Seriously - this shite has happened every year since 1999 - and the Reds have had eight straight losing seasons.
Addressing a few of Mr. Dobrow's points:
- The Reds have one returning regular who played 120 games and OPS+'d over 110 - Joey Votto. Only ONE player in the Reds' eight position players was an above-average major league hitter for a significant portion of the season.
- Of the great fact that "80% of their starting rotation is returning": only one of those starters contributed an ERA+ of over 100 - Edinson Volquez. Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are both on the wrong side of 30 and unless they find someone to fill the chasm that is the 5th rotation slot... apocalypse. Maybe Micah Owings can stiffen the staff?
- This team is still managed by a man who started a player who managed to OBP . 238 over 366 at bats. This is utterly inexcusable.
- This team's Pythag had them at 90 losses - AND THEY LOST THEIR BEST HITTER with no prospect of the offense being replaced.
1. Team X had a below average year last year!
2. Team X has one or two young studs !
3. If 239487 things go right, Team X will confirm my dark-horse article!
4. Team X will be the next Tampa Bay Rays!
Oh well. It's hot-stove season, and I am a bitter man whose team has spent the last decade playing baseball just well enough to encourage the smallest smudges of hope, but never well enough to merit serious consideration after Bastille Day.
new "unnecessary allusions" tag required due to Bastille Day. Can't imagine the Reds finishing above .500 or higher than fourth in the division, but at least you get to watch volquez every 5th game
ReplyDeleteAu contraite, mon frere.
ReplyDeleteThe label is "unnecessary literary allusions". While Bastille Day has been treated in any number of literary lights (Dickens comes to mind), it still firmly belongs in the category of "historical allusions" or "cultural allusions"... thus not meriting the label.
* contraire
ReplyDeleteI didn't say unnecessary literary allusions, I said unnecessary allusions.
ReplyDeletehence the need for a new tag
oh. i see.
ReplyDeleteallusions are never unecessary.
Reds have 4 guys projected above average this year via Marcels as hitters (Votto, EE, Bruce, Dickerson).
ReplyDeletePhillips is projected at exactly average as a hitter. His glove of course adds as much as 2 wins to that.
We don't have to replace Dunn's offense. We just have to replace his total value. His bad defense ate away at his production, making him only slightly above average overall. We just need to find +2 WAR somewhere, improving the defense being the quickest (and likely cheapest) way.
Still, the team isn't in Chicago's league. We could probably contend out West, though.
DYE FOR HOMER BAILEY
ReplyDeletekthx