Cincinnati Reds fans are anxious for the start of the 2011 season. Unfortunately, many of us have been engaged in the NFL and haven’t followed the Reds very closely. There have been a few off-season player transactions to catch up on.
The Reds didn’t make any huge deals like this one or this one but they did do something.
Here are the moves they did make.
It’s playoff time!
I know fans of the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Rangers, Giants, Phillies, Reds, and Braves are all gearing up with their jerseys, hats, and probably car flags to show their support as the playoffs get underway this afternoon.
What happened during the season means nothing at this point. Every team starts 0-0 and it become a whole new, albeit short, season.
For the teams themselves, there are players that become October monsters at the plate. The struggles of their regular season behind them, there’s always a new feeling when playoff times comes around that makes them swing a hot bat and help the team in big ways.
But there are also those players who were monsters during the regular season that become equally as dangerous come October.
Here are the 10 best hitters when playoff time rolls around.
Sure, they have a possible Triple Crown candidate in Joey Votto—and fellow All-Stars Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen. The pitching staff has been solid, if not spectacular, led by the most consistent pitcher in the majors: Bronson Arroyo.
But the glue that keeps this team together is the bench. They are unsung heroes that have proven to be the WD-40 to the Reds’ machine when it gets a bit rusty. The players that were expected to be afterthoughts have instead been essential to the Reds success.
Dusty Baker has told media members that the team would be lost without them. Votto calls them “essential” to the team’s good fortunes. Here are the unsung heroes of the 2010 Reds.
The list of former Cardinals turned Reds grew again today. Cincinnati sent OF Chris Dickerson to the Brewers for the 40-year-old Jim Edmonds.
Former Cardinals and current Reds GM Walt Jocketty has acquired Scott Rolen, Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer, and Miguel Cairo in the past year—all Cardinals at one point or another.
The big question: Does Edmonds have anything left in the tank?
In 217 plate appearances he is hitting .286, but only has eight homers and 20 RBI after sitting out the entire ’09 season. He’s a left-handed stick, and has been hitting pretty consistently since the break (.333).
The majority of his time has been spent in CF, and that’s where he will be starting for the Reds on Monday night. Can you guess whom they are playing?
The Cardinals come to town for the biggest home series in 10 years for the Reds. There are two games separating them, and Jocketty has obviously acknowledged the importance of winning this series.
Edmonds has played in the postseason seven different times. He is a .285 career hitter that will bring a great deal of veteran leadership to the club. He has accumulated eight gold gloves over his career. He can tell a guy like Jay Bruce what it’s like to play in meaningful September and October games.
I don’t think this move was a great idea, but giving up Dickerson isn’t the end of the world. He’s a guy that never seemed to fit into the Reds plans and he just coudn’t get over the hump.
Dickerson has been consistently injured. He has been hurt for three months—just like last year. He was hitting just .205 in 44 at-bats with the Reds this season. Since his return, though, he’s been hot while batting .442 with three homers and six steals in his first 13 games at AAA Louisville.
So, while I’m not a huge fan of Edmonds, it’s not as if the Reds gave up a five-tool prospect. But I think there is a subliminal reason for Reds’ fans to not like Edmonds.
He used to be one of the most disliked players when he was a Cardinal. Remember when there was a report that Ken Griffey Jr. called ESPN to complain that Edmonds was making it on “Top Plays” more than Junior? The rumor said that Griffey was jealous and wanted ESPN to do something about it.
That report really pissed me off. The guy was already a Reds killer on the field (like many of the top N.L. central hitters of the 2000’s), and now some stupid fake rumor like this was floating around? I’m sure Edmonds had nothing to do with it, but it angered me just the same.
Well, now it’s 2010 and Reds fans have to root for the guy. It was a low-risk move that might have its most profound effects outside of the box-score. If he’s still able to play a decent CF and continue to hit in the .280’s, well done Jocketty.
If not, he will certainly have a short lease with me. But then again, the starter for most of the year (Drew Stubbs) is still hovering below .240.
A move had to be made and Jocketty went with a familiar face. We will know very quickly if it was the right move.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Ouch.
The tires are flat just a few days after the Reds bandwagon was getting full.
After holding a commanding 9-1 lead, the Reds end up losing 10-9 in stomach punching fashion to the Atlanta Braves.
The Reds jumped out to a eight run lead in the second inning and everything seemed juuuust fine. Rookie Mike Leake had his seventh quality start in eight appearances, going six innings giving up five hits and three runs (one earned).
Mike Lincoln breezed through two innings before manager Dusty Baker inexplicably left him in for the ninth. At 9-3, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
After getting into massive trouble Nick Masset was brought in for damage control in a 9-5 game. He walked a batter then was the victim of a Miguel Cairo error and was relieved by the 40-year old veteran Arthur Rhodes. He promptly struck out the Braves best hitter Jason Heyward (the guy that beat the Reds on Wednesday).
Then Dusty brought in closer Francisco Cordero to finish of Atlanta and those pesky Braves once and for all. Yet another questionable call if you ask me. Well, guess what happened? Pinch hitter Brooks Conrad hits a grand slam, and the Braves complete the epic comeback.
This one hurts bad. Really bad. Giving up a lead like that might stick with the club for awhile. It’s a loss that could be looked at in September as one of the reason the Reds just didn’t cut the mustard in ’10. Losing two games in a row via the walk-off has given the Reds a taste of their own medicine.
The Cardinals have regained first place, and now the Reds are playing catch-up again. This isn’t a “the sky is falling” article, but holy crap this is a tough one to swallow. The best thing the Reds can do now is completely erase it from their collective memories, and beat the living daylights out of the Cleveland Indians.
There are now legit concerns regarding the $12M closer, Francisco Cordero. He has blown three saves already, he only had four of last year! He is 35, and clearly not quite the pitcher he once was. He might be getting over worked by Dusty, but either way something aint right. Simply put, he is having trouble throwing strikes. Oh, and the set-up man Masset blew the game before.
As a strength for most of the year, the bullpen is now becoming a startling problem for the Reds.
It’s not the end of the world, but this next week will be very telling about the resolve of this young Reds team. This is the time when veterans such as Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera need to lead by example, and make sure the team doesn’t unravel. Sure it’s still May but the Red Legs need to put a hurting on their Ohio rivals to regain the swagger they had built up over the past week.
Follow Eric on Twitter
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com