2007 Cincinnati Reds

[CaliBuck]

It all goes down here.

[Motown]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

Ok Reds Fans, Here's some spring training photos of our beloved Reds courtesy of
robmadden1
ain't diggin' the BP hats AT ALL!
LMFAO...this is f@^%# hilarious...it's a photo comparison of Harang & Count Chocula...check it

And here's the NEW SLIMMED DOWN Adam Dunn w/ Hamilton


And more here

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

The resemblance between Harang-a-tang and Count Chocula is uncanny!

I've listened to the last couple of games on the radio (driving to and from Indy) and been impressed so far. Little discouraged by Homer Bailey's outing today but it was only his first start. What a gamble Josh Hamilton could turn out to be. Also, I thought Thom Brennaman and Jeff Brantley did a nice job with the Reds/Twins game on Saturday. JB sounded pretty good calling the game. It's going to be fun listening to games this season!

[joshuar9476]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

the kool-aid is mighty potent this year. i see another 1990 esq season approaching. we will fly under the radar all year long until we're looking at everyone in our rear view mirror.

[FinsUp75]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

I am also excited for the tv broadcast team(s). Brennaman is a natural talent, who has quickly become one of the best in the biz. Thank you Marty B. I have always liked Brantley in the booth as well.

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

Are the Reds just winning every spring game to get our hopes sky high?

[WTF]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

I see a great season rolling around for us. Going to stay optimistic that my boy Griffey can stay healthy too

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

I see a great season rolling around for us. Going to stay optimistic that my boy Griffey can stay healthy too

That would be very nice. You know, they do have some nice problems this spring training: too many quality players and not enough spots. They should break camp with a pretty competitive team. I'm not sure if it's one that can win the division but stranger things have happened.

[PhantomPain]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

I am more excited for this season of Reds baseball than I have been in years...and this was even before spring started. I made mention in another thread that I think the Reds will be a suprising team this year. Of course, it is quite possible that they will do well for a few months and then after the all star break, fall apart as usual. But everything I have seen/heard so far sounds very promising.

I think the key factors will be pitching...will Harang and Arroyo continue their trend of getting better (I think/hope so). Will Lohse return to his freshman and sophomore years with the Twins? Will Belisle continue to pitch well into the season as he has so far this spring? I always have hope that Milton will be good, but to be honest I think he is just in the wrong park to be successful as he is a fly ball/long ball pitcher. And Wilson would be a great comeback story if he can pitch well but that remains to be seen. And of course you have Bailey, who will start out in AAA, but has a legitimate chance to be with the club in a couple of months if he is successful in AAA. Can't wait to see this kid be successful.

As for the players, the biggest question mark, although not the only one, will be Griffey as it is every year. If he can play 140 games this year it would mean the world to the Reds...and fans. The other question marks that are nearly as important are Dunn, Hamilton, Phillips and Encarnacion...IMO.

Dunn is working to become a better player in the field and at the plate and with Brook Jacoby as the new hitting coach (Dunn's hitting coach in AAA where Dunn batted over .300), good things can come. He has still struck out quite a bit this spring but is using the whole field and has over a .400 avg so far. I think the strike outs will always be there but if he can them down from 180+ to about 130, that would be an impressive improvement. I think he is still "re-learning" how to hit and some things probably aren't as natural to him yet, but that will come and hopefully help his avg, so's and rbi's. I don't care about the hr's because he will get 35+ without even trying.

Hamilton is a huge surprise this spring and could be the best pick up of the decade for them. He still has an uphill battle but he has shown why he was only the 2nd high school player to ever be taken as the #1 overall (other being A-Rod). He definitely has the talent, but will he be able to handle mlb pitching in mid-season (as opposed to spring training) and will he continue to battle his demons and be successful with that. I, for one, am rooting for him. I read that when he was drafted he was quoted as saying that he thought he would be in the minors for 3 years, the show for 15 years and then the Hall of Fame. And while that may sound arrogant, A) he was young and B) no one seemed to disagree....that's how much talent he had/has.

Phillips was one of the best prospects coming out of the the Tribes organization but he never fullfilled the assumption he would be an all star one day. He had some issues there which may have contributed and now that he is in Cincy, I haven't heard a single negative thing about him. Last year was kind of a break out year for Phillips and I hope this trend continues as he is excellent defensively and has pop to his bat.

And then there is Encarnacion. TONS of potential but he HAS to stop thinking on defense. I played 3rd base in high school and semi-pro, and I had a rough patch where I started thinking too much and made a lot of the same type errors that he has so I can sympathize. It seems nearly impossible to come out of that but it isn't and hopefully he can get over this hump as that is one of the only things holding this kid back. It does amaze me though that someone can play at the major league level, take 10's of thousands of groundballs over the course of a lifetime (up to age 25-26) and still make as many errors as he and others do. But I like him and really hope he can settle down in the field and continue to get better at the plate.

These aren't the only questions I see for the Reds. Another HUGE one would be the closer spot. I just don't know what to think about it right now. I would love to see someone step up and be a great closer as I don't see Weathers getting the job done 20+ times. But the Reds, as was pointed out another post above, have more quality players this year than they have spots available. This is certainly a very good thing. If someone is struggling they can be sent down to work on things while another quality player is called up and hopefully they don't miss a beat. I also like David Ross as a full time catcher. The kid can be clutch and is young and it seems like he can only get better.

Ok, sorry for the long rant. As you can see I am very excited about this season and I hope this winning in spring continues on to the season. I do know that, while it is only spring training and pitchers are no where near what they are in the season, it is much more fun to see them winning than losing.

Good luck Reds and Reds fans, it should be an interesting season.

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

Wow, thanks for the insight, phantom. You bring up some good points. I really hope Griffey has a great year. I remember how excited I was when the rumors were floating around that they were going to trade for him. I'm still a big Junior fan and want him to have success here. It would be great to see him help the team to the playoffs this season.

I'll be interested to see how the bullpen is handled this season. I still don't think they really have a closer, like you said. They did bring on Mike Stanton, who will be nice to have. If Majewski is healthy and can get back to pitching like he did before the Baseball World Cup, or whatever that was (I've forgotten the name - shows how interested I was in it), when he got injured, he'd be a big help.

I'm looking forward to the season as well. I'm keeping my expectations somewhat low but I'll be disappointed if they don't improve some over last season. Krivsky is about at the point where he has his type of players here. We'll see if they can keep improving the results.

[FlyerFanatic08]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

Go Reds!!! wooo, so excited for baseball to start up

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

I guess it was a matter of time. Not sure how long it will last, especially whether Junior is happy playing RF.

Griffey will play right field
BY JOHN FAY | Cincinnati Enquirer

LAKELAND, Fla. – If Ken Griffey Jr. can play in a game by week’s end, he'll play in right field, Reds manager Jerry Narron said.

The Reds came into spring training considering Griffey one of the options in center field, but because he hasn’t played yet that option is no longer there.

“We would have liked to give Junior a chance to play center field,” Narron said. “But he’s been hurt, we’re getting to the point where we need to get our lineup out there. We’ve got to get the club ready. That’s the whole thing.”

Narron thinks the Reds’ best lineup defensively is with Ryan Freel in center field.

“It’s a decision I made,” he said. “I didn’t take it lightly. I’ve talked to people around baseball.”

As to when Griffey plays, it’s unclear.

“He’s been taking batting practice,” Narron said. “He’s still sore. Hopefully, we get him out there some time this week.”

Griffey has not played in any of the Reds 17 spring training games. He’s still dealing with the aftereffects of the broken left hand he suffered in the December.

Narron was asked if there’s a date certain by which Griffey has to play in order to avoid starting the year on the disabled list.

“Probably,” Narron said. “But we’ll see where he is the next few days. The one thing he has had going for him is he’s been able to see live pitching in simulated games.”

Narron said he talked to Griffey about the possibility of moving to right field early in spring training.


The call as to when he’ll play has been Griffey’s since the beginning of camp, and now he knows when he plays it will be in right field.

“Whenever he says he’s ready to go, we’re going to do whatever we can to get him in the lineup,” Narron said.

After today’s off day, the Reds are down to 11 days of games before Opening Day.

[jt45]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

One question: Is Josh Hamilton going to make the team?

[SlimKibbles]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

Isn't he still hitting well? I honestly haven't looked at anyone's stats lately. They have a lot of outfielders right now but I don't know how they can keep him off the team if he's still crushing the ball. They're probably going to have to let go of Denorfia or Hopper.

[PhantomPain]

Re: 2007 Cincinnati Reds

One question: Is Josh Hamilton going to make the team?

Hamilton has cooled down a bit lately which could be due to better pitching as they are getting near the end of spring or his shin splints..or both. And while there has been nothing said officially, I think he makes the team as it is such a bargain and he has lifelong ties with the Narron family. If he had come out in spring and struck out a lot and looked overmatched, then it would have likely been the end of the road for him in Cincy. But he has only struck out a few times and with the exception of the recent cooling down, he has hit the ball great.

So I say he makes the team and plays when Freel is hurt, which will be often.

As for Griffey...it just kills me that this happens every year with him. One of my all time favorite players and I just hate to see his career end the way it is. I keep hoping that he will come out and play 140-150 games and hit .300 40hr 100rbi, but it just doesn't seem like that will be possible anymore. Sucks.