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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > March > 10
Monday, March 10, 2008
This is MY team
The halfway point of spring training exhibition games is fast approaching and it is time to pick MY TEAM, the 25 guys to go north with the Cincinnati Reds, barring injuries, trades and defections to Guatemala.
This has nothing to do with General Manager Wayne Krivsky or Manager Dusty Baker. This is MY team as I see it now.
STARTING PITCHERS: Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, Matt Belisle.
BULLPEN: Francisco Cordero (closer), David Weathers, Edinson Volquez, Jeremy Affeldt, Jared Burton, Kent Mercker, Todd Coffey.
CATCHERS: Paul Bako, Javier Valentin.
INFIELDERS: Joey Votto, Scott Hatteberg, Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion, Jeff Keppinger.
OUTFIELDERS: Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Jay Bruce, Norris Hopper, Corey Patterson.
INFIELDER-OUTFIELDER: Ryan Freel.
DISABLED LIST: Pitcher Bill Bray, pitcher Bobby Livingston, catcher David Ross, shortstop Alex Gonzalez, infielder Juan Castro.
Let’s discuss.
Baker said Sunday, “I’m tired of hearing about young and old.” Hopefully, he means that and won’t leave young players back.
Are we rushing 22-year-old Cueto? Maybe, maybe not. Based on what he has done so far, he deserves to be in the rotation. If he struggles, he can be sent to Louisville for more innings and fortunately, for once, the Reds do have some options.
Affeldt was promised a chance at the rotation and was given that chance. But he is more valuable in the bullpen, as he proved last year with Colorado, and he better serves the Reds in that role.
This, of course, means the team eats the $3 million it owes Mike Stanton. Pass the ketchup. And some would not include Todd Coffey, rightfully so, based on last season. But he has dropped excess poundage and has pitched well and might be back to where he was two seasons ago.
Freel might yet be traded, but not from MY team. He is too valuable at playing several positions and everybody knows a baseball season is full of injuries and slumps. Keppinger is the same thing. He’ll start the season at shortstop for the injured Gonzalez. When Gonzalez returns, Keppinger is a guy who can pinch-hit and fill in at short, second, third, left and maybe even first base.
Votto and Bruce are in the same canoe. Both appear determinedly ready, determinedly willing and determinedly able. They appear ready and have nothing to prove in the minors. If they flop — and it is doubtful that will happen — they can return to Louisville and get it together.
Now my Opening Day lineup to face the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brendan Webb, as of now:
CF Jay Bruce, SS Jeff Keppinger, RF Ken Griffey Jr., 2B Brandon Phillips, LF Adam Dunn, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, 1B Joey Votto, C Paul Bako, P Aaron Harang.
That leaves Hatteberg on the bench, for now, where he serves as an excellent pinch-hitter, plus he plays on days Votto takes off or moves into the lineup if Votto slumps or fails.
It’s the same with Bruce. He starts in center, with Patterson and Hopper in the dugout as excellent pinch-hitting weapons and plug-in players.
That leaves three excellent players out in the cold: outfielder Chris Dickerson, infielder-outfielder Jolbert Cabrera and infielder-outfielder Jerry Gil. Dickerson and Gil can be optioned to Louisville for later use and maybe Colbert will agree to go to Louisville and await his turn and his chance.
Am I right or am I right?
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