopes to sell some red machines ? and plenty of vehicles in other colors ? at his new auto dealership in southwest Ohio. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030183/red-reposter-where-were-you-when-heard-reds-resigned-ramon-hernandez.html More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP Ramon Hernandez will be back next year, but could that affect the contract status of guys like Jonny Gomes and Jared Burton? Browse more photos » Hall o' Famer Hal weighs in with his opinion on the Hernandez signingand he does little to convince me. "Hernandez hit only .258 last year with five homers and 37 RBIs, but...(he) is the kind of guy I want around when I want to have fun and a guy I want to have around when I need somebody to watch my back." Sorry Hal, but this team needs a catcher, not Danny Glover. Hal also tries his hand at a bit o' statistical analysis. He discusses Jay Bruce's LD% and Aaron Harang's DER. It's actually pretty impressive for an old-timer. Mark Sheldon wonders if the re-signing of Ramon Hernandez will prohibit the team from signing a LFHe says Jonny Gomes is the better choice over Laynce Nix (duh), but "you have to wonder if catcher Ramon Hernandez's re-signing on Monday for one year at $3 million takes away some of the dollars for left field." He says there are other in-house options, but gives the impression that Gomes would be the superior choice. Matthew Pouliot likes the Hernandez signing as well"He's 33 now and clearly on the decline, but if the Reds give him a fair amount of rest, he should be good for a dozen homers and his typical .330-.340 OBP." The Fay has the Boss Man's word on the signing:"It was an offseason priority. When you look at the alternatives, they’re not great. I think he and (Ryan) Hanigan are a good combination. Corky (Miller) is going to go to Triple-A that that gives us some depth."   Craig Calcaterra says the Blue Jays would seriously consider Brandon Phillipsif the Reds were to make him available. But --get this-- they would want him to play 3B. The very same 3B Scott Rolen used to man. He then quips on the Rolen deal, "given that the trade apparently filled no holes for either team and harmed one financially, I'm tempted to deem the Rolen trade the most pointless trade in recent memory." So this is one of the head-shakingest bits of internews I've read in a while. Jack Moore at FanGraphs writes about the recent non-rumor of the possibility of the Reds trading Joey VottoWalt Jocketty retorted, "Oh God, no!" when asked about it. Moore says, "With Votto producing as he has through his career, he is one of the best assets in the MLB. Jocketty’s response was right on the money." This gives me hope.  Thanks to Dave from Luhvull for the FanShot. Long time head athletic trainer Mark Mann resigned his post last week.He has accepted a job with Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor(?). God speed, Mr. Mann! FanGraphs lists the best baserunners according to BP's baserunning metricsand Brandon Phillips comes in as one of the leaders of the pack, up there with such speedsters as Michael Bourn, Chone Figgins, Ichiro, and Dexter Fowler. Ride on, BeeP! FanHouse takes a look at the Reds' offseasonThey do a pretty good job reviewing the roster situation, though they inaccurately say that Joey Votto is arb-eligible for the first time this year. Here's the course of action they recommend: "I think the Reds' biggest goal this offseason is to simultaneously dump one of their two overpaid starters without weakening the rotation. If money is a problem for them, they at least have a chance to fill their holes in the outfield and shortstop internally, but beyond Cueto and Bailey, there's not much their system has to offer in terms of pitching. The problem for them is that it won't be easy to find someone willing to take Arroyo or Harang without the Reds paying a lot of their salary, and so the amount of money freed up by a trade would probably be minimal." Which is to say, we're probably boned. Poll How do you feel about the Hernandez signing? yay nay meh wha?   10 votes | Results Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1029428/how-much-jonny-gomes-worth.html More photos » by David Kohl - AP Jonny Gomes can mash the ball. But he may be the Reds' worst fielder, which cuts deeply into his value. Browse more photos » A lot of the talk about the Hernandez signing was about whether the money spent on Hernandez would affect our ability to sign Jonny Gomes.  I thought it'd be worth it to try to estimate how much Jonny Gomes should actually be paid in 2010. Gomes will be effectively in his second year of arbitration eligibility in 2010.  He's at 4+ years of service, despite having his first significant amount of playing time in 2005: too much time in the minors.  This impacts his earning potential, as players do not make as much in arbitration hearings as they do on the open free agent market.  The general guideline is that they make 40% of free agent salary in their first year of arbitration, 60% in their second year, and 80% in their third year of arbitration, though some work has shown that these values actually underestimate actual totals because arbitration salaries haven't inflated as rapidly as free agent salaries.  But we'll go with 60% for Jonny. Hitting-wise, Jonny is above-average.  CHONE's R150 is +4 RAA for him.  Converted to wins per full season puts him at +0.5 WAA.  CHONE's slightly more optimistic than ZiPS, but let's run with CHONE for now. Gomes's problem is his fielding.  Jeff Zimmerman's UZR projections have him at -3 runs in the corner outfield positions combined.  However, he really only has about 1.5 seasons worth of playing time in the outfield to draw from (192 games started), which means sample size is an issue and thus we're seeing Gomes regressed a bit toward the mean.  Furthermore, Zimmerman's data are based on total UZR data in each season, not UZR/150, which results in several fairly "average" low-inning stints entering into the calculations and pulling the numbers back toward zero.  I'm just not sure that I trust that projection.  So let's try something else. His career UZR/150 in the corner outfield is -22 runs.  Yikes.  But again, it's based on a relatively small sample for this kind of stat, so we probably need to regress roughly 50% toward the mean.  As an alternative, the Fan Scouting Report has him at 2.4 out of 5.0, which is well below the average of RFs of 3.2.  If I'm doing this right (and I think I am), based on standard deviations of the Fans data and UZR data, you can equate 1 unit of FSR to ~17 runs, which would put Gomes at -14 runs below average in RF per full season (-1.6 wins).  That seems in keeping with his all-hit-no-field reputation, so I'm going to go with that estimate.  Nevertheless, I can see arguments for everything from -0.5 wins to -2 wins.  It's a big source of uncertainty, and how you evaluate his overall value depends a great deal on how you evaluate his fielding. Finally, Gomes is playing corner outfield positions, which have a 0.75 win/season penalty to reflect the poor fielding found at that position (it's easier to be an average-fielding left fielder than an average-fielding center fielder).  Replacement is +2.25 wins per season.   So, all of that combined, per season, puts Gomes at 0.5 - 1.6 - 0.75 + 2.25 = 0.4 WAR player per full season.   Ouch.  Fielding just kills his value. The question, then, is playing time.  CHONE projects him at 54% playing time, which isn't an unreasonable guess if you assume he'd platoon with Dickerson in left.  On the other hand, if he starts all year, he might push toward 85% playing time.  Here are estimated WAR totals, free agent dollar values, and 2nd-year arbitration dollar values for each of those two playing time estimates: Playing Time WAR FA $ Arb $ 54% 0.2 $1.0M $0.6M 85% 0.3 $1.5M $0.9M If those seem like surprisingly low totals, remember a) he's not getting paid at free agent rates yet, and b) fielding is killing his value.  He was worth 0.6 WAR according to fangraphs last season...but 2009 was his first positive WAR season since his "breakout" 2005 campaign. Also, in terms of the salaries, keep in mind that these are estimated fair market values for him.  The market, and probably especially the arbitration market, hasn't completely corrected for bad fielding players yet.  Arbitration debates, as I understand them, are still largely settled with AVG/HR/RBI.  So it may be that he'd get more than that in arbitration--perhaps at least the $1.3M he made in 2008.  Nevertheless, I think this is a pretty good estimate of what he should be paid in 2010. Finally, I want to emphasize that this estimate is hugely contingent on how you evaluate his fielding.  Go with the Zimmerman UZR projections and you add a full win (~$4 M) to his FA salary.  Go with his straight-up career corner outfield UZR/150, and he's a replacement player.  What do you folks think? Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1025380/inbox-will-reds-resign-gomes.html Inbox: Will Reds re-sign Gomes? Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023270/greatest-reds-46-43.html 46. Joe Nuxhall Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1944, 1952-60, 1962-66 SP, RP 28 85 86 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1955 Never 2% 0% 98% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1955, 1956 Shutouts – 1955 -3rd in career strikeouts-3rd in single season K/BB ratio (1963)-4th in career games pitched-9th in career wins-10th in career shutouts You know about the MLB debut at 15 years of age, and you experienced the radio broadcasts, but often glossed over with Nuxhall is a long and effective career, fashioning a 130-109 record over 15 seasons as a Red. While rarely an ace (only topping 200 IP thrice), Nuxhall was flexible and consistent—he routinely split time between the bullpen and the rotation, and was generally producing numbers consistent with his career (as a Red) 104 ERA+. Additionally, his bat was potent (for a pitcher), hitting 15 career dingers. Also worth remembering with Nuxhall’s numbers is the context of the era: although he only struck out 5.3 batters per 9 innings, he finished five times in the NL K/9 top ten. In his best season, Nuxhall pitched 257 innings over 50 games (33 starts), with a 17-12 record and a 3.47 ERA (120 ERA+). Nuxhall spent 1961 with the KC Athletics, and part of 1962 with the Los Angeles Angels, before returning to the Reds for the remainder of his career. 45. Leo Cardenas Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1960-1968 SS 45 57 46 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1965 Never 53% 47% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Gold Glove – 1965All Star – 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 Intentional Walks – 1965, 1966 -25th in career doubles-26th in career hits-36th in career home runs-39th in career RBI-39th in career walks A sure-handed shortstop, who was maddeningly inconsistent with the bat, Cardenas broke through into the majors as a 21 year old midway through the 1960 season. During the following season’s pennant run, Cardenas was a part-time player who hit for a 119 OPS+. Thinking they had a potential superstar on their hands, the Reds made full-time room for Cardenas by moving Eddie Kasko to 3rd base. For their efforts, Cardenas rewarded the Reds with a solid season, followed by a complete bust of a year in 1963, with a year-over-year batting average drop of almost 60 points. Chico was known to hit for power (20 home runs in 1966), but you couldn’t really depend on it (2 home runs in 1967). During his peak 1965 season, Cardenas hit 287/355/431 (115 OPS+), while picking up a Gold Glove award. After disappointing seasons in 1967/68, Cardenas was traded to the Twins for Jim Merritt, who went on to post a 20-win season for the Reds in 1970. 44. Ted Breitenstein Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1897-1900 SP 75 19 41 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1897 1897 6% 0% 94% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -4th in career home runs per inning-17th in career W-L percentage-29th in career ERA+-34th in career wins-38th in career innings pitched Over baseball’s long history, no subset of players has been able to statistically dominate a season like the 19th century pitchers, due to the shorter rotations of the time and the consequential high inning totals. During most of the 1890’s Ted Breitenstein was the workhorse for the St. Louis Browns, twice breaking the 400 IP barrier, and once losing 30 games. The Browns sold him to Cincinnati after the 1896 season, and Breitenstein responded with a great season: 23-12, 3.62 ERA (126 ERA+), 320.1 IP. The following season was just a small notch worse: 20-14, 3.42 ERA (112 ERA+), 315.2 IP—including a no-hitter. As was the case with many pitchers in that day, the arm could only take so much: a couple more solid seasons at around 200 innings each, and then 15 more innings with St. Louis again in 1901, and he was done. 43. Tony Mullane Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1890-1893 SP 73 17 40 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1890 Never 9% 2% 89% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Hits Per Inning – 1892 -1st in career complete games-2nd in career wins-11th in career strikeouts-24th in career hits per inning-27th in career ERA Coincidentally, Mullane’s various rankings match very closely with the preceding player (Breitenstein). Two major differences exist, however. First, Mullane’s career with the Red Stockings began in 1886, and if these rankings incorporated stats accumulated in the American Association, Mullane might be a top-10 player, winning over 100 games and throwing over 1500 innings in that pre-NL era. Secondly, Mullane was an all-around player, who frequently played in the field when he wasn’t pitching. In 1890, Mullane started 21 games on the mound, and pitched in four other games, totaling a 12-10 record, with a 2.24 ERA (161 ERA+) in 209 innings. Additionally, Mullane played in 56 other games, playing every position except second base and catcher. As a hitter that year, Mullane hit 276/375/364 (114 OPS+) in 331 plate appearances. The following season, Mullane’s bat seemed to disintegrate, but he compensated by throwing 426.1 innings. Another solid season and a half for the ambidextrous thrower awaited before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Piggy Ward. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018194/reds-looking-past-awards-season.html Reds looking past Awards season Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018193/more-on-hernandez-signing.html More photos » by Tony Tribble - AP As long as he's catching and not playing first base, Hernandez should provide decent value to the Reds in 2010. Browse more photos » Below is an attempt to value Ramon Hernandez properties (here's Slyde's original article on the signing from this afternoon): Hitting: CHONE has Hernandez as a -9 RAA hitter per 150G.  ZiPS is similar in its projection.  Given that Hernandez has been a starter the last many years, I think we can treat CHONE's projected playing time as reasonable guesstimate given that he's an aging catcher who now has an injury history.  So, in 54% playing time (380 PA's; Hanigan should still get to play), converted to wins, that puts him at 0.6 wins below average as a hitter. Fielding: Based on SB/CS/WP/PB/E rates (methods and 2007 data here), I have him at +3 runs this past season, -8 runs in 2008, and +0 in 2007.  A 5/4/3 weighted average those numbers puts him at -1 RAA behind the plate.  Fan Scouting Report gives him an overall rating of 3.2, which is an average rating for catchers.  Given all of this, I think we can be confident in calling him a dead-on average fielding catcher. Catching position adjustment is +1.25 wins/season, and replacement offset is +2.25 wins/season, which combined and pro-rated, adds 1.9 wins to his total.  So: 2010 Projected Value Hitting: -0.6 wins Fielding: +0 wins Position adjustment + replacement: +1.9 wins Total: 1.3 wins above replacement in 2010. For 2011, we can apply a half-win of aging (might be generous), and put him at +0.8 wins above average. Valuing wins is tricky business given the economic environment.  But if we assume that free agent salaries this offseason will be close to where they were the last three offseasons--about $4.4 per WAR--then this would put Hernandez's value at: 2010: $5.7 million 2011: $3.5 million Sheldon reports he signed for $3 million this year and $3.25 million in 2011 if he appears in 74% of Reds games next year (which is well above his projected playing time).  You can add $1 million to his contract for 2010 though, because the Reds paid a $1M buyout to get out of the last contract.  Even so,this looks like a good deal for the Reds, assuming no sudden old-catcher-falling-off-a-cliff syndrome....though maybe that last concern is why the deal is apparently a bit discounted for 2010. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017355/wells-files-for-free-agency.html Wells files for free agency Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1016364/jocketty-speaks-on-reds-payroll.html Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay, "We have some flexibility (on payroll). What I've said is we won't be active in free agency. If you look where we are, it doesn't make much sense." Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1015395/greatest-reds-50-47.html 50. Ewell Blackwell Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1942, 1946-52 SP, RP 60 30 49 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1947 1947, 1950, 1951 2% 0% 98% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 Shutouts – 1946Strikeout/Walk Ratio – 1946, 1947Wins – 1947Strikeouts – 1947Strikeouts Per Inning – 1947, 1950Complete Games – 1947Hits Per Inning – 1950 -13th in career hits per inning-16th in career ERA+-16th in career shutouts-17th in career strikeouts-27th in career wins Sometimes, the quantitative data doesn’t match up with the qualitative: Blackwell was named to the All-Star team six consecutive seasons with the Reds, and was once referred to by Ralph Kiner as the best RH pitcher who ever lived. However, during that six-year stretch were a couple of pretty bad years (1948-1949: combined 12-14, 4.43 ERA, 90 ERA+, split as a starter and reliever). His good years were spectacular: In 1947, The Whip went 22-8, with a 2.47 ERA (166 ERA+), and 193 K in 273 innings. 1950 was a runner-up not to be ashamed of: 17-15, 2.97 ERA (142 ERA+), and 188 K in 261 innings. In 1952, at age 29, Blackwell basically fell apart and was traded away, but only managed three additional victories before the end of his career. 49. Lee May Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1965-1971 1B 65 38 35 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1969 Never 89% 11% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1969, 1971 N/A -9th in career slugging percentage-15th in career home runs-21st in career OPS+-31st in career RBI-38th in career doubles We read about the trade with the benefit of hindsight and see it as the catalyst for the Big Red Machine dynasty (after the 1971 season, the Reds traded Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart for Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingam, Cesar Geronimo, Denis Menke, and Joe Morgan), but one imagines that the trade at the time was less than popular: Lee May was a 28 year old slugger and the best hitter on the team—in fact he had the 6th best OPS+ in the NL in 1971, while Helms was the reigning Gold Glove 2nd baseman. On the flip side, Joe Morgan had not yet turned into Super Joe. Nonetheless, the trade was made…and the rest was history. For May’s part, his career was nowhere near history: he was a productive hitter with the Astros and Orioles through the remainder of the 70’s. As for his time with the Reds, he had two offensive calling cards: a tremendous power hitter, finishing in the NL top 10 in HR in 1969, 1970, and 1971; and a severe shortcoming when it came to taking a walk, compiling just 178 walks in over 3000 plate appearances with the Reds. His composite batting line with Cincinnati was 274/321/490 (123 OPS+). 48. Ken Griffey, Jr Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 2000-2008 CF, RF 39 57 70 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 2000 2000 84% 16% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 2000, 2004, 2007 N/A -4th in career slugging percentage-7th in career home runs-15th in career walks-23rd in career RBI-29th in career runs scored Junior arrived in Cincinnati to much fanfare in February, 2000—a still relatively young superstar being added to a team that had won 96 games the year before. At the time, Griffey was famously predicted to break Hank Aaron’s career home run mark in a Reds uniform. Instead, Griffey was betrayed time and again by his ever-brittle legs: from 2001 through 2006, Junior never appeared in more than 128 games, and three of those seasons, he didn’t even play in as many as 85 games. So, having taken 9 years to effectively play six full seasons, Griffey is paradoxically a top-50 Red: his tenure can be only be seen as a disappointment, but it was still marked with periodic brilliance, as seen in his 40-HR, 133 OPS+ season of 2000, as well as his part-time outputs in 2003 and 2005, where he put up OPS+ marks of 145 and 144, respectively. Still, as good as those final two OPS+ marks were, they were still lower than Griffey’s average OPS+ in Seattle. In mid-2008, Griffey was traded to the White Sox, which ultimately allowed him to experience post-season play, something that had evaded him in Cincinnati. 47. Mario Soto Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1977-1988 SP, RP 49 50 46 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1983 1982, 1983, 1984 1% 0% 99% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1982, 1983, 1984 Strikeouts Per Inning – 1980, 1982Hits Per Inning – 1980Games Started – 1981WHIP – 1982Strikeout/Walk Ratio – 1982Complete Games – 1983, 1984 -1st in career hits per inning-2nd in career strikeouts-6th in career strikeouts per inning-9th in career K/BB ratio-18th in career wins From 1980 to 1985, Soto was baseball’s pre-eminent strikeout thrower, summing 1,063 K’s over those six seasons. In the middle of that stretch (1982 and 1983), Soto was about as good a pitcher as there was in baseball: 1982 saw a 14-13 record (the team went 61-101), with a 2.79 ERA (132 ERA+) and 274 K in 257.2 innings. The following year, Soto was better: 17-13, 2.70 ERA (140 ERA+), and 242 K in 273.2 innings. Soto then had two more heavy workload years of lesser effectiveness, and then his final three seasons only produced 223.2 innings cumulatively, less than a typical peak season. Despite his greatness, Soto had a major gopher-ball weakness, three times leading the NL in home runs allowed. Nonetheless, Soto remains statistically the most stingy Red in terms of allowing a hit, perhaps due in large part to his notoriously deceptive circle-change. After the Reds released Soto during the 1988 season, the Dodgers signed him as a free agent, but he mercifully never appeared in Dodger blue. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1014993/report-reds-resign-catcher.html The Reds have re-signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a one-year contract, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1014293/reds-resign-ramon-hernandez-to-oneyear-deal.html According to Ken Rosenthal, the Reds have re-signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a one year deal.  No details have been released on the terms yet. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1013515/monday-morning-quiz-reds-seasonal-stolen-base-leaders.html Monday Morning Quiz: Reds Seasonal Stolen Base Leaders Today's quiz is easy compared to the last couple of quizzes. This is mainly because there are a lot of repeats in this category over the last 30 years. All you need to know is 12 names to get all 30 years right. So, in order to make it a little more difficult, I have forced you to answer the questions in order. Actually, you can skip an answer if you don't know it, but you won't get credit for guessing a name once and having it fill in multiple years. Good luck! And stay out of the comments section if you don't want to see spoilers! Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1009357/chones-projections-for-hitters-2010-are-out.html CHONE's projections for hitters for 2010 are out Could the Reds really be better off non-tendering Jonny Gomes, saving the few million bucks, and going with Wladimir Balentien instead? Check 'em out and tell me what you think. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1003875/jeff-zimmermans-uzr-projections.html Jeff Zimmerman's UZR projections Jeff Zimmerman posted his 2010 UZR projections. I haven't completely worked through his methodology, but the results seem pretty reasonable. Here are the main Reds of interest: Joey Votto: +2 Brandon Phillips: +7 Paul Janish: +4 (sample size may pull him down a bit) Scott Rolen: +7 Chris Dickerson: +1 in CF, +1 in LF (usually a 10-run difference per season between those positions...) Jonny Gomes: -3 in RF, -1 in LF (I'm surprised it's not worse) Drew Stubbs: +2 (sample pulls him down a lot, appropriately) Willy Taveras: +3 Jay Bruce: +1 (2009 data were better than 2008) That, folks, is a fine fielding team. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/996606/maloney-targets-reds-rotation-spot.html Maloney sets focus on rotation spot Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/994728/greatest-reds-55-51.html 55. Reggie Sanders Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1991-1998 RF, CF 51 57 58 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1995 Never 83% 17% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1995 N/A -11th in career slugging percentage-17th in career home runs-19th in career stolen bases-32nd in career runs scored-34th in career RBI An unmistakable talent hindered by injuries, and one unfortunate month. Reggie Sanders was drafted by the Reds in 1987, made his debut in 1991, and put together a strong rookie season in 1992—finishing 4th in Rookie of the Year voting with a 128 OPS+ as a centerfielder. Sanders never really had a bad year with the Reds, but he also never played more than 138 games—and in both 1996 and 1997 he missed nearly half of each season. 1995 was Sanders’s career year: for the only time in his career Sanders finished in the top ten in runs (91, in a strike-shortened year), RBI (99), Home Runs (28), Doubles (36), Walks (69), and OPS+ (154). In the playoffs, however, he struck out an incredible 19 times in just seven games. Before the 1999 season, Sanders was traded for—in essence—Greg Vaughn, a much-lauded deal, despite Sanders’s seemingly better play that year. 54. Roy McMillan Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1951-1960 SS 39 85 66 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1956 Never 40% 60% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Gold Glove – 1957, 1958, 1959All Star – 1956, 1957 Sacrifice Hits – 1954 -18th in career walks-25th in career hits-27th in career doubles-34th in career runs scored-44th in career RBI The Gold Glove award was introduced in 1957, and was not split by league. One award was given for shortstops, and McMillan—then an established 27-year-old—won it. The next year, the awards were bifurcated into NL and AL, and McMillan won a couple more. Indeed, his fielding must have been legendary: five separate times in his career McMillan received MVP-ballot support, despite his lifetime OPS+ of 72. In his best year of 1956, his hitting was OK for a shortstop: 263/366/344 (OPS+ of 89), but according to range factor, he made roughly 3 extra plays out of every 4 games as compared to the average SS, all while putting up a fielding percentage 14 points higher than league average. After ten full years with the Reds, McMillan was traded to the Braves for pitcher Joey Jay, who twice won 20 games as a Red. 53. Johnny Vander Meer Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1937-43, 1946-49 SP, RP 36 57 93 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1942 1948 1% 0% 99% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard TSN Player of Year – 1938All Star – 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943 Hits Per Inning – 1938, 1941Strikeouts – 1941, 1942, 1943Strikeouts Per Inning – 1941, 1942, 1943Games Started – 1943 -3rd in career shutouts-4th in career strikeouts-5th in career hits per inning-7th in career innings pitched-13th in career wins Vander Meer’s career can be neatly split into four eras: Era 1 (1937-1938) belonged to a wild and unpredictable pitcher—including two magical nights in June of 1938 in which no batter managed a hit off him. Era 2 (1939-1940) belonged to a part-time and ineffective pitcher who contributed little to a pair of pennant winners. Era 3 (1941-1943) belonged to a dominant pitcher with the best stuff in the game. In the war-depleted National League, Vander Meer twice posted the 4th best ERA+, and routinely led in strikeouts, while finishing high in both innings and wins. Era 4 (1946-1949) came after a two-year service to the country’s war efforts. In this era, Vander Meer was a steady and average arm on a bad team—getting credit as the best player on the 64-89 1948 team, despite an unremarkable ERA+ of 115. 52. Bob Bescher Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1908-1913 LF 56 57 38 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1912 1912, 1913 85% 15% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Stolen Bases – 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912Plate Appearances – 1911Runs Scored – 1912Walks – 1913 -7th in career stolen bases-21st in career on-base percentage-21st in career walks-26th in career triples-35th in career runs scored Not particularly great with the bat and decidedly weak glove in Left Field, Bescher was nonetheless a very strong player for two simple reasons: he knew how to take a walk (4 straight times finishing in the top-6 in the NL from 1910-13), and when he got on base, there was none better at taking an extra one (4 straight times leading the league). His 81 steals in 1911 stood as a post-1900 single-season NL mark that lasted until Maury Wills stole 104 bases in 1962. Also of note with Bescher was his remarkable consistency: his year-by-year OPS+ marks during his full-time play as a Red were: 102, 103, 114, 115, and 108. 51. Jake Daubert Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1919-1924 1B 60 41 41 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1920 1922 87% 13% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Sacrifice Hits – 1919Triples – 1922 -2nd in career sacrifice hits-9th in career triples-20th in career batting average-33rd in career hits-36th in career runs scored Unquestionably one of the best players in the NL in the early part of his career with Brooklyn, Daubert was acquired by the Reds prior to the 1919 season—allowing the team to get rid of first baseman Hal Chase, who had been accused of throwing a game the year before. Daubert filled the role admirably, leading the league in sacrifice hits and supplying a league average bat to the World Champion team. As his career dwindled, Daubert had two more vintage seasons (127 OPS+ in 1920, 129 OPS+ in 1922) interspersed with the typical fading of a long career. In 1924, at age 40, Daubert became very ill, returned to the team for the final home game of the year, then had an appendectomy. He died a week later due to complications from the surgery. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/994727/farmers-only-winter-league-update-some-notes.html Chris Heisey loves the Arizona air. Does that bode will for his chances in spring training? View full size photo »   Many of you thought the Arizona Fall League ended with the "Rising Stars" game last weekend, but it actually goes until the end of next week, and our boys in 'zona have just kept on representin'.  This list isn't exhaustive, I've only put up stats, through yesterday, of the players of interest playing in fall/winter leagues.  (If you really want to know how Lew Ford is doing in Venezuela you can look it up)   Arizona Fall League PA Avg OBP SLG HR BB K   Yonder Alonso 75 .290 .333 .406 2 6 8 Chris Heisey 88 .308 .400 .641 5 10 20 Zack Cozart 55 .340 .393 .560 2 5 9 Venezuelan Winter League Danny Dorn 60 .250 .400 .500 4 8 14 Miguel Rojas 57 .288 .345 .346 0 5 10 Dominican Winter League Juan Francisco 76 .227 .325 .455 3 10 20 Kevin Barker 84 .329 .409 .421 1 8 15 Mexican League Adam Rosales 128 .300 .400 .427 2 18 11 Arizona Pitchers IP ERA K BB H HR AVG Mike Leake 11.2 2.31 9 2 17 0 .340 Brad Boxberger 11.1 8.74 11 6 12 2 .286 Sean Watson 10.2 8.44 12 6 20 2 .377 Logan Ondrusek 9.2 10.24 8 1 19 4 .388 Dominican League       Ben Jukich                                           15.2  2.87       12 5      20   1      .323 Enerio Del Rosario 11.2 2.31 6 2 10 0 .222 Sam LeCure 7.1 8.59 6 5 12 0 .353   Zack Cozart hasn't been in a game since last week and isn't listed on the Peoria Saguaros roster anymore.  I can't tell if he's injured or just decided he wanted to go home. Todd Frazier starts play in the Puerto Rican League next week.  I'm giddy. Please note the K/BB ratio for Francisco.  I know it's only the DWL, but the kid is showing signs of being able to take a walk. I'm really intrigued by Del Rosario.  He flew up through the system this season, and ended the year in AAA.  His groundball to flyball ratio was 3.23 during the season and is 2.22 in the DWL.  Sounds like a good fit for GABP. It's still a small sample size, but Chris Heisey keeps making a case for himself. Darnell McDonald is tearin' up Mexico too, but since he's not on the 40 man roster anymore I didn't feel compelled to include him.  Katie Couric is happy about this. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/989854/alonso-focusing-on-basics-in-arizona.html Cincy's Alonso focusing on basics Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/988924/rave-reviews-for-reds-heisey.html Ben Badler of Baseball America had plenty of good things to say about Reds outfield prospect Chris Heisey. Heisey has gone from a 17th-round pick in 2006 to knocking on the big-league door Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/988035/red-reposter-gm-meetings-day-2-we-still-dont-have-hanley-ramirez.html Obama may not have been able to deliver Chicago the Olympics, but at least his hometown hosted the MLB Winter Meetings in his first year in office.  Not much activity thus far, but here are some rumblings: Per a Buster Olney Tweet (via mlbtraderumors.com), the Reds are shopping Coco hard. Olney's heard from other teams that the Reds would love to move closer Francisco Cordero. Of course, closers are plentiful and Cordero is set to earn $25MM over the next two years. The 25M does not include the 12M team option for 2012. As Coco has a no-trade clause, it's very possible that he would ask that the receiving team pick that up in exchange for waiving the clause. With other relievers available on the free agent market, I think he will be tough to move. John Heyman also reports that the Reds are big sellers, and list Coco, Brandon Phillips, and Bronson Arroyo as bait (HT to RijoSaboCaseyWKRP - see his FanPost for a good writeup of the Reds' contractual obligations going forward).  Heyman also mentions that Griffey will return to Seattle next year for 2M plus incentives. The Reds did just save a little money - maybe a million or so - when Micah Owings was found to have missed Super 2 status on a tiebreaker.  He had the same amount of service time as the Cubs' Mike Fontenot and the Orioles' Adam Jones, but Fontenot was awarded Super 2 because he had more service time in the immediately preceding season (2009).  Super 2 helps prevent teams from playing the service clock game by allowing 70% (ed: meant 17%) of players in their third year qualify for arbitration.  They otherwise receive whatever the club dictates, which is usually close to the leage minimum. If you didn't see it, the NL Gold Gloves were announced yesterday.  No Reds were named, meaning that Brandon Phillips lost his title (to Orlando Hudson).  Chase Utley has a pretty good case for the 2B GG as well.  The Silver Sluggers will be named tonight at 7 on the MLB Network. The Hardball Times has a writeup about the pitchers in the Arizona Fall League, including or own Mike Leake:  Mike Leake is a man of many arm angles. It makes pitch classification a little bit complicated, which I suspect hitters will also attest to.  There's also some PitchFX data posted that shows Leake's curve has a pretty good drop.    Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/986643/greatest-reds-60-56.html 60. Bubbles Hargrave Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1921-1928 C 51 69 64 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1923 Never 73% 27% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Hit By Pitch – 1923Batting Average – 1926 -4th in career batting average-11th in career OPS-23rd in career triples-42nd in career doubles-50th in career RBI After several years split between major and minor league time as a very weak-hitting catcher, the light turned on as a 26-year-old playing for St. Paul of the American Association. Hargrave proved the worth of his bat there in two consecutive seasons and the Reds snapped him up, and continued his path towards becoming a great-hitting catcher, including two seasons just around a 150 OPS+. Over his eight seasons with the Reds, Hargrave averaged 96 games played, with a 122 OPS+. 59. Ken Raffensberger Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1947-1954 SP, RP 56 64 49 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1952 1949 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Shutouts – 1949, 1952Games Started – 1949Walks Per Inning – 1950, 1951WHIP – 1951 -4th in career shutouts-7th in career walks per inning-22nd in career innings pitched-23rd in career wins-33rd in career strikeouts In June of 1947, the Phillies and Reds swapped a pair of backup catchers nearing the end of their careers. And the Phils threw in Raffensberger—at that point a 29-year-old journeyman, junkballing pitcher who had a career ERA that was around league average, but a W-L record that was awful—consistent with that of his team. In the ’47 season, Raffensberger had a dreadful first half, so he was shipped off…and became a workhorse #1 pitcher for a team that was also terrible (Raffensberger was a full-time Red in six full seasons…and the Reds never once won as many as 70 games in that stretch). A control pitcher who routinely finished in the top ten in innings pitched, Raffensberger barely topped 500 strikeouts in almost 1500 innings with the Reds. He finished 93 of the 205 games he started as a Red, and despite a 112 ERA+ in Cincy, only had a record of 89-99. 58. Bobby Tolan Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1969-70, 1972-73 CF 85 22 55 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1970 Never 78% 22% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Hutch Award – 1972 Stolen Bases – 1970 -9th in single season hit by pitch (1969)-25th in career sacrifice flies-30th in career stolen bases-44th in career batting average-48th in career home runs After shrewdly trading Vada Pinson for Tolan and Wayne Granger prior to the 1969 season, the Reds had a clear superstar on their hands: a defensive hawk who put up OPS+ seasons of 124 and 126 in 1969 and 1970, respectively—Tolan’s age 23 and 24 years. A Brock2 projection after the 1970 season would have shown rough career estimates of 250 HR, 2700 hits, and 1400 runs scored. Instead, Tolan blew out his achilles tendon in that offseason playing basketball and missed all of 1971. While he came back for a more-than-respectable 1972 season, his ’73 was awful, and his career with the Reds was done—hastened by his own squabbles with management. We’ll never truly know if his career would have looked considerably different had he not missed that crucial age-25 season. We do know that his career was "supposed" to turn out better than 86 HR, 1121 hits, and 572 runs. 57. Arlie Latham Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1890-1895 3B 67 50 45 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1891 1891 72% 28% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -5th in career stolen bases-7th in single season runs scored (1894)-25th in career runs scored-29th in career on-base percentage-36th in career walks Latham was a volatile personality, known for setting lit firecrackers on the field and letting ground balls run past him as he stood still without making an attempt to catch them. Fortunately for the Reds, Latham was also known for running wild on the bases, totaling 337 steals in just 696 games with Cincy, including a career high of 87 in 1891. That year, despite his pedestrian batting average of .272, Latham finished 9th in the NL in walks—leading to a team high 119 runs scored and an OPS+ of 120. 56. Bob Purkey Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1958-1964 SP 55 64 49 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1962 Never 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1958, 1961 (2), 1962 (2) W-L Percentage – 1962 -7th in single season W-L percentage (1962)-10th in career walks per inning-17th in career wins-22nd in career strikeouts-48th in career ERA A knuckleballer with excellent control, Purkey was a consistent innings-eater (from 1958 to 1962, Purkey averaged over 250 innings per year), who was good enough to be a solid contributor to a pennant winner (#3 starter in 1961), and had one great season in him (1962: 23-5, 288.1 IP, 2.81 ERA, 143 ERA+, 64 BB, 141 K) that netted him a 3rd place finish in the ML Cy Young Award voting (behind some scrub named "Drysdale"). While Purkey was involved with two trades involving the Reds, the timing for Cincy was impeccable (he managed 103 of his 129 career victories with the club). Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/982831/artist-applauds-reds-greats.html Joe Morgan, Joe Nuxhall, Johnny Bench, Ted Kluszewski, Ernie Lombardi, Johnny Vander Meer, Eric Davis, Pete Rose. And too many more. World renowned illustrator C.F. Payne will display a 15-inch by 40-inch print to be unveiled at 6:30 p.m. today at the Art Museum in Eden Park. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/980107/head-athletic-trainer-mann-resigns.html Head athletic trainer Mann resigns Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/978978/greatest-reds-65-61.html 65. Chris Sabo Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1988-93, 1996 3B 63 50 65 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1990 Never 76% 24% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Rookie of Year – 1988All Star – 1988, 1990, 1991 N/A -22nd in career home runs-22nd in career doubles-39th in career stolen bases-43rd in career runs scored-46th in career hits Upon reaching the major leagues as a 26-year-old in 1988, the intense Sabo hacked and hustled his way into the hearts of the Cincinnati fans, combining 40 doubles with 46 steals en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors. While Sabo had some trouble staying healthy and on the field, he did put together pretty good seasons in 1990-91, including a 25-25 season in 1990 which he added to by destroying A’s pitching in the World Series (9 for 16, 2 HR, 5 RBI). The injury bug struck again in 1992, and Sabo’s career dwindled from that point forward. 64. Jim O'Toole Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1958-1966 SP 67 66 53 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1961 Never 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1963 N/A -8th in career strikeouts-12th in career games started-19th in career K/BB ratio-21st in career wins-41st in career hits per inning In 1961, Jim O’Toole was the pitching ace of the pennant-winning Reds, winning 19 games, and pacing the team with 252.2 innings and a 3.10 ERA. Although the Reds were outclassed in the World Series by the Yankees, the Reds fan of the day must have been optimistic about the team’s outlook: All five of the starting pitchers had ERA+’s over 100, and four of the five had yet to reach 29 years of age. Plus, a young Jim Maloney was showing considerable promise as a part-time starter. On offense, four out of the team’s best five hitters were 27 or younger; the league’s best player (Frank Robinson) was still just 25. To be sure, the Reds put together a solid string of seasons: 1962 saw the league jump to a 162-game schedule, and the Reds’ win totals in the four successive seasons were 98, 86, 92, and 89. These were still the days of one team from each league reaching the post-season, however, and the Reds were never the best team in the league—one wonders how differently the perception of that era would be…or how the Big Red Machine era might have differed, had the Reds won a couple more pennants during that stretch. 63. Dick Hoblitzel Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1908-1914 1B 69 66 48 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1909 Never 91% 9% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A At-Bats – 1910, 1911 -4th in career sacrifice hits-16th in career triples-35th in career stolen bases-37th in career hits-41st in career RBI A "do a little bit of everything" type of player, Hoblitzel rarely topped league leaderboards, but frequently found his way somewhere on league top-10 lists in several hitting categories (especially triples, RBI, and sacrifice hits), but also posted respectable totals in walks and steals, as well. His best season came at age 20, in 1909, in which he hit over .300 for the only time in his career (.308/.364/.418 – 144 OPS+). Most other seasons, he hovered around his career OPS+ mark of 111. Hoblitzel had an unusual career path in which he amassed almost 5400 plate appearances across 11 seasons, but was still finished before his 30th birthday. 62. Ron Oester Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1978-1990 2B, SS 44 79 73 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1985 Never 58% 42% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Hutch Award – 1988 N/A -6th in career intentional walks-13th in career games played-24th in career hits-24th in career doubles-40th in career runs scored It’s probably not fair, because Oester was essentially the quintessential average 2nd baseman (career OPS+ of 87, average defense), and as such was not without value, but in my mind he’ll always be the "face" of those awful 1982-83 teams…which means bad thoughts. From 1981-1986, Oester was basically an every day player, and while he had his moments (.295 batting average, 98 OPS+ in 1985), he never posted a slugging percentage north of .400. He lost a full year from July 1987 to July 1988 to a knee injury, came back to be the starting 2nd baseman in 1989, and then ended his career in 1990 as Mariano Duncan’s caddy. In his one at-bat during the 1990 World Series, Oester drove in a run with a single off Bob Welch. 61. Grady Hatton Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1946-1954 3B, 2B 54 76 57 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1947 Never 75% 25% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1952 N/A -14th in career walks-32nd in career home runs-35th in career RBI-41st in career runs scored-44th in career hits Hatton’s promising start to his career (128 OPS+ in 507 PA as a 23-year-old rookie, 119 OPS+ in 610 PA the next year) was betrayed by a disappointing remainder (only once again topped a 100 OPS+ with the Reds, at 101 in 1949). What did improve was his defense, which was pretty bad when he came up, but steadily improved up until the end of his Reds tenure, when he was a slick-fielding 2nd baseman. Hatton was somewhat of a walking machine with the Reds (.254 batting average, .350 OBP). Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/978977/jocketty-downplays-trade-talk.html Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has said that payroll will likely be less in 2010 than it was in 2009. But on Wednesday Jocketty stressed that doesn't mean traders have to be traded. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/977172/reds-prepping-to-trade-phillips-arroyo-harang-yahoo-sports.html The Cincinnati Reds have got some cash problems (don't we all?) and they'd like to apparently trade off... Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/977171/reds-are-cutting-payroll.html The Reds are cutting payroll:   Add the Reds to the list of teams that are slashing, rather than spending, this off-season.  Fanhouse's Ed Price and Jeff Fletcher are reporting that Cincinnati is looking to cut their payroll from $71MM in 2009 to between the $65-$70MM range next season.  While it may not sound like much of a reduction, Cot's Baseball Contracts lists the Reds as owing just under $66MM to just ten players for next season, leaving little room to fill out the rest of the roster.   Lagging attendance figures are to blame for the Reds' financial cutbacks.  Price and Fletcher noted that attendance at the Great American Ballpark dropped by more than 15 percent from 2008 to 2009.  General manager Walt Jocketty was quoted in the piece as saying, "We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past...It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason." This is why it's so hard for me to care about baseball or the Reds anymore. I've often got baseball on in the background in the summer, and I like following individual Reds players, but I have zero belief that the Reds will ever be able to build anything approaching a sustainable winner. Forget the 70's, I'm not sure the Reds can afford a team anymore that could match the mid-late 80's Reds that finished in second most every year before winning the World Series in 1990. They will luck into the playoffs again at some point by catching lightning in a bottle (a la 1999), but until baseball fixes things (ha) I just have lost most of my interest. I've never thought this until recently, but there needs to be a salary cap, and MLB needs to consolidate media deals and distribute TV (and possibly radio money) equally. I'm pretty sure the Dallas Cowboys could get a lot more TV money for their games than the Cincinnati Bengals, but luckily the NFL is too smart to allow that to happen. Sadly attendance for baseball hasn't cratered, and probably never will because going to the ballpark is an enjoyable activity even when your team sucks, so I'm not holding my breath for changes. It's just all a shame, the sport could be so much more interesting with a more level playing field. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/977170/red-reposter-jocketty-best-gm-in-central.html Thank a few veterans today. View full size photo » The Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game can be seen hereIf you are like me and dont get MLB Network, this is your chance to catch Chris Heisey, Yonder Alonso, and Mike Leake tear it up against their elite prospect peers. Thanks to Sharks for the heads-up in the FanShots. The Crawfish Boxes takes a look at the GMs of the NL CentralHere's what they say about our own Walt Jocketty: "The interesting thing about Jocketty is he went from a winning team to one that is continually frustrated by not being able to get over the hump. He also went to a team that walked away from a more progressive-thinking GM in former Twins assistant Wayne Krivsky for the more traditional Jocketty. Of course, Jocketty also followed Tony LaRussa from Oakland to St. Louis, so it's unclear how much of his philosophy is tied to LaRussa's. The Reds haven't exactly been dramatic in making over the club, but Jocketty has shown a willingness to be aggressive with the team's prospects and not trade off valuable assets for overhyped players (I'm looking at you, Jim Bowden). Still, Jocketty hasn't shown the same level of success as at his previous two stops. It will take a little more time to see whether his player evaluation method transfers to the Reds scouting department. If Jocketty can hit a few home runs in the draft, the rest of his record in the Queen City will be moot."Check out the full article to see how Jocko compares to the other GMs in the NL Central. Fay Q and A "Q, from Ice82: John, I have a question about Zack Cozart as he does not appear to be on the radar right now. I could not help but notice that he was on the Redsfest roster which was a little surprising. After watching him for an entire season at Carolina, he seemingly has good range. He also showed some pop in his bat with 10 homers at a stadium in Zebulon that is a big home run park. With the questions marks surrounding Janish, is Cozart going to get a good look during spring training? Are the Reds content to potentially limp through 2010 to get to Cozart? A: I think he’ll be in the mix if the Reds don’t add a shortstop. He’s hitting well in the Arizona Fall League (.340/.393/.560). I think Janish is the favorite now. But Cozart could play his way into the picture with a good spring. The Reds think he has more potential as a hitter. The Redsfest invitation doesn’t mean anything. A lot of minor leaguers are there every year."Cozart skipped Sarasota and went straight from Dayton to Carolina this past season and he didnt disappoint. He put up a .750 OPS and played above average SS. I'm sure the Reds will look at him in Spring Training, but there is really no way he starts the year as the Reds' starting SS.  That might be asking a bit too much. Redleg Nation Radio talks with Reds' 4th round draft choice Mark FleuryI thought Fleury was an inspired pick back in June, but his debut was very unlucky. He managed a .676 OPS in 128 ABs at Billings, but his BABIP was a putrid .222. Adjusting for luck, his OPS would be over .900. Look for him to turn some heads in Dayton next season. The Florida State League approved the sale of the Sarasota teamThe Pirates bought the team and are moving it up the street a piece to Bradenton. Thus ends the Reds affiliation with the city of Sarasota, where they had trained since 1998. Project Prospect continues their top 15 lists with corner outfieldersand the Reds' Chris Heisey shows up at #9 on the list. I'm a bit surprised, as I think of him as more of a CF. Either way, PP says he was "born to hit line drives", which sounds good to me.  He blasted AFL pitching, tuning them in to 1.180 OPS on his radio dial.  Classic rock alllllllllll day.  Thanks to Doug for pointing these out. Shawn over at the Reds FanHuddle blog has been doing '09 reviews for every Reds' playerBe sure to check them all out if your looking for a good overview. Here's a snippet of his latest installment, Willy Taveras: "Taveras was signed by Cincinnati to a two-year deal for $2.5 million in 2009 and $4 million in 2010. Taveras was promoted as the centerpiece of the Reds’ switch from a plodding power team lead by Griffey and Dunn to a speedy, defense-oriented outfit. The dash of Taveras at the top of the order, plus his running down balls in center field, would be the key to the new-look Cincinnati club. Taveras promised lots of bunting for base hits and a run at 100 steals. The reality was something less spectacular. Taveras got off to a slow start, had a hot streak from the end of April to the middle of May, collapsed again, and spent much of the second half on the disabled list. By the end of the season, the center field job had been handed to rookie Drew Stubbs. The future of Taveras in Cincinnati is very much in doubt." The Reds are going to need a catcher next year to pair with Ryan Haniganbut Jack Moore at FanGraphs says their just aint much out there. He says Gregg Zaun.com could be the best available, and relatively cheaply. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/973380/fsl-approves-sale-sarasota-reds.html FSL approves sale of Sarasota Reds Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/971401/greatest-reds-70-66.html 70. Dusty Miller Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1895-1899 RF 87 57 58 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1898 Never 80% 20% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -9th in career batting average-13th in career stolen bases-33rd in career triples-43rd in career RBI-48th in career runs scored The greatest "Dusty" ever associated with the Cincinnati Reds, Miller appeared more or less out of nowhere in 1895 after not having played (at best as I can find) for the four previous seasons. Miller was a good hitter (.308 batting average with the Reds over five seasons), who possessed both power and speed (finished 4th in total bases a couple times, and stole 76 bases in 125 games in 1896), but defended right field in a way that could charitably be described as "bad". In 1899, he very suddenly stopped being a good hitter, and his career was over. 69. Ed Bailey Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1953-1961 C 77 79 61 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1956 Never 68% 32% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1956, 1957, 1960 (2) N/A -17th in career AB/HR ratio-26th in career home runs-33rd in career walks-34th in career on-base percentage-43rd in career slugging percentage For a 25 year period (1956-1980, with a 1-year exception of 1961), the Reds had considerable stability behind the plate—a three man regime that began with Ed Bailey. In his first full season of 1956, Bailey posted what would remain career highs in runs (59), hits (115), home runs (28), RBI (75), and OPS+ (143). His brother Jim briefly pitched with the Reds in 1959 to form a unique battery of brothers. 68. Hans Lobert Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1906-1910 3B, SS 83 50 53 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1908 1908 76% 24% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A AB/K ratio – 1910 -2nd in career AB/K ratio-12th in career sacrifice hits-16th in career stolen bases-33rd in career triples-43rd in career OPS+ Known as one of the fastest men in the game at the time he played, Lobert once raced a racehorse around the bases as a publicity stunt. His 5-year tenure with the Reds was spotty, but symmetrical: a good hitting season in limited playing time, followed by a weak season, followed by a truly great season, followed by a weak season, followed by a good hitting season in limited playing time. In the great season (1908), Lobert dominated a low run-scoring environment (his 63 RBI were good for 6th best in the NL) with a 144 OPS+ (5th best) that was paired with 47 steals (3rd). 67. Pat Duncan Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1919-1924 LF 79 46 55 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1922 Never 79% 21% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A N/A -8th in single season doubles (1922)-11th in career batting average-28th in career triples-45th in career hits-47th in career RBI Called up to Cincinnati late in the 1919 season to spell ineffective left-fielders Rube Bressler and Sherry Magee, Duncan quickly solidified himself as the starting left-fielder in just 31 games, and found himself hitting 5th in game 1 of the 1919 World Series, played in all 8 games, and drove in 8 runs to lead the Reds. He then owned the position for four full seasons, showing remarkable consistency while adapting to the new live-ball era (season-by-season OPS+ marks: 109, 109, 119, 112). 1922 saw Duncan hit 44 doubles (3rd in NL) and drive in 94 runs (7th). 1924 saw the tables turn on Duncan, as his ineffective hitting that year led to being replaced by Rube Bressler and his major league career was over at the age of 30. 66. Gary Nolan Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1967-73, 1975-77 SP 45 85 81 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1970 Never 0% 0% 100% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Hutch Award – 1975All Star – 1972 Strikeouts Per Innings – 1967W-L Percentage – 1972Walks Per Inning – 1975, 1976Strikeout/Walk Ratio – 1976 -4th in career WHIP-4th in career K/BB ratio-7th in career W-L percentage-7th in career strikeouts-17th in career ERA+ The anatomy of a shredded arm. In 1967, debuting as an 18-year-old rookie, Gary Nolan was awesome. Nolan went 14-8, with a 2.58 ERA (147 ERA+) and 206 strikeouts over 226.2 innings. Two decent years followed, albeit in part-time duty. Then in 1970, Nolan broke out again: 18-7, 3.27 ERA (128 ERA+), and 181 K in 250.2 innings, serving as the 22-year-old ace of a pennant winning team. A mediocre 1971 followed, then in 1972, Nolan was on his way to his best season yet, with a 13-2 record and a 1.81 ERA at the all-star break. Neck and shoulder pain limited him to just 31.2 innings the rest of the year, however. Then just 10.1 innings in 1973, and he missed he ’74 season completely. For the triumphant seasons of 1975-76, Nolan was back in full-time duty (210.2 and 239.1 innings, respectively) as a 15-game winner both years, but did it as the ultimate soft-tosser: leading the league in walk prevention, and compiling just 187 strikeouts in the two seasons combined. The next year, more injuries struck, and Nolan retired. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/969798/free-agent-options-shortstops.html More photos » by Ben Margot - AP Marco Scutaro and Orlando Cabrera are two shortstop possibilities for the Reds on the free agent market this off-season. Browse more photos » As Walt Jocketty spends his time in Chicago, cozying up to the other GMs for a long Winter's nap season of dealing, he appears to have two priorities on his mind: shortstop and catcher.  The Reds had reportedly been trying to deal with the Brewers for J.J. Hardy, but those talks didn't get anywhere and now Hardy is in Minnesota, likely to be the starting shortstop for the opening of the new Target Field. The Reds could stick with Paul Janish and hope for the best, but his combined batting line of .231/.317/.332 over the last 3 years in the Majors and Minors doesn't exactly instill a bunch of confidence in his ability to be the everyday shortstop for a contending team.  Not that he is without his positives.  He could potentially be on one of the top 5 defensive shortstops in the league.  Based upon his very small sample in the big leagues, he's been doing quite well.  He's posted a UZR of 9.9 in 118 big league games at shortstop - hardly enough of a sample to know what his true talent level is, but if it is anywhere around 10, he's one of the best.  On a team that could be struggling to generate offense though, his defense may not be enough to make up for that putrid offense. So, what are some of the options out there for the Reds to fill the need at shortstop?  While they could still make a trade, it's hard to know at this point who (Hanley Ramirez) might be available.  We do know who should be free agents though, so let's look at them. According to Cots, there are 12 possible free agent shortstops available this off-season.  I doubt that anybody seriously considers Juan Castro, Alex Cora, Bobby Crosby, Ramon Martinez, or John McDonald as much of an option as an everyday starter at shortstop.  I don't really feel like discussing Alex Gonzalez for fear that the Reds might read this and misconstrue it as a desire to have him back on the team.  Adam Everett can still do a pretty good job of picking it in the field, but honestly, he's just an older, more injury-prone version of Janish.  And Kahlil Greene is a decent bet to hit better than Janish, but his 3 year average for UZR puts him at about 8 runs below the average shortstop defensively.  Given that even at his best, he's basically a league average hitter, I wouldn't say he's worth it. That leaves us with four possibilities on the free agent market: Orlando Cabrera, Marco Scutaro, Miguel Tejada, and Jack Wilson.  We'll take a look at each after the jump. Orland Cabrera I would have loved for the Reds to sign Cabrera a couple of years ago, but I'm a little leery of signing a 35-year old shortstop coming off of a bad season.  Cabrera was only slightly above replacement-level last year (0.6 WAR) and that's mainly because he played a difficult position.  His 3-year average UZR puts him at about 2.5 runs above average, which isn't bad for a shortstop, but his age leaves me concerned that his defensive skills may have deteriorated more than a 3-year average might indicate (his UZR in 2009 was -15.3).  Offensively, he's much better than Janish, even in a bad season, but his wOBA has dropped each of the last 3 seasons from a career high of .331 (about league average) in 2007 to .316 in 2008 to .310 in 2009. He's definitely not trending the right way. When I would take him: I haven't been too positive on Cabrera, but I would take him on a one-year deal for at most $3 million (he made $4 million on a one-year deal last year).  The biggest problem that I see with him as an option is that if his defense has gone, his reputation as a great defender will precede him, which means that he'll never be taken out for a defensive replacement.  He's not good enough on offense or defense to justify that.   Marco Scutaro The first thing that jumps out at me for Scutaro is the red flag of an outlier year.  Actually it would be an outlier 2 years.  As a 33-year old, Scutaro put up his best season in 2009 (4.5 WAR), topping his previous best season of 2008 (2.7 WAR), which topped his previous best season of, well, he was never really that good before then.  He is exactly the type of player the Reds should shy away from, if you ask me.  It's not normal for players to suddenly get better and turn in All Star performances in their early or mid-30s.  He is a high risk for a fall-off from his 2009 season, but baseball doesn't tend to pay players that way.  I'm guessing that Scutaro will get paid as if he has found a new level, and I'm also guessing that won't turn out to be a good contract. When I would take him: That's not to say that I wouldn't consider signing him.  I wouldn't give him anymore than 2 guaranteed years though, and I wouldn't want any of his years to be worth more than $6 million.  On the positive side, Scutaro increased his plate discipline dramatically last year, and that seems to have had a great affect on his output.  His BABIP actually appears to be in line with expectation, so I wouldn't say his season was obviously fluky at the plate.  However, the Reds don't exactly have a reputation for fostering patience at the plate.  Defensively, he appears to be good enough that if he can stay around league average offensively, he could be worth 2-2.5 wins.  I'm just not convinced that his offense is real yet.   Miguel Tejada The real issue with Tejada is salary expectations.  He has averaged $12 million a year over the last 4 years, and I would imagine that he's not going to be willing to take an overly dramatic paycut next year unless the market forces it on him.  He is likely the best offensive option for shortstop available this off-season.  He definitely doesn't have the output of his, ahem, prime years, but he's been slightly better than average over 2 of the last 3 years, and I think he's a safe bet to be somewhere close to average in 2010.  The big concern offensively is that he only walked 19 times in over 635 plate appearances last year.  Dusty Baker may like that, but it scares the bejeezus out of me.  He did balance that with just 48 strikeouts, so at least he's putting the ball in play.  And he's probably still good for 30+ doubles and 15 HR, which could give the offense a little bit of a boost.  Defensively, he's below average (probably around 4 runs below average), but I think it's well enough known that he's not a defensive master that Baker would likely use Janish as a defensive replacement for him.  When I would take him: With Tejada, the Reds best hope is that he has too high of expectations for what kind of money he can get and he is forced to take a one-year "prove yourself" deal.  If I'm Jocketty, I'm lurking around Tejada, ready to swoop in and make a deal at the first sign of this possibility.  I'm not too worried about the money on a one-year deal because I think Tejada would make Gomes somewhat expendable, though it'd definitely be nice to have both.  I'm not sure I would do multi-years for Tejada, mainly because I expect he'll be changing positions in the next year or two.   Jack Wilson Wilson actually has an option that still needs to be declined, but I have a hard time believing that the Mariners want to pay him $8.4 million in 2010.  Wilson might be an odd choice for the Reds to consider because he's basically a slightly better version of Janish, but he'll likely cost a few million more.  However, Wilson is a somewhat better hitter than Janish, and has been much better at times.  That potential could make him attractive as a free agent, especially since his worst season after his rookie year is still considerably better than what Janish has done as a big leaguer.  Defensively, Wilson is close to as good as his reputation, and that's the most you can ask for a player that makes announcers go ga ga over his defense.  The downside of Wilson is that there is no way you'll get Baker to move him out of the 2-spot in the lineup. When I would take him: Something that I haven't mentioned yet, but is actually very important in these considerations is the type of free agent each of these guys are.  Cabrera, Scutaro,and Tejada are all Type-A free agents, which means that if their respective teams offer them arbitration and they decline and sign with a new team, the new team will have to give up their first round pick.  The caveat to this is if that pick is in the first 15, then they'd have to give up their 2nd round pick.  So, if the Reds, who have the 12th pick in the draft, sign any of the previous players, they'd likely have to give up their 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft.  It's not a enormous sacrifice, but still a big consideration. (EDIT: It appears that Cabrera is not a risk to be offered arbitration as his contract states that the Twins cannot offer arbitration to him, so signing him will not mean draft picks.  Thanks to Thundering Turtle for the clarification.) Wilson is not a Type-A free agent.  He has however managed to be a league average players (about 2 WAR) over the last 3 seasons.  This is because the Elias Rankings that determine the type of free agency don't take defensive value into account.  Wilson is a very good defender with at least some possibility to be a decent, though not great hitter.  Since the Reds wouldn't have to give up any draft picks, that should make him even more attractive.  I'd consider him over Janish mainly because I think Wilson has a better chance to be average at his position.  I suspect though that he'll be looking for a multi-year deal.  Even if the deal is a cheap one, I really wouldn't want someone like him blocking Zack Cozart, who frankly looks like a much younger, cheaper version of Wilson. What do you think?  Do any of these guys do it for you at shortstop? Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/969334/reds-release-spring-schedule.html The Reds released their schedule for their first season in the Cactus League. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/965478/reds-agree-on-minors-deal-castillo.html Reds agree on Minors deal with Castillo Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/963837/phillips-up-for-another-gold-glove.html Phillips up for another Gold Glove Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/963836/reds-unveil-first-cactus-league-slate.html Reds unveil first Cactus League slate Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/963835/greatest-reds-75-71.html 75. Johnny Edwards Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1961-1967 C 85 72 66 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1963 Never 49% 51% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Gold Glove – 1963, 1964All Star – 1963, 1964, 1965 N/A -15th in career intentional walks-29th in career sacrifice flies-44th in career AB/HR ratio-49th in career HR There are three things that come to mind in seeking to praise Johnny Edwards: 1) he’s one of the top 5 major league ballplayers to come out of The Ohio State University; 2) at his peak, Edwards combined decent durability, gold glove defense behind the plate, and a bat that ranked roughly around league average; and 3) he had the incredibly good sense to have back-to-back poor seasons as Johnny Bench was breaking through to the big leagues. Upon the 2nd poor season in 1967, Edwards was traded to the Cardinals in exchange for two guys who would become big-league managers (Pat Corrales and Jimy Williams). 74. Dave Parker Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1984-1987 RF 93 42 66 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1985 1985 83% 17% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Silver Slugger – 1985, 1986All Star – 1985, 1986 RBI – 1985Total Bases – 1985, 1986Extra Base Hits – 1985Doubles – 1985Intentional Walks - 1985 -6th in single season total bases (1985)-17th in career slugging percentage-21st in career home runs-32nd in career OPS-33rd in career RBI The Cobra. In 1985, the Reds employed a man who was, more or less, the baddest man on the planet. Doc Gooden was perhaps more intimidating, Don Mattingly was perhaps a better hitter, Rickey Henderson a better player, but Parker had the Thing and the respect that went with it. Parker finished the 1985 season with a .312 batting average (5th in NL), 42 doubles (1st), 34 home runs (2nd), 125 RBI (1st), 22 intentional walks (1st) and an OPS+ of 149 (5th)…all to go with one of the most powerful arms in the game. After the 1987 season, Parker was traded to the A’s for Jose Rijo. Parker is the highest ranking Red acquired via free agency. 73. Paul O'Neill Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1985-1992 RF, LF 80 79 61 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1991 Never 82% 18% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard All Star – 1991 N/A -25th in career HR-37th in career walks-40th in career RBI-41st in career doubles-47th in career slugging percentage O’Neill had an unusual career, in that his five best seasons—as measured by OPS+--all happened after he turned 30…which meant they all happened as a member of the Yankees. O’Neill was an adequate right-fielder, with his best season (with Cincy) in 1991 showing stats of 256/346/481, including a career high in home runs (28), and 64 extra-base hits, which was good for 5th in the NL. One mediocre year later, he was sent to New York to become a perpetual .300 hitter, 100-RBI threat, marginal MVP candidate, and huge fan favorite. His transaction chain is pretty interesting: O’Neill was traded for Roberto Kelly, who was eventually traded for Deion Sanders, who was eventually part of a package traded for a group which included Dave Burba, who was eventually traded for Sean Casey. 72. Harry Steinfeldt Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1898-1905 3B, 2B 56 95 78 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1903 Never 65% 35% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard N/A Doubles – 1903 -19th in career triples-33rd in career doubles-36th in career RBI-42nd in career hits-43rd in career stolen bases Bill James tells us that in the old days, third basemen were further to the more difficult end of the defensive spectrum, perhaps akin to where the 2nd base position is today. Given that, with Steinfeldt’s above-average glove and roughly average bat, the resulting ranking of his 7-year career as the primary Reds third baseman around the turn of the 20th century makes some sense. In his best year with the Reds, Steinfeldt hit 312/386/481, good for a 136 OPS+…8th best in the NL that year. Steinfeldt was traded to the Cubs prior to the 1906 season, where he promptly turned in a season in which he led the NL in hits and RBI. Also, while not a key component, Steinfeldt was the starting 3rd baseman on the last Cubs team ever to win a World Series, over 100 years ago. 71. Cesar Geronimo Played as Red Primary Position Career Rank Peak Rank Prime Rank 1972-1980 CF, RF 65 85 73 Percent Breakdown of Value Best Season Best player on Reds Hit Field Pitch 1976 Never 71% 29% 0% Awards/Honors as a Red Leading the League On the Reds Leaderboard Gold Glove – 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 N/A -8th in career intentional walks-35th in career walks-36th in career triples-40th in career doubles-41st in career hits The most unrecognized member of the Big Red Machine starting eight still put together a 15-year career. Part of the key trade that also brought Joe Morgan to Cincinnati from Houston, Geronimo went almost overnight from being a little-used backup outfielder to the starting centerfielder for the best team in the league. One gets the sense that the Reds’ management understood what Geronimo was and what he wasn’t…and decided that what he was fit perfectly into the overall structure of the team. And after giving him regular playing time, Geronimo made two key improvements to his offensive game: he learned how to take more walks (even after accounting for the high number of intentional walks he garnered as the #8 hitter), and he stole more bases. In fact, in 1976—en route to a 3rd consecutive Gold Glove award—Geronimo had a truly career year: a .307 batting average, 56 walks, 24 doubles, 11 triples, 22 steals (while being caught only 5 times), and an OPS+ of 125. Geronimo was one of the surprise stars of the 1975 series, hitting .280 with two home runs. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/962137/monday-morning-quiz-top-50-career-ops-for-reds.html Monday Morning Quiz: Top 50 Career OPS for the Reds This morning's quiz will test your knowledge of a lot of the Reds history. By no means is this an easy one, but there are plenty of players from recent times to help you pad your stats. This is raw OPS, so the more recent players have a slight advantage. You have 12 minutes to guess all 50 (I couldn't do it). A couple of notes: We are only looking at player since 1901 and they must have 1500 PA with the Reds to qualify. We just looking for the top OPS with the Reds, not over their entire career. As always, avoid the comments section lest your quiz be spoiled. Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/955907/press-release collectors-reds-fans-enthusiasts-alike-are-invited-to-cincinnati-art-museum.html Press release: Collectors, Reds fans and enthusiasts alike are invited to the Cincinnati Art Museum on Thursday, Nov. 12 for the unveiling of a limited edition print, Redsland Forever (click link for larger image), by Cincinnati native artist C.F. Payne. Redsland Forever features fourteen illustrated caricatures of Cincinnati Reds legends spanning 140 years of Reds baseball, including Eric Davis, Chris Sabo, Joe Nuxhall and members of the Big Red Machine. The public is invited to a free cocktail reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. An informal lecture by the artist will begin at 7 p.m. 2010 Reds Hall of Fame inductee Chris Sabo will meet and greet with fans prior to the lecture. 1,500 copies of the print will be available for purchase. Each of the 1,500 limited edition prints is individually numbered. Prints numbered 1 through 500 are signed by C.F. Payne, framed and available for $250. Unsigned, numbered prints are $50 each. Prints are available exclusively at the Cincinnati Art Museum Shop starting Nov. 12. Call the Museum Shop at (513) 639-2958 to reserve yours today. They will also be available online at reds.com. Proceeds from sale will benefit the Reds Community Fund?s baseball-themed outreach programs and the Cincinnati Art Museum. What: Unveiling of Redsland Forever, a commemorative print by C.F. Payne Where: Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202 When: Nov. 12, 2009 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission: Free Information: (513) 639-2922 or www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org Cincinnati Reds - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates