Q: When Homer Bailey comes back who will be out of the Reds rotation? — WORDMAN, Troy.
A: The better questions who will be in the rotation. Right now the Reds are in total audition mode. But here’s my guess: Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Brandon Finnegan, Cody Reed, Robert Stephenson. That leaves Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Dan Straily and John Lamb to bolster the bullpen. All four have been starters but all four also have bullpen experience. That leaves three spots for members of the current bullpen and there isn’t a single member of them who would be missed.
Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy knows a thing or two about our nation’s pastime. Tap into that knowledge by sending an email to halmccoy1@hotmail.com.
Q: Now that Pete Rose is being inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame would MLB have any say if Rose’s sculpture was added to Mount Rushmore? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek.
A: The next step for Rose is a statue outside Great American Ball Park, which will happen next year. And that’s it. No more. Reds’ Hall, number retired (14), statue. MLB has no say on Mount Rushmore, but the good people of South Dakota do and to them a Rose is not a rose. Their favorite baseball son is Dave Collins, The Rapid City Rabbit.
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Q: Will Pete Rose ever be put into the Hall of Fame? — ALICE MARIE, West Milton.
A: He will be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame on Saturday. Oh, you mean Cooperstown? You have a better chance of being inducted into Cooperstown than Pete even though I can’t find your name in baseballreference.com. If they put Rose in they are sending a bad message: You can bet on baseball and eventually you’ll be forgiven.
Q: Haven’t heard much about Homer Bailey lately, so what is his status? — MARK, Beavercreek.
A: With the excitement over the recent returns of Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen, Bailey is on the back burner and heating up slowly. He clearly tried to rush back too soon during spring training, leading to a setback that now has him on a path to a return sometime around the All-Star break in early July. That, of course, is if he doesn’t have another setback and with Tommy John surgery, well, I’ll paraphrase what former pitcher Joaquin Andujar once said, “I’ll say it in one word. Oneneverknows.”
Q: If or when Jay Bruce is traded, who will play right field for the Reds? — CARL, Kettering.
A: That’s a question only manager Bryan Price can answer. My immediate guess would be Tyler Holt, a bench-player now who has shown defense, speed and some hitting off the bench. Or they could recall Scott Schebler from Class AAA Louisville, where he is blasting the ball since his demotion, just itching to get back up after losing the left-field argument with Adam Duvall.
Q: Why not trade Adam Duvall with his 20 home runs now while he is still a prospect for a bunch more prospects and then the Reds will never have to play Duvall when he is arbitration-eligible and eligible for free agency? — KEITH, Brookville.
A: This question is tongue-in-cheek and facetious, right? First of all, they keep Duvall (that’s a poem). They have been looking for a left fielder since Adam Dunn was traded many moons ago. Secondly, teams seldom trade prospects for prospects and despite his early success, Duvall is still a prospect. You don’t trade stars for prospects and then trade those prospects for more prospects during a rebuilding. The trades will continue to be established players about to make big money for more prospects. Just call them the Cincinnati Prospectors.
Q: Wouldn’t the Reds rotation be better LRLR than LLLRR? — BILL, Black Gnat, Ky.
A: You mean left-right-left-right as apposed to left-left-left-right-right. And you are right, so to speak. Managers always like to break up the left-right combination. Right now the Reds have left handers Cody Reed, Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb in order followed by right handers Anthony DeSclafani and Dan Straily. It just so happens that’s the way they fell into place when they came up from the minors or off the disabled list. There is no doubt at some point manager Bryan Price will separate the left handers, even though we left handers like to stick together.
Q: I believe you agree that Dayton has shown MLB that it fully supports professional baseball so will there ever be an opportunity for Dayton to be home to a Double-A team, don’t you? — C.J., DAYTON.
A: Based on attendance, Dayton is ready for a Triple-A team. That, though, is a decision that is made by the parent clubs and the individual leagues. The Reds are very happy with their Class AAA relationship with Louisville and their Class AA affiliation with Pensacola. That being said, Pensacola is a long, long, long way from Cincinnati and Dayton would make more sense travel-wise for the Reds. Akron (Indians affiliate) has a team in the Eastern League and would make a natural rival with Dayton. Call your congressman.
Q: How are you liking the chances of us finishing at .500? — CHAD, Dayton, Ky.
A: Us? I assume you mean the Cincinnati Reds and not the Dayton Greendevils high school team, right? As of this writing the Reds are 28-44. To finish .500 they have to go 53-37 the rest of the way. That’s .588 baseball and simple math and simple sense says that isn’t going to happen.
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