SB Nation User Blog: justin007000

Steve Phillips has a Birthmark on his Crotch

justin007000 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:29:32 -0000

Steve Phillips has a Birthmark on his Crotch

This is an appropriate fangasm.

Pete Harnisch Pitches the Reds back into First Place

justin007000 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:38:36 -0000

Pete Harnisch Pitches the Reds back into First Place

A nice story about an 8 inning 1 hitter thrown by Pete Harnisch back in August of 1999. It made me smile and think of better days.

A formal Request and a vote (sorry boobs won't be involved)!

justin007000 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:28:32 -0000

I think it is high time that our very own Madville become an author on this site. I mean we have Slyde and other Justin who provide excellent statistical analyasis, and we have a nice stable of Brendan, BK, Charlie, Grey, NYCreds, and ken who provide excellent links, post game summeries and some of their own original material, and we have JCH who I guess gets off everytime he see's his name at the bottom of the page. We have Andro who can keep us abreast of international happenings.

What we don't have is the crazy old man who is really brilliant but slightly altered by hardcore drugs perspective. I think Mads will provide that. Day after day Mads provides us with new gems, and altered perspectives must of us wouldn't even begin to understand. He gives us great gifs, and sees the world from a different lens than anyone else involved with this site. I would like a weekly Madville column to appear on this site, with his thoughts, perspectives and just who from the previous week can blow him. I think it would give us all an off season lift.

via profile.ak.fbcdn.net

MADS FOR AUTHOR!!!

Vote now the poll closes at 8:34 PM Central time on 7 October!!!

Poll

Should Madville be an author on Redreporter?

Yes

42 votes

No

17 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Zack Duke has pitched well, but sucks because the Pirates lose when he pitches, but he has had some bad luck, but sucks in close games, and what is this guy saying?

justin007000 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:15:20 -0000

Zack Duke has pitched well, but sucks because the Pirates lose when he pitches, but he has had some bad luck, but sucks in close games, and what is this guy saying?

What is the thesis of this argument. At first I thought it was an argument that wins are a worthless stat, but no, it is Duke has pitched well but has not helped the PIrates win, because he "hasn't done his best work in close games"....

Who the fuck is this Matthew Pouliot, and has anybody given him an EEG to see if there are any brain functions?

Who does Maloney Compare to?

justin007000 — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:36:35 -0000

Matt Maloney should have been held in higher regard by the Cincinnati Reds. He should have been held in higher regards around baseball. In 672.3 minor league innings he struck out 664 batters, with a K/BB of 3.21 a BB/9 of 2.8 and a HR/9 of .7. Some may say, but Justin perhaps his numbers are inflated by overmatching low minor league hitters, when he was a "polished" college pitcher. To you I say, he had a K/9 of 8.4 in AAA. On Maloney's SB player page it says he is supsebtable to the long ball, but even in AAA he only gave up .9 HR/9.

It should also be noted that over the past few seasons Maloney has improved his control.

Maloney has had better minor league numbers than our own Bronson Arroyo, who had a K/9 of 6.9 a K/BB of 2.94 in the minor leagues.

I've frequantly compared Maloney's minor league numbers to Homer Bailey, but just so you can see them again, in 531 Minor League innings Bailey had a K/9 of 9.1, (only 7.9 in AAA but he was also pitching hurt and that was during his "down period"), a BB/9 of 3.8 and a K/BB of 2.38, and a HR/9 of .6. So while Bailey has had all the glitz, Maloney has been right there with him, just without the 98MPH fastball.

There are going to be some who think, but Justin we've seen this act before, a "polished lefty who knows how to pitch with good minor league numbers but weak stuff". So lets look at Sowers who was twice drafted first overall, and was held in high regard by Cleveland. He like Maloney is stengy with walks with a BB/9 of 2.2, and he allows less HRs at a rate of 0.5/9. But he only strikes out 6.7/9, and that is inflated by his lower minor league numbers, in AAA his K rate is only 5.7. So he was a polished pitcher who got by limited stuff by outsmarting raw hitters. But he doesn't really comp with Maloney.

He actually compares to Aaron Harang's minor leauge numbers. Harang had a K/9 of 8.1, a BB/9 of 2.4, a K/BB of 3.3, and a HR/9 of .6. When we got Harang he wasn't exactly a top prospect. He also gained a little velocity. In 2002 when Harang was 24 his average fastball was 89.3, and in 2004 it jumped to 90.5.

I wrote this because I honestly think if Maloney stays healthy he could be a mid to top of the staff pitcher. Tom Glavine prooved that pitching isn't all about throwing a mid-90s fastball. Most of us are content to think of Maloney as low level pitcher, but I think we have paid more attention to his velocity than his numbers. Can somebody do a comp of Maloney's minor league numbers, I would like to see who he compares with. I'm looking at you other Justin.

But as Andro pointed out below Maloney doesn't compare to Glavine either.

One like Putin would be a great GM!!!

justin007000 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:59:35 -0000

One like Putin would be a great GM!!!

Duncan Available?

justin007000 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:12:02 -0000

Duncan Available?

Dave Duncan has hit a rough patch with the Cards, and may not be in St. Louis next year. Could he possibly be lured by Jock-Strap? I would love to get our very own pitching witch.

Sweet wins IL Manager of the year

justin007000 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:16:29 -0000

via fay

Why not give Sweet the bump up to the Big Leagues? He has been a minor league manager for 21 years, and has suffered 9 losing seasons. He has been in Louisiville since 2005 and has only suffered one losing season. Dusty Baker has been at the helm for two dreadful seasons.

There are some other things that should be remembered. Rick Sweet may not have the temperament to handle Big League egos. Some say that sunk Dave MIley. Another thought that should be remembered. Dave Miley had a similar resume to Rick Sweets. Also the Reds very own third base coach won the Southern League Manager of the year in 1996.

I think Rick Sweets accomplishments have earned him a promotion, but I don't know how much of an improvment he would be over Bob Boone, Dave Miley, Jerry Narron, Pete McKannin, or Dusty Baker. But he would be a cheap replacment when Dusty is inevitably fired next season.

The Reds may also feel that Sweet has reached his comfort zone, and don't want to lose and excellent AAA manager. The organization may feel that Sweet does an excellent job of helping develop young baseball players, and promoting him means they have to replace him. Never be too good at your job, or your won't get promoted. f course that is a little different in professional baseball because he can go else where if an organization wants him to be on a Major League coaching staff. Plus if they promote him and he fails at the big league level, he is out of the organization for good, much like Dave Miley.

But I gotta believe that next year is time for Dusty to put out, or he is out. Who do you want to see in Cincinnati come opening day 2011?

Fire the Whole Coaching staff

justin007000 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:35:23 -0000

I feel that the time has come for a drastic measure. The Cincinnati Reds should completely fire the whole on field coaching staff. Now here is the fun, who would you hire to replace the Reds coaching staff.

If it were up to me:

Manager-Rick Sweet (I don't know if he is actually any good, but Louisville seems to be alright).

Bench Coach-Dave Miley (I like Miley and I liked his strategy, it seemed that his biggest weakness was communication).

Hitting Coach-Eric Davis (An excellent and well rounded hitter, he hit for both contact and power).

Pitching Coach-Greg Maddux (I doubt he would come, he wants to stay close to his Las Vegas Home, but many said throughout his career that having him on a pitching staff was like having an extra pitching coach around).

3B Coach-Omar Vizquel (He has yet to hang it up, but he really should, I mostly want him to help as an infield instructor).

1B Coach- Sean Casey (A great guy, who would be well liked in the club house0.

Bullpen Coach-Kent Mercker (Another great guy, who was an excellent relief pitcher, and seems fairly intelligent.

Bullpen Catcher-Mike Stefanski.

Who do yo uwant to run this team?

Dusty Baker and Edinson Volquez

justin007000 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:02:04 -0000

As we all know by now the Wagon is out for the season, and may lose most of next year. Dusty has the reputation of being a guy who is tough on pitchers, so I looked at Volquez's pitch counts from last season. Volquez threw 110+ pitches 14 times, but he eclipsed 120 pitches only once. So that doesn't seem that bad. What I found to be extremely frustrating was that Volquez threw 110+ pitches in 5 out of his last 6 starts. So Dusty had a pitcher who was reaching new territory as far as innings pitched (lets remember he also pitched in Winter ball before 2008), and decided what the hell, he should throw a shit ton of pitches in a lost season. His 121 pitch start came in September.

Dusty is not without precedent. Lets look at Prior in September of 2003. On 9/1 in a game that the Cubs won 7-0, Prior threw 131 pitches, in his next start on 9/6 the Cubs won 8-4 and Prior threw 129 pitches, and overall he allowed Prior to eclipse 130 pitches 3 times, and he eclipsed 120 pitches 5 times, and in his other start he throw 109 pitches. Prior to September of 2003 Prior had only thrown 130+ pitches once in his major league career. Of course one could argue that the Cubs were in a pennant chase, and Dusty had to chose between protecting his pitcher and missing the playoffs, but the two games I pointed out had a fairly wide margin and he could have let up a little on Prior.

So to recap when Dusty takes a young pitcher into new territory as far as innings pitched in September, he rides him harder. That does not seem like a very good idea. I want him fired.