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jasontoddwhitt · 01-05-2019, 01:49 PM

July 2018

The month of July was not much of an improvement over the month of June for the Cincinnati Reds. They won one more game and lost three fewer games compared to June. Injuries, cold streaks, and mental mistakes galore doomed the Reds all month, much like they have all season long. Rumors of a fractured clubhouse have begun to run rampant and a couple trades at the deadline were made that seemed to try and fix that.

The first trade went down on July 25th, when the Reds sent starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo to the Pittsburgh Pirates for shortstop Jordy Mercer. It shows how thin the rotation is when Gallardo, regarded as nothing more as a long reliever/emergency starter, was the Reds #3 starter to open the season. Gallardo pitched okay in April and May but was still nothing more than a replacement level player. Gallardo came off the rails in June, much like the rest of the team. The Pirates needed help in the backend of their rotation, and Gallardo slots into the #5 slot in their rotation.

Gallardo: 4-10, 4.96 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.49 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, -0.2 WAR

The Reds get Mercer from the Pirates, which allows the Pirates to move Adam Frazier into the starting shortstop role instead of being a roving starter all over the field to get at-bats. Mercer was mainly brought in to add to the leadership in the clubhouse; Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez can't do it all themselves. Mercer becomes the starting shortstop, while Alex Blandino will spell Mercer and Scooter Gennett in the infield.

Mercer: .255/.327/.401, 282 AB, 6 HR, 3 SB, 90 wRC+, 1.2 WAR

The second trade that is going to cause some controversy is the one that went down the very next day. The Reds sent two former first-round picks in OF Phil Ervin and #3 prospect OF Taylor Trammell to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Jordan Lyles. Sources inside the organization have said that Reds scouts have been cooling on Trammell, and the dire need for a major league ready pitcher now superseded any supposed prospect rankings. Others say the Reds panicked when their plan to call up Robert Stephenson following the Gallardo trade blew up in their face when Stephenson suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in his final start at Louisville before a scheduled callup to Cincinnati and the Reds had zero interest in calling up either Brandon Finnegan or Rookie Davis. Ervin was splitting time in RF with Jose Bautista at the time of the trade due to the injuries to Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler. Ervin will be the #5 OF for the Phillies. Trammell was sent to their High A affiliate. Lyles will slot in at #4 in the Reds rotation, after splitting time between the Phillies rotation and their bullpen.

Ervin: .222/.271/.404, 99 AB, 3 HR, 76 wRC+, -0.1 WAR
Trammell: .298/.399/.433, 252 AB, 2 HR, 13 SB, 139 wRC+, 2.1 WAR (High Single A)

Lyles: 1-3, 1 SV, 3.54 ERA, 40.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 1.2 WAR

Do these two trades improve the major league team today? I would venture to say yes. The Reds sent -0.3 worth of WAR in exchange for 2.4 WAR. If Trammell develops into a star OF though, then the Reds will only have themselves to blame. How many top prospects though have failed throughout the history of baseball though? This is one we will have to watch over the years.

Congratulations to team captain Joey Votto on being named to the 2018 All-Star game, his sixth All-Star selection.

jasontoddwhitt · 01-19-2019, 08:48 PM

August 2018

August was an infuriating month. Reason being that we finally showed for the first time all season what kind of team we thought we were going to be this season. August was the first month that we had a winning record (15-13). August saw us, a team with the second-worst record baseball, complete a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians, who have the best record in baseball. We also had a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, who are currently in the thick of a pennant race with the New York Mets in the NL East.

So how did we do it? Was it pitching? We did get ten quality starts from our rotation in August, which would be the most quality starts in a month we had all season. Shockingly, Homer Bailey led the way with four quality starts. As a matter of fact, Homer was 3-2 with a 2.21 ERA in August. Where was that all year????

The month of September brings roster expansion. We're changing up the rotation a bit, moving Homer to the bullpen and putting Rookie Davis in the rotation. However, Homer, along with Brandon Finnegan and Amir Garrett will be our emergency starters and may get a spot start here and there. We also get Scott Schebler back in the lineup, after his second five-week stint on the DL.

jasontoddwhitt · 01-21-2019, 07:41 PM

MLB News

AL Batter of the Month - Twins 2B Brian Dozier (.306/.409/.704, 11 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R)
NL Batter of the Month - Dodgers LF Joc Pederson (.396/.465/.733, 9 HR, 20 RBI, 28 R)

AL Pitcher of the Month - Rays SP Chris Archer (5-0, 2.31 ERA, 38 K, 1.05 WHIP)
NL Pitcher of the Month - Pirates SP Trevor Williams (4-1, 1.09 ERA, 34 K, 1.21 WHIP)

AL Rookie of the Month - Blue Jays 3B Vladimir Gurrero Jr. (.336/.419/.607, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R)
NL Rookie of the Month - Rockies 1B Ryan McMahon (.354/.420/.586, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 18 R)

Mariners 2B Robinson Cano collected career hit #2500 on August 3rd in a 4-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Dodgers SS Corey Seager had his 23-game hitting streak snapped on August 10th in a 4-8 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Mets RF Jay Bruce launched career home run #300 on August 24th in a 3-10 loss to the Washington Nationals.

Yankees RF Giancarlo Stanton launched career home run #300 on August 25th in a 9-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Pennant Chase

jasontoddwhitt · 01-22-2019, 04:33 PM

Votto Working Hard to Give Back; Reds Announce New Cincinnati-based Charity

When Joey Votto isn't on the diamond, he enjoys working with the less fortunate.

Explaining his reasoning he said, "Growing up poor in Toronto, my family and I often had to rely on the community to help me get through tough times. Now that I'm doing well financially, I want to give back and I am working hard to try and get my team and teammates to do the same."

"Honestly, I do this for selfish reasons," he continued with a smile, "nothing makes me feel better than working with these kids and helping them to succeed."

On the impetus of their first baseman to help the local community, the Cincinnati Reds brass decided to step up to the plate and do everything it could to help. Said team owner, Robert Castellini, "Joey came to us and told us about the work he was doing and we were inspired. That is the kind of upstart thinking that I really admire. I personally asked him how much he needed to get a new program off the ground and wrote him a check. The Reds are proud to be a part of the Cincinnati community and we want to help it succeed. We hope this act can help in a small way."

Local fans and Votto were overjoyed by the news. Said a grinning Votto, "For the team and owner to step up like that really shows me the type of people I work with. Let's put it this way, as long as they want me here, I will play for them. I'm so proud to be a part of this organization."

jasontoddwhitt · 01-23-2019, 07:38 PM

September 12, 2018

Cincinnati loses Garrett for the season, possibly next season

Amir Garrett left his relief appearance on September 3rd against the Pirates after feeling something pop in his elbow. A MRI revealed what the Reds front office feared...ligament damage. Garrett suffered a torn UCL and will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Garrett is obviously done for the year, with the potential to be out for all of next season as well, given the timing of the injury.

After Garrett struggled last year in the Reds rotation, he started the year in Double-A Pensacola, going 2-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 11 starts. The Reds called him up to Triple-A Louisville, where he went 5-9 with a 6.28 ERA in 16 starts. Garrett got a callup to the major at the September 1st roster expansion.

Joe Thatcher was also shut down for the season after suffering a torn labrum on August 30th against the Milwaukee Brewers. In 44 relief appearances, Thatcher was 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA and 41 K.

Reds out of time, out of playoffs

Following today's 2-5 loss to the San Diego Padres, the Reds have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, joining the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, and the San Diego Padres. This is the fifth consecutive season that the Reds have missed the playoffs. The Reds last played in the postseason in 2013. In the last ten seasons, the Reds have missed the playoffs seven times. The Reds last won the World Series in 1990.

Reds deal Hernandez to Toronto for Vicuna

After clearing waivers, the Reds dealt 33-year-old relief pitcher David Hernandez and a prospect to the Toronto Blue Jays for 20-year old minor league shortstop Kevin Vicuna.

"This was a move we have been looking to make for a while now," said Reds GM Dick Williams. "We're trying to give ourselves some payroll flexibility heading into the offseason."

Hernandez signed a two year, five million dollar contract during the offseason after leaving the Diamondbacks organization. Hernandez was one of the few bright spots on the Reds pitching staff this season. In 56 relief appearances, Hernandez had a record of 5-4 with one save recorded. He had a 3.93 ERA with 46 strikeouts in fifty innings pitched.

Kevin Vicuna was an international free agent signing by the Blue Jays in 2014 at the age of 16. Scouts say Vicuna is a plus defender with average speed on the bases, however, he has struggled with mechanical issues in his swing. Vicuna projects to be able to earn a reserve job at the major league level.

jasontoddwhitt · 01-30-2019, 09:35 PM

MLB News

Playoff picture with one week to go...

The collapse of the New York Mets is nearly complete. On August 1st, the Mets were 66-41, nine and a half games ahead of the Washington Nationals. Since then, the Mets have gone 19-31, while the Nationals have gone 31-18 in that same stretch. An important four-game series between the two teams this past weekend ended in a four-game sweep by the Nationals. The Nats finish up with the Marlins and Rockies, while the Mets finish with the Braves and Marlins.

jasontoddwhitt · 02-20-2019, 08:54 PM

End of Season Edition

Mercifully, it's finally over. The 2018 season will be considered a disaster to everyone from ownership to the beer vendors. Preseason expectations were a .500 season and maybe an outside run at the playoffs. Instead, a combination of injuries and under-performance doomed the Reds to a record of 60-102, breaking the loss record of the 1982 Reds.

What went right?

There were a few bright spots on the team this year. Joey Votto was still Joey Votto. He led the league in on-base percentage for the sixth time in his career. Votto's slugging percentage slipped down to .518, the lowest since the 2013 season (not counting his injury-plagued 2014). Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett put up numbers similar to their breakout 2017 seasons. Most importantly, Billy Hamilton was able to stay healthy this season. Hamilton played in a career-high 157 games this season. The last time Hamilton player over 140 games was back in 2014. Hamilton led the league in stolen bases for the first time in his career with 68. It's a shame his OBP never got north of .300.

What went wrong?

Just about everything else. Season-ending shoulder surgery for Luis Castillo completely threw the Reds rotation into disarray. Not even the return of Anthony DeSclafani could right the ship. Sal Ramano was the only starter to pitch over 160 innings, but it was a very inconsistent season. His FIP (4.62) was way under his ERA (5.85), which makes the front office hopeful that next season might be better for him.

Injuries played havoc with the lineup as well. Scott Schebler only played in 90 games after two stints on the DL. Adam Duvall only played in 97 games after two stints on the DL as well. The Reds were hoping that Jesse Winker would take advantage of the extra at-bats, but Winker struggled to a slash line of .238/.323/.324. The Reds front office are hopeful though that Winker's September (.292/.364/.393) will be more in line with what he does in the future.

What does the offseason hold?
Are the Reds at a crossroads? Devin Mesoraco's big contract will be coming off the books, but several players are hitting arbitration. Will the Reds need to cut payroll? Most analysts are saying yes if they want to be profitable. If the Reds could figure out a way to get Homer Bailey's contract off the books, it would allow them to do some potentially exciting things. Unfortunately, the Reds may be stuck with that for one more season.

Probably the most important question is will Raisel Iglesias opt out of his contract? Iglesias could choose to opt out now that he is arbitration eligible.

jasontoddwhitt · 02-21-2019, 06:27 PM

MLB News

AL September Batter of the Month: NYY 1B Greg Bird (.356 AVG, 9 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R)
NL September Batter of the Month: WAS RF Bryce Harper (.326 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 31 R)

AL September Pitcher of the Month: CLE SP Corey Kluber (6 GS, 5-0, 2.54 ERA, 46 IP, 62 K)
NL September Pitcher of the Month: NYM SP Noah Syndergaard (6 GS, 4-0, 2.32 ERA, 42 IP, 49 K)

AL September Rookie of the Month: KC 1B Ryan O'Hearn (.382 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI)
NL September Rookie of the Month: COL 1B Ryan McMahon (.349 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 17 R)

Other News

- Cleveland Indians LF Michael Brantley won the American League batting title with a .350 batting average.

- Washington Nationals SS Trea Turner won the National League batting title with a .328 batting average.

- New York Mets SP Noah Syndergaard has become the first pitcher since 2011 (Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw) to win the triple crown. Syndergaard finished with a 20-7 mark to pace the NL in wins. He also posted a league-best 2.44 ERA and topped the league with 273 strikeouts. Syndergaard should be a firm lock for the NL Cy Young Award. Johan Santanta (2006) was the last pitcher to win the Major League triple crown. Syndergaard becomes the 22nd pitcher in modern MLB history (1901-present) to win the triple crown.

01-05-2019, 01:49 PM	#17
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) July 2018 The month of July was not much of an improvement over the month of June for the Cincinnati Reds. They won one more game and lost three fewer games compared to June. Injuries, cold streaks, and mental mistakes galore doomed the Reds all month, much like they have all season long. Rumors of a fractured clubhouse have begun to run rampant and a couple trades at the deadline were made that seemed to try and fix that. The first trade went down on July 25th, when the Reds sent starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo to the Pittsburgh Pirates for shortstop Jordy Mercer. It shows how thin the rotation is when Gallardo, regarded as nothing more as a long reliever/emergency starter, was the Reds #3 starter to open the season. Gallardo pitched okay in April and May but was still nothing more than a replacement level player. Gallardo came off the rails in June, much like the rest of the team. The Pirates needed help in the backend of their rotation, and Gallardo slots into the #5 slot in their rotation. Gallardo: 4-10, 4.96 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.49 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, -0.2 WAR The Reds get Mercer from the Pirates, which allows the Pirates to move Adam Frazier into the starting shortstop role instead of being a roving starter all over the field to get at-bats. Mercer was mainly brought in to add to the leadership in the clubhouse; Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez can't do it all themselves. Mercer becomes the starting shortstop, while Alex Blandino will spell Mercer and Scooter Gennett in the infield. Mercer: .255/.327/.401, 282 AB, 6 HR, 3 SB, 90 wRC+, 1.2 WAR The second trade that is going to cause some controversy is the one that went down the very next day. The Reds sent two former first-round picks in OF Phil Ervin and #3 prospect OF Taylor Trammell to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Jordan Lyles. Sources inside the organization have said that Reds scouts have been cooling on Trammell, and the dire need for a major league ready pitcher now superseded any supposed prospect rankings. Others say the Reds panicked when their plan to call up Robert Stephenson following the Gallardo trade blew up in their face when Stephenson suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in his final start at Louisville before a scheduled callup to Cincinnati and the Reds had zero interest in calling up either Brandon Finnegan or Rookie Davis. Ervin was splitting time in RF with Jose Bautista at the time of the trade due to the injuries to Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler. Ervin will be the #5 OF for the Phillies. Trammell was sent to their High A affiliate. Lyles will slot in at #4 in the Reds rotation, after splitting time between the Phillies rotation and their bullpen. Ervin: .222/.271/.404, 99 AB, 3 HR, 76 wRC+, -0.1 WAR Trammell: .298/.399/.433, 252 AB, 2 HR, 13 SB, 139 wRC+, 2.1 WAR (High Single A) Lyles: 1-3, 1 SV, 3.54 ERA, 40.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 1.2 WAR Do these two trades improve the major league team today? I would venture to say yes. The Reds sent -0.3 worth of WAR in exchange for 2.4 WAR. If Trammell develops into a star OF though, then the Reds will only have themselves to blame. How many top prospects though have failed throughout the history of baseball though? This is one we will have to watch over the years. Congratulations to team captain Joey Votto on being named to the 2018 All-Star game, his sixth All-Star selection.

01-19-2019, 08:48 PM	#18
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) August 2018 August was an infuriating month. Reason being that we finally showed for the first time all season what kind of team we thought we were going to be this season. August was the first month that we had a winning record (15-13). August saw us, a team with the second-worst record baseball, complete a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians, who have the best record in baseball. We also had a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, who are currently in the thick of a pennant race with the New York Mets in the NL East. So how did we do it? Was it pitching? We did get ten quality starts from our rotation in August, which would be the most quality starts in a month we had all season. Shockingly, Homer Bailey led the way with four quality starts. As a matter of fact, Homer was 3-2 with a 2.21 ERA in August. Where was that all year???? The month of September brings roster expansion. We're changing up the rotation a bit, moving Homer to the bullpen and putting Rookie Davis in the rotation. However, Homer, along with Brandon Finnegan and Amir Garrett will be our emergency starters and may get a spot start here and there. We also get Scott Schebler back in the lineup, after his second five-week stint on the DL.

01-21-2019, 07:41 PM	#19
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) MLB News AL Batter of the Month - Twins 2B Brian Dozier (.306/.409/.704, 11 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R) NL Batter of the Month - Dodgers LF Joc Pederson (.396/.465/.733, 9 HR, 20 RBI, 28 R) AL Pitcher of the Month - Rays SP Chris Archer (5-0, 2.31 ERA, 38 K, 1.05 WHIP) NL Pitcher of the Month - Pirates SP Trevor Williams (4-1, 1.09 ERA, 34 K, 1.21 WHIP) AL Rookie of the Month - Blue Jays 3B Vladimir Gurrero Jr. (.336/.419/.607, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R) NL Rookie of the Month - Rockies 1B Ryan McMahon (.354/.420/.586, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 18 R) Mariners 2B Robinson Cano collected career hit #2500 on August 3rd in a 4-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Dodgers SS Corey Seager had his 23-game hitting streak snapped on August 10th in a 4-8 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Mets RF Jay Bruce launched career home run #300 on August 24th in a 3-10 loss to the Washington Nationals. Yankees RF Giancarlo Stanton launched career home run #300 on August 25th in a 9-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Pennant Chase

01-22-2019, 04:33 PM	#20
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) Votto Working Hard to Give Back; Reds Announce New Cincinnati-based Charity When Joey Votto isn't on the diamond, he enjoys working with the less fortunate. Explaining his reasoning he said, "Growing up poor in Toronto, my family and I often had to rely on the community to help me get through tough times. Now that I'm doing well financially, I want to give back and I am working hard to try and get my team and teammates to do the same." "Honestly, I do this for selfish reasons," he continued with a smile, "nothing makes me feel better than working with these kids and helping them to succeed." On the impetus of their first baseman to help the local community, the Cincinnati Reds brass decided to step up to the plate and do everything it could to help. Said team owner, Robert Castellini, "Joey came to us and told us about the work he was doing and we were inspired. That is the kind of upstart thinking that I really admire. I personally asked him how much he needed to get a new program off the ground and wrote him a check. The Reds are proud to be a part of the Cincinnati community and we want to help it succeed. We hope this act can help in a small way." Local fans and Votto were overjoyed by the news. Said a grinning Votto, "For the team and owner to step up like that really shows me the type of people I work with. Let's put it this way, as long as they want me here, I will play for them. I'm so proud to be a part of this organization." Last edited by jasontoddwhitt; 01-23-2019 at 04:32 PM.

01-23-2019, 07:38 PM	#21
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) September 12, 2018 Cincinnati loses Garrett for the season, possibly next season Amir Garrett left his relief appearance on September 3rd against the Pirates after feeling something pop in his elbow. A MRI revealed what the Reds front office feared...ligament damage. Garrett suffered a torn UCL and will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Garrett is obviously done for the year, with the potential to be out for all of next season as well, given the timing of the injury. After Garrett struggled last year in the Reds rotation, he started the year in Double-A Pensacola, going 2-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 11 starts. The Reds called him up to Triple-A Louisville, where he went 5-9 with a 6.28 ERA in 16 starts. Garrett got a callup to the major at the September 1st roster expansion. Joe Thatcher was also shut down for the season after suffering a torn labrum on August 30th against the Milwaukee Brewers. In 44 relief appearances, Thatcher was 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA and 41 K. Reds out of time, out of playoffs Following today's 2-5 loss to the San Diego Padres, the Reds have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, joining the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, and the San Diego Padres. This is the fifth consecutive season that the Reds have missed the playoffs. The Reds last played in the postseason in 2013. In the last ten seasons, the Reds have missed the playoffs seven times. The Reds last won the World Series in 1990. Reds deal Hernandez to Toronto for Vicuna After clearing waivers, the Reds dealt 33-year-old relief pitcher David Hernandez and a prospect to the Toronto Blue Jays for 20-year old minor league shortstop Kevin Vicuna. "This was a move we have been looking to make for a while now," said Reds GM Dick Williams. "We're trying to give ourselves some payroll flexibility heading into the offseason." Hernandez signed a two year, five million dollar contract during the offseason after leaving the Diamondbacks organization. Hernandez was one of the few bright spots on the Reds pitching staff this season. In 56 relief appearances, Hernandez had a record of 5-4 with one save recorded. He had a 3.93 ERA with 46 strikeouts in fifty innings pitched. Kevin Vicuna was an international free agent signing by the Blue Jays in 2014 at the age of 16. Scouts say Vicuna is a plus defender with average speed on the bases, however, he has struggled with mechanical issues in his swing. Vicuna projects to be able to earn a reserve job at the major league level. Last edited by jasontoddwhitt; 01-30-2019 at 07:06 PM.

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01-30-2019, 09:35 PM	#22
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) MLB News Playoff picture with one week to go... The collapse of the New York Mets is nearly complete. On August 1st, the Mets were 66-41, nine and a half games ahead of the Washington Nationals. Since then, the Mets have gone 19-31, while the Nationals have gone 31-18 in that same stretch. An important four-game series between the two teams this past weekend ended in a four-game sweep by the Nationals. The Nats finish up with the Marlins and Rockies, while the Mets finish with the Braves and Marlins.

02-20-2019, 08:54 PM	#23
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) End of Season Edition Mercifully, it's finally over. The 2018 season will be considered a disaster to everyone from ownership to the beer vendors. Preseason expectations were a .500 season and maybe an outside run at the playoffs. Instead, a combination of injuries and under-performance doomed the Reds to a record of 60-102, breaking the loss record of the 1982 Reds. What went right? There were a few bright spots on the team this year. Joey Votto was still Joey Votto. He led the league in on-base percentage for the sixth time in his career. Votto's slugging percentage slipped down to .518, the lowest since the 2013 season (not counting his injury-plagued 2014). Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett put up numbers similar to their breakout 2017 seasons. Most importantly, Billy Hamilton was able to stay healthy this season. Hamilton played in a career-high 157 games this season. The last time Hamilton player over 140 games was back in 2014. Hamilton led the league in stolen bases for the first time in his career with 68. It's a shame his OBP never got north of .300. What went wrong? Just about everything else. Season-ending shoulder surgery for Luis Castillo completely threw the Reds rotation into disarray. Not even the return of Anthony DeSclafani could right the ship. Sal Ramano was the only starter to pitch over 160 innings, but it was a very inconsistent season. His FIP (4.62) was way under his ERA (5.85), which makes the front office hopeful that next season might be better for him. Injuries played havoc with the lineup as well. Scott Schebler only played in 90 games after two stints on the DL. Adam Duvall only played in 97 games after two stints on the DL as well. The Reds were hoping that Jesse Winker would take advantage of the extra at-bats, but Winker struggled to a slash line of .238/.323/.324. The Reds front office are hopeful though that Winker's September (.292/.364/.393) will be more in line with what he does in the future. What does the offseason hold? Are the Reds at a crossroads? Devin Mesoraco's big contract will be coming off the books, but several players are hitting arbitration. Will the Reds need to cut payroll? Most analysts are saying yes if they want to be profitable. If the Reds could figure out a way to get Homer Bailey's contract off the books, it would allow them to do some potentially exciting things. Unfortunately, the Reds may be stuck with that for one more season. Probably the most important question is will Raisel Iglesias opt out of his contract? Iglesias could choose to opt out now that he is arbitration eligible.

02-21-2019, 06:27 PM	#24
jasontoddwhitt MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: May 2003 Location: KY Posts: 7,921	Re: Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19) MLB News AL September Batter of the Month: NYY 1B Greg Bird (.356 AVG, 9 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R) NL September Batter of the Month: WAS RF Bryce Harper (.326 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 31 R) AL September Pitcher of the Month: CLE SP Corey Kluber (6 GS, 5-0, 2.54 ERA, 46 IP, 62 K) NL September Pitcher of the Month: NYM SP Noah Syndergaard (6 GS, 4-0, 2.32 ERA, 42 IP, 49 K) AL September Rookie of the Month: KC 1B Ryan O'Hearn (.382 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI) NL September Rookie of the Month: COL 1B Ryan McMahon (.349 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 17 R) Other News - Cleveland Indians LF Michael Brantley won the American League batting title with a .350 batting average. - Washington Nationals SS Trea Turner won the National League batting title with a .328 batting average. - New York Mets SP Noah Syndergaard has become the first pitcher since 2011 (Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw) to win the triple crown. Syndergaard finished with a 20-7 mark to pace the NL in wins. He also posted a league-best 2.44 ERA and topped the league with 273 strikeouts. Syndergaard should be a firm lock for the NL Cy Young Award. Johan Santanta (2006) was the last pitcher to win the Major League triple crown. Syndergaard becomes the 22nd pitcher in modern MLB history (1901-present) to win the triple crown.

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Rebuilding the Machine (OOTP19)