Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

[Funkycorm]

I am the new owner of the Cincinnati Reds. My goal is simple and that is to create a World Series contender out of the Reds. It will be tough in the NL Central with the Cubs and Cardinals ahead of us, but it will be rewarding once we reach those goals. There is something to be said of the oldest team in baseball and their hopeful reemergence to the top of the league.

Like my other dynasties, the strategy will be based on solid drafting, trades, and free agency, as well as building a solid farm system. There is no timeframe for this rebuild. It will take as long as it has to with our goal of winning the World Series as the end point. Maybe?!? We will be building for the future. We will not give up valuable assets to win now.

Settings:

Rosters: An early version of OS so I can get the dynasty going.
All games will be simulated. I may play a game or two each month to get a feel for the team and how they play on the field.

How will I update?

I will do a preseason preview, then 1 update for each month of the season, with a separate post for the draft, a post season recap, playoff series recap (if we are in it), and updates for the offseason for our team. I will focus solely on the Reds.

I will begin once the OS rosters are available.

I now present my Cincinnati Reds Dynasty!

Thank you for reading!

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

Team History prior to 2017

World Series Titles: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990
NL Pennants: 1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1990
NL Central Division Titles: 1995, 2010, 2012
NL West Division Titles: 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1990
Wild Card Berths: 2013

So, the Reds have only been a few 3 seasons removed from the post season which is not a long drought. But we have a long road ahead to get back to October baseball. It has also been 26 years since the Reds were crowned World Champions! As stated before, I mission is to change that and bring at the very least a 6th World Series title to the Reds.

2013: 90-72, 3rd NL Central
2014: 76-86, 4th NL Central
2015: 64-98, 5th NL Central
2016: 68-94, 5th NL Central


AAA: Louisville Bats
AA: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

2017 Roster

2017 Cincinnati Reds
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
34	Homer Bailey (79C)	SP	R/R	30	6'4"	225	$4.20M
28	Anthony Desclafini (79C)	SP	R/R	26	6'1"	226	$680K
37	Scott Feldman (74C)	SP	L/R	34	6'7"	210	$1.50M
29	Brandon Finnegan (71B)	SP	L/L	23	5'11"	200	$540K
55	Robert Stephenson (67B)	SP	R/R	24	6'2"	200	$540K
46	Tim Adleman (65D)	RP	R/R	29	6'5"	225	$540K
31	Drew Storen (79C)	RP	S/R	29	6'1"	195	$3.10M
70	Jumbo Diaz (73C)	RP	R/R	33	6'4"	280	$540K
36	Blake Wood (67D)	RP	R/R	31	6'5"	240	$540K
52	Tony Cingrani (64B)	RP	L/R	27	6'4"	210	$540K
21	Michael Lorenzen (63B)	RP	R/R	25	6'3"	215	$540K
26	Raisel Iglesias (84B)	CP	R/R	27	6'2"	185	$1.50M
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
39	Devin Mesaraco (84B)	C	R/R	28	6'1"	220	$6.90M
16	Tucker Barnhart (75C)	C	S/R	26	5'11"	190	$620K
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
19	Joey Votto (91A)	1B	L/R	31	6'2"	220	$18.00M
9	Jose Peraza (82B)	2B	R/R	22	6'0"	180	$930K
49	Tony Renda (67B) (R)	2B	R/R	26	5'8"	175	$540K
7	Eugenio Suarez (80C)	3B	R/R	25	5'11"	205	$710K
2	Zack Cozart (81C)	SS	R/R	31	6'0"	195	$1.90M
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
43	Scott Schebler (69C)	LF	L/R	26	6'0"	225	$540K
27	Ryan Raburn (69C)	LF	R/R	35	6'0"	185	$540K
6	Billy Hamilton (83B)	CF	S/R	26	6'0"	166	$3.90M
12	Desmond Jennings (69C)	CF	R/R	30	6'2"	210	$1.10M
30	Arismendy Alcantara (66B)	CF	S/R	25	5'10"	170	$540K
23	Adam Duvall (80C)	RF	R/R	28	6'1"	220	$640K

Manager: Bryan Price
Hitting Coach: Don Long
Pitching Coach: Rob Moffett
1st Base: Freddie Benavides
3rd Base: Billy Hatcher
Farm Director: Ray Richardson

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

2017 Depth Chart and Plan

Cincinnati Reds Depth Chart - 2017

• Catcher
• Devin Masaraco
• Tucker Barnhart

• First Base
• Joey Votto

• Second Base
• Jose Peraza
• Tony Renda

• Third Base
• Eugenio Suarez

• Shortstop
• Zack Cozart

• Left Field
• Scott Schebler
• Ryan Raburn

• Center Field
• Billy Hamilton
• Desmond Jennings
• Arismendy Alcantara

• Right Field
• Adam Duvall

• Starting Pitcher
• Homer Bailey
• Anthony Desclafini
• Scott Feldman
• Brandon Finnegan
• Robert Stephenson

• Relief Pitcher
• Drew Storen
• Tim Adleman
• Jumbo Diaz
• Blake Wood
• Tony Cingrani
• Michael Lorenzen

• Closer
• Raisel Iglasias

This is going to be a long process. We are lacking depth in quite a few positions across the board, most notably with our pitching staff as a whole. The only bright spots we have are our closer Raisel Iglasias and the full season premiere of Robert Stephenson. Stephenson is not highly rated for a 24-year-old B potential prospect but he will be given the chance to show he is ready for the show.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

2017 Top Prospects and Farm System

2017 Cincinnati Reds Top Prospects
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
1	Eugene Pope (66B)	SP	L/L	19	5'10"	211
3	Tony Santillan (64B)	SP	R/R	19	6'3"	240
6	Carmen Valenzuela (55B)	RP	L/R	19	6'4"	202
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
5	Tyler Stephenson (59B)	C	R/R	20	6'4"	210
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
2	Nick Senzel (60A)	3B	R/R	21	6'1"	205
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
4	Jesse Winkler (61A)	LF	L/L	23	6'3"	210

We have a lot of work to do with this roster and this is a place to start.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

2017 MLB Power Rankings

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Houston Astros
6. Washington Nationals
7. San Francisco Giants
8. Texas Rangers
9. New York Mets
10. Toronto Blue Jays
11. St. Louis Cardinals
12. Seattle Mariners
13. Baltimore Orioles
14. Detroit Tigers
15. Pittsburgh Pirates
16. Colorado Rockies
17. New York Yankees
18. Kansas City Royals
19. Los Angeles Angels
20. Miami Marlins
21. Tampa Bay Rays
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
23. Atlanta Braves
24. Philadelphia Phillies
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Oakland A’s
27. Chicago White Sox
28. Minnesota Twins
29. Cincinnati Reds
30. San Diego Padres

*Rankings courtesy of ESPN

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

You may post freely!

[jfleming40]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

I'm following! Looking forward to reading.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

I'm following! Looking forward to reading.

Thank you very much! I will be starting in the next few days.

[jfleming40]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

Any update?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

Any update?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There will be soon. I have had some PS4 issues but I am getting those resolved.

[jfleming40]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

There will be soon. I have had some PS4 issues but I am getting those resolved.

Awesome. Can't wait.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BZito75]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

definitely following along. this team is in a desperate need of a facelift...good luck!

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

April 2017

Welcome to the start of the 2017 season. The hiatus is over and the ps4 issues are resolved so we can finally get this dynasty off the ground so let’s get right to it.

It was a rough start to the year for the Reds. With the roster we have, this was to be expected. But before we get in to April, let’s have a quick recap of what we did in Spring Training.

1. The Reds finished March with a training camp record of 12-18.
2. We placed SS Zack Cozart on the trade block hoping we can acquire some prospects for him as we start to approach the All-Star Break.
3. We managed to make it through spring training without any MLB level injuries.
4. We signed 5 B potential prospects who were not on rosters to start the season and hope that some of them can become contributors for us eventually. All of these players were given spots on the AA or AAA roster.

2017 Cincinnati Reds Additional Prospect Signings
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
2	Luis Osuna (65B)	CP	L/L	21	6'2"	202
4	Brian Cardenas (63B)	RP	R/R	19	6'2"	213
5	Francisco Benitez (62B)	RP	R/R	19	6'3"	184
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
1	Charley Szuminski (69B)	1B	R/R	19	6'2"	179
3	Brian Crowley (63B0	2B	L/R	19	5'10"	186

On to the month of April:

The Reds started off well with a home opener win of 3-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies. After that game though, the Reds had a 5-game losing streak. We also had losing streaks of 4 games and 6 games during the month.

April Record: 7-18
Overall Record: 7-18
Current Place: 5th in NL Central

We had some injuries on the minor-league level but we have been lucky to not have any so far at the MLB level. We did not make any major roster moves moving players up and down from the MLB level. We are giving our players a chance to play and show the new management what they are capable of and if they have a place in the future of this team.

We have our scouts busy scouting players from across the country, focusing on pitching early on. With one scout focusing on infield players and the last focusing on outfielders.

We had a few quality performances from players we expected to have them from:

Joey Votto: .271/10 HR/ 20 RBI. He leads the team in all 3 of these categories.
Raisel Iglasias: 2.93 ERA/ 6 SV

Team Stats (Rankings):

BA: .241 (25)
R: 85 (22)
HR: 28 (11)
SB: 13 (13)
E: 12 (16)
ERA: 4.85 (30)
SV: 6 (21)
Runs allowed: 134 (30)
K: 214 (11)

We had some solid numbers in a few of these categories running middle of the road. The big issues that stand out here amongst this sampling is ERA, runs allowed, and Runs scored. Our pitching staff was a definite weakness on our roster and April is already showing that. Outside of Joey Votto and Billy Hamilton, our offense needs a major boost as well. We are only averaging just over 3 runs per game and giving up almost 2 more per game.

Again, the plan here is to give our current players a chance to prove themselves and earn a spot on our roster as we start to rebuild. This year is about focusing on our farm system, making some moves at the break, and getting some more players who will help us in the future. We are not in win now mode.

I am still deciding on a true format for these updates so they may change a bit from month to month.

Stay tuned for our May 2017 update.

Thanks for reading!

[Funkycorm]

Re: Red Sky at Night: A Cincinnati Reds Dynasty

May 2017

We had losing streaks of 4 games, 4 games, and 6 games during the month of May. We did have a 3-game win streak which was our longest of the year so far. We took a huge amount of time to scout players for the upcoming Amateur Draft.

Record:

May Record: 9-20
Overall Record: 16-38
Current Place: 5th in Central

We are already 20 games out of first place in the NL Central, but this is what we expected from this season. This first season is about assessing talent on our current roster and setting a solid foundation for the future. We did not make any trades during the month of May, but did have conversations with several teams about trading away SS Zack Cozart.

Player Performances:

Joey Votto: .281 BA, 18 HR, 41 RBI. Votto is having a solid year and has been one of the only bright spots on our MLB roster. He is 2nd in the NL in home runs, 3rd in RBIs, and in the top 10 for multiple other categories in the NL.
Homer Bailey: 5-4, 50.1 IP, 46K, 4.29 ERA. For being our staff ace, he is not having a great year, but is performing the best of all our starting pitchers.
Adam Duvall: .243 BA, 12 HR, 26 RBI. Duvall is having a solid year for us as well, currently ranked 7th in home runs at the end of May.

Team Stats (Rankings):

BA: .235 (29)
R: 178 (28)
HR: 56 (18)
SB: 25 (13)
E: 26 (19)
ERA: 5.08 (30)
SV: 12 (25)
Runs allowed: 294 (30)
K: 436 (16)

Raisel Iglesias is having a solid year as our closer, saving 12 of our teams 16 wins. He has not blown any saves so is 12 for 12 on attempts. Given a better starting rotation, he will be lights out as our closer for years to come.

Injuries:

On May 19, SP Anthony Desclafini went out with a fractured arm and will be injured for 1 to 2 months. Replacing him from AAA affiliate Louisville Bats in SP Amir Garrett (68B), who compiled a 4-3, 3.53, 50K, 30BB stat line at AAA.

With all the above said, we head into the beginning of June for the 2017 Amateur Draft.

Stay tuned for the Draft.

Thanks for reading!