Kuzul

The 2013 MLB season hasn’t gone the way the Cincinnati Reds had hoped, but there are still many reasons for fans to watch the team in September.

Cincinnati is in position to make the postseason for the third time in four seasons. Whether it wins the division or snags a Wild Card has yet to be determined.

Manager Dusty Baker saw his team get hot after key players returned from the disabled list in August, but the Reds are running out of time to put together a big winning streak.

With one month to play, the Reds will be one of the most exciting teams to watch down the stretch.

Here’s a list of what to watch for in September. 

*All information is courtesy of baseball-reference.com

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The baseball gods aren’t wasting any time at testing the Cincinnati Reds‘ 2013 season.

With Ryan Ludwick’s injured shoulder after three innings on Opening Day, the Reds have to adjust.

The club entered the season with one of the soundest lineups they’ve had in past decade. But now, the Red’s have to look elsewhere for Ludwick’s replacement.

Parallel to Joey Votto’s injury last year, the Reds look for a power replacement very early in the season. Ludwick is expected to miss three months, and with that much time away from the team someone needs to step up.

Ranking from least to most likely, here are the top five Cincinnati Reds likely to step up in Ryan Ludwick’s absence.

All 2013 stats courtesy of mlb.com

All 2012 stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com

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The Cincinnati Reds have made strides this offseason to ensure their chances for yet another NL Central title. Though those strides may have filled some holes, such as that at leadoff, some of them have also weakened the team in other areas.

These may not be considered major deficiencies in the Reds’ lineup, but they will still create challenges that the team must overcome during the 2013 season.

Let’s take a look at some of these newly developed “weaknesses” as well as some that may hang around from the 2012 season.

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After being up two games to none against the San Francisco Giants, then losing three straight games at home in Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds fans and team members were left with a bitter taste in their mouths at the end of last season. Long-suffering followers of the Cincinnati club had built up high hopes after their team plowed through the regular season by winning 97 games on their way to the National League Central Division title.

Former National League MVP Joey Votto summed up the feelings of many after the playoff collapse:

“I’ve never had heartbreak in my life,” the first baseman said. “That’s the first time I actually felt pretty whipped from something. I thought we were going to keep going. For us to get knocked out like that I couldn’t even talk about it for a good bit. I still haven’t spoken about it. I have no interest in speaking about it.

“It was so upsetting and so frustrating,” Votto added. “To have it in our grasp and have it fall through is just so disappointing.”

But now that the calendar has turned over to 2013, it’s time for everyone to forget about the past and look to the future.

The Reds have made some moves during the offseason to solidify both their everyday lineup and their pitching staff. The addition of Shin-Soo Choo should greatly improve what had been a concern at the leadoff spot in the batting order. The bench has likely been upgraded with Jack Hannahan and Jason Donald. Also, overpowering Aroldis Chapman will move from the bullpen to the starting rotation.

But perhaps most importantly, Votto should return to full health after suffering a knee injury during the 2012 season.

On paper at least, the Reds look to be even better in 2013 than they were last season. And despite the bad taste left in the mouths of fans, last season was pretty good.

I was wearing my Reds jacket a few days ago and ran into a fellow fan. “Man, they just broke my heart with that playoff loss,” the man said. That’s a feeling many of us had.

But when we take the time to look back at the last two decades, the 2012 season gave Cincinnati fans more to be thankful for than to regret.

Hopefully, the New Year will bring with it another season filled with wins and hope.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Please check out RacingWithRich.com for NASCAR news and views plus Ryan Dungey and KTM Look to Build on 2012 American Success

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The Cincinnati Reds are heading into the winter meetings, coming off a disappointing finish to an otherwise great season by all other accounts.

The team’s pitchers turned in one of the best performances of any MLB pitching staff in 2012, and the bullpen in particular was a key component in the Reds’ success last season.

Mat Latos proved to be worth every bit of the package the Reds sent to San Diego, and Johnny Cueto turned in a season worthy of Cy Young consideration.

In addition to the success of several starters and the overall good play of the bullpen, the emergence of Aroldis Chapman proved to be the most exciting part of the Reds 2012 season. Though the team is looking to make him a starter for 2013,  

The offense sputtered, at times. but there were bright spots in the offensive production put forth by the team. Todd Frazier came through with a breakout season, Ryan Ludwick bounced back this year and Brandon Phillips continued on with being one of the most consistent second basemen in baseball.

With a healthy Joey Votto, a presumed increase in the depth of the pitching staff and defined lineup spot and position for Todd Frazier, the Reds look to be a team to beat in 2013.

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The 2012 Major League Baseball season came, and has now gone. Gone with it is another disappointing Cincinnati Reds postseason appearance. But remember Reds fans, dwelling on the past is what losers do. Winners move forward.

Though it may not yet feel like it yet, the 2013 season looks very bright for the Cincinnati Reds. Why is that you may ask? Let’s review a few key facts about the season past.

The Cincinnati Reds had the second best record in baseball this season. They finished 2012 with a 97-65 record.

It takes a culmination of things going right for any team to win 97 games. It flat out takes talent to win 97 games despite a few major things going very wrong wrong. In order to find out what went right, let’s take look at what went wrong.

The leadoff position was well, horrid to say the least. Reds leadoff hitters compiled a measly .208 BA with an even more palatable .254 OBP. But, in spite of coming in last (by a long shot) with these two stats, the Reds still managed to finish at least 21 of 30 in runs scored. Maybe not impressive, but more than adequate given those numbers, wouldn’t you say? When your table setters aren’t setting the table you can only do so much.

Let’s also not forget that Cincinnati lost Joey Votto in the midst of an MVP campaign. Yet they still scored enough (key word here is “enough”) runs to manage an even better record without Votto in the lineup. They went 38-16 in his absence vs. 59-49 with him in the lineup.

So what are we getting at here? Simple, espite major offensive handicaps, the Cincinnati Reds were one run and three outs away from a sweep of the eventual Word Series Champions and a chance to take their place in the NLCS.

How did the Reds manage to win with such handicaps? Pitching and defense, that’s how.

Returning to the team, intact, will be a defense that has produced six Gold Glove finalists (Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Zack Cozart, Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, and Bronson Arroyo) along with a pitching staff that allowed the fewest runs in the NL while producing the seond-best team ERA at 3.34.

I must remind you, Reds pitchers did this while pitching in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Let’s tie what we have so far, all of this together. It’s like a domino-effect. The Reds play brilliant defense. That brilliant defense backs up a pitching staff that is above average and who often pitches to contact. Such pitching staffs thrive off of strong defense.

It is this combination that allows for some inadequacies in the Cincinnati offense. When your team is allowing opponents to score the fewest runs in the league, being 21st of 30 teams in offensive runs scored isn’t quite as bad as it could be otherwise.

All six of the Gold Glove finalists are due to return in 2013. Todd Frazier, who arguably played as good a third-base as Scott Rolen did, will be taking over at third. The only true unknown is in left field. Let’s just say that the club seems to have learned their lesson with Adam Dunn and the Yonder Alonso experiments. Defense does matter.

What about the pitching staff in 2013? The Reds will return Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos, a strong and formidable one-two punch, to the top of their rotation. 2013 will be the year that Homer Bailey doubters disappear. Look for Homer to take over the third spot in the rotation.

The reenergized Bronson Arroyo will hold down the fourth spot while Mike Leake and newcomer Tony Cingrani will battle it out for the fifth rotation spot.

All of this leaves Aroldis Chapman to anchor the best bullpen in all of baseball.

So, let’s review again, what all we have covered means? It means, that for the first time in a long time, the Cincinnati Reds really have only one need – help at the top of their batting lineup.

They can fill this need with a slick hitting left fielder, or center fielder, or both. The Cincinnati Reds are that close to becoming the best team in baseball.

The best thing for Cincinnati Reds fans is that they have a GM and an owner that understand this need and will fix it. Folks, Bob Castellini has already put his money where his mouth is. He did that after getting a taste of championship baseball that was foiled by standing pat in 2011.

In 2012 he invested heavily, then was given a glass of fine whiskey that was yanked from him just after he had taken a few sips. Do you think he is going to let 2011 repeat itself? I think not.

The 2013 season looks bright my friends and it will only get brighter as pitchers and catchers prepare to report. Do not dwell fellow fans, do not dwell.

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The Cincinnati Reds bring their 97-65 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the NLDS to the bay shores of San Francisco. It is here that they begin a five-game series against Buster Posey and the Giants. With two teams that are so evenly matched battling it out, every last advantage or disadvantage could mean the difference between a win or a loss.

It’s in this type of environment that questions are bound to arise. So let’s look at five key questions surrounding the Cincinnati Reds and their success during this upcoming showdown.

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The Cincinnati Reds are about to gain what could be regarded as the best late-season acquisition of any team in baseball when slugger Joey Votto returns to the lineup. The club has gone 26-13 during Votto’s absence—thanks in big part to two players named Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier.

Ludwick has essentially locked down the left field spot, going .321/.388/.693 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI since the All-Star break.

But following suit has been Rookie of the Year candidate Todd Frazier. The youngster has produced a .324/.371/.566 slash line with nine home runs and 30 RBI since the break. He has gotten most of his playing time since the break while taking over at first base for one Joey Votto.

It is here that the Reds find themselves with a dilemma.

Once Votto reclaims his throne, the hot-hitting Frazier will be left without a permanent position. Third base is the obvious option, but veteran Scott Rolen has been no slouch in his return since the break going .344/.429/.552 with three home runs and 15 RBI. As long as the veteran is producing at that clip, third base will remain his.

So what do the Reds do with Frazier?

Rolen is most likely going to play only 4-5 games per week. Manager Dusty Baker may also be inclined to sit Votto once a week to insure the health of his surgically repaired knee. Theoretically, that would leave three games per week open for Frazier—is that enough, though?

I say no.

The team leader in offensive WAR is Votto—who is second? None other than Mr. Frazier, of course. How can you play your second-best offensive-producing player only three games per week? 

The answer will have to include resting the aging Rolen more. Rolen and Frazier need to be at least splitting time at the hot corner. It may even include Frazier spot starting in left field.

The answer is going to be complicated, but there should be no argument that Baker needs do everything he can to ensure Frazier’s bat is consistently in the lineup.

What would you do? Chime in with your thoughts.

You can follow Joshua Ramsey on Twitter.

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The following slideshow touts Fantasyland’s All-Star team for the month of June.

To clarify, the 27-man listing only honors statistics from the 30-day window for June and does not necessarily reflect a player’s status from April, May or the preseason.

The competition among outfielders and the corner infield spots was particularly intense.

And yet, this should hardly mollify the embedded masses crying foul over alleged snubs involving Brandon Phillips, David Price, David Ortiz, Mark Trumbo, Colby Rasmus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Juan Pierre, Ben Revere, Josh Johnson, Wade Miley, Justin Verlander, Ryan Vogelsong, Scott Diamond, Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Broxton, Ernesto Frieri and Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster (not enough strikeouts), among others.

Enjoy the show!

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Technically, I may be a little late with these “preseason” predictions because the regular season officially started early Wednesday morning in Japan…but honestly who watched the games in Japan anyways?

This past offseason has been one for the ages as we saw names like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Jose Reyes all switching teams. This regular season shapes up to be even more exciting and interesting, especially with the addition of a second Wild Card. Division titles now mean even more, and there is a chance that we could see someone completely unexpected make the playoffs.

How will everything shape up after October? Here is my opinion.

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