Results tagged ‘ Miami Marlins ’
Carlos Zambrano vs. Cincinnati Reds
There are rumors going around that Chicago Cubs are trading Carlos Zambrano to Miami Marlins. I thought I would add my two cents. I am glad he is leaving the National League Central, this is another move not done by the Reds that really helps the team.
Carlos Zambrano has a 17-11 record and a 3.28 career ERA vs. the Reds and a 9-3, 3.31 ERA at Great American Ball Park.
Carlos Zambrano career vs. Cincinnati Reds
AB H SO BA OBP SLG OPS
Brandon Phillips 47 11 11 .234 .345 .426 .771
Scott Rolen 48 9 8 .188 .235 .396 .631
Edgar Renteria 39 14 9 .359 .468 .436 .904
Joey Votto 26 9 2 .346 .433 .500 .933
Jay Bruce 18 4 2 .222 .364 .389 .753
Ramon Hernandez 15 3 2 .200 .200 .200 .400
Miguel Cairo 12 3 5 .250 .357 .333 .690
Drew Stubbs 11 3 5 .273 .333 .273 .606
Dontrelle Willis 7 1 1 .143 .143 .143 .286
Ryan Hanigan 6 2 1 .333 .333 .500 .833
Johnny Cueto 3 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000
Yonder Alonso 2 2 0 1.000 1.000 2.500 3.500
Juan Francisco 3 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000
Bronson Arroyo 2 1 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000
Nick Masset 1 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000
Homer Bailey 1 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000
Todd Frazier 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
Total 242 63 51 .260 .344 .401 .745
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 1/4/2012.
What is the big deal?
Why is Albert Pujols moving to the American League such a big deal to a Cincinnati Reds fan? He was one of the most dangerous hitters to ever face the team that is why.
Over his career playing for St. Louis Cardinals he hit 20 home runs in 266 at bats in Great American Ball Park. He has a .316 BA, .404 OBP and a .598 SLG in GABP. Of course he hit 20 or more home runs in other Central Division teams ball parks too but it took 20 or more games to do it. In Great American Ball Park he hit 20 in 68 games. Against Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field he hit 26 HR in 85 games. Against Houston Astros in Minute Maid Park he hit 24 in 91 games. Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park saw him hit 29 home runs in 89 games. The only park he did not hit 20 in was against Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park where he got 19 HR in 81 games. In his career against the Reds, Albert has hit 46 home runs in 172 games.
Now that the Machine is gone to the Angels there is another player that is on my radar this offseason and that is Prince Fielder. Of course Prince has not been around as long as Albert Pujols but having him out of the Central Division in 2012 will really help the Reds out big time.
Prince has also seen the ball very well in Great American Ball Park. In 52 games, 186 at bats he has hit 11 home runs getting a .323 BA, .422 OBP and .581 SLG. Against the Reds in his career Fielder has gotten 22 home runs in 102 games.
This of course shows just a part of the reason why I would like them both out of the National League Central but another big part is what these men do for their teams lineups on those days they are playing. Many players on their teams see a lot more pitches because of them in the game. I think Ryan Braun will not have such a great season in 2012 because of Fielder not batting in the same lineup. And of course the guys on the Cardinals will not be seeing as many good pitches as they used to when Albert was with them. These players will go on to hit well no matter what but they just won’t see the same pitches they once did when these two big boys were batting before or after them in the batting order. The Reds pitchers will have a chance to pitch a little better knowing that they don’t have to face these big bats every time they face that team.
No matter what the Reds front office does or doesn’t do this offseason having Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols go to different teams outside of the Central Division will be a huge factor in how well these teams do in the standings in 2012. Many people still believe St. Louis Cardinals will take the division and I have to disagree. There are way to many factors involved here that make their team completely different from the 2011 team. Their manager and first basemen are just two of those major factors. Will the Brewers really be able to take first without Prince? I highly doubt they will even with the guys they have they still will need that big bat to help out the rest of the lineup. Right now with what deals have been made this offseason, I give Pittsburgh Pirates a better chance of winning than St. Louis or Milwaukee. The Reds of course really need to have an injury free season for their main players in order to make a push for the division and Houston is gearing up for their move to the American League,
There is still a lot left in the offseason and some big moves can still be made to better each team but with Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson off to the Angels and of course Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle going to Miami the teams in the National League Central Division are running low on options.
Another good day
With Miami pulling away from talks with Albert Pujols it looks like he will be staying in St. Louis. I hate that the deal did not get done for the Marlins but I also am glad that they set a time limit and stuck to it. Now they can get the pitching they needed instead and have a better all around team. Another plus to all of this is that the Cardinals did not get Pujols for a steal. They actually had to go up on their offer more and it will hurt them later on as the years go by.
The Reds had another quiet day with some talks about who they were looking into and what teams they talked to but nothing solid to really spend too much time talking about. I really don’t think they will get much done at the winter meetings except some ground work that might help make a deal later on in the offseason. But as many fans know, the longer you wait, the less chance they will have of getting good players that will help the team. The good old ‘hurry up and wait’ logic has been followed by the Reds front office for many years now and like I stated a few days ago, the Reds might have saved a lot of money if they would have not sent Walt Jocketty, Dusty Baker and the rest of the crew to Dallas at all. But I must admit they are doing more than I thought they would at these winter meetings. They are laying the ground work and I am proud to see them involved in some rumors. Only time will tell what will happen for the Reds this offseason. I still have my fingers crossed, hoping they will not trade away any young prospects.
Winter Meetings 2011
With the Winter Meetings in full swing a lot of fans wait to see if there will be any big moves right away to top what the Marlins did before the meetings began with signing SS Jose Reyes. I personally just want go the whole week without hearing that Cincinnati Reds traded away their key prospects like Yonder Alonso.
I just watched a video of Yonder Alonso answering questions from fans on mlb.com and found one answer that impressed me the most. The question was, “In the long-term do you want to play, Left field or first base?” Alonso answered with, “It doesn’t matter as long as I am in the big leagues playing every day.” This shows me that this kid just wants to play and the Reds front office would be foolish to trade away a player like this, ever. I really doubt Yonder Alonso or Joey Votto will have to worry about that this offseason because it is very clear that the Reds want to keep them both for 2012.
The Winter Meetings have always been one of my favorite things to follow and this offseason is going to be even better because of some of the key players that are being discussed. I look forward to seeing where most of these guys go and hopefully there are some blockbuster trades to add to the free agent signing excitement.
It might happen to the Reds next offseason
After seeing that Jose Reyes signed with Miami Marlins, a division rival of New York Mets, a sick feeling came across me as a Cincinnati Reds fan. Will this happen to the Reds in the 2012 offseason with Brandon Phillips? There has been a lot of talk about both sides still being way off on an extension that would keep Phillips a Red for life and to tell you the truth it might not ever happen. Are the Reds going to pull the trigger at the trade deadline and get something for him than if they do not decide to keep him? Or, are they going to do the same thing the Mets did, wait it out and hope that he signs with a team that will not effect their stats that year? Jose Reyes signing with Miami just shows that a draft pick is not always the best path to choose. I really doubt any player the Mets pick in the draft will help them against Reyes and the Marlins in the near future. It is a move that will end up kicking them harder than they thought. Than again, it might also be a bad move on the part of Miami because of Reyes injuries but at this point I would have to say the Marlins made a good move.
The signing of Rose Reyes to Miami is like if Brandon Phillips signed with Chicago Cubs in 2012 / 13. It would not only kick Walt Jocketty in the back side but it would hurt more for the fans every time they played against the Cubs. I just hope this big news wakes Walt and his front office up and they get to work on signing Brandon Phillips or even gets them talking to GM’s at the winter meetings about a possible trade at the trade deadline in 2012.
I was really hoping an American League team would have signed Reyes but at least it was not a National League Central team. Now there are just a few more free agents to go. I still have my fingers crossed for Albert Pujols to go to Miami or an American League team and I really hope Prince Fielder signs with a team out of the Central too. This could be a great sign to things to come. The Winter Meetings are finally here and moves have already started. Buckle yourselves in and get ready for the fun!
Texas-sized deals
The winter meetings are just around the corner and all I can say is, ‘Thank God!’ I don’t know about the rest of you but this offseason has been very boring for me. The most boring offseason in many years. I know that it has not just been boring for us lonely Reds fans, but it has been that way for all of Major League Baseball.
Albert Pujols is still looking for a job. Prince Fielder is using food stamps and there are many others still looking to get paid. I do believe we have a Texas standoff and teams are just waiting for someone to make the first move then it will be like a bomb going off and all of the dominos will fall into place. I expect St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels to be big players in the beginning of the winter meetings then I expect all the rest of the teams to follow very quickly.
Imagine it as your first high school dance, at first everyone is sitting on their hands looking up at the ceiling then at the end of the night everyone is having fun dancing and going crazy. Unless of course you were that guy still sitting on your hands at the end of the night (Walt Jocketty of the Reds) then nevermind, nothing will happen.
Sure, the Reds will make some moves, but I really don’t expect them to be of the “Oh my God!” caliber. Small moves to help the club reach .500 this season will most likely be all we see as Reds fans. As long as they don’t trade away all of their future players I will be happy no matter if Jocketty is the first one dancing or the dude still sitting at the end of the night. Hell, I don’t even know if the Reds front office will even go to Texas next week. They might just stay at home and pout because they will not be the prom king or should we say big players at the meetings. Don’t be shocked if you see Walt Jocketty sitting in the corner of the room making paper airplanes while the other teams make moves to better their clubs.
Now don’t get me wrong I respect Walt Jocketty and the others in the front office but I am tired of hearing the famous “we tried” line that is said after every trade deadline and other meetings like this one coming up. I want to wake up and read that the Reds were up front and center during the whole meetings and really making an effort. I want 500 rumors to start right off the bat and don’t let them die off until all the smoke clears. Hell, even if they are just rumors and they don’t actually make one single move I would be happy. At least that would give us something to talk about. It is bad enough that we didn’t make the playoffs this season after such a great start and great finish in 2010 but now we have to hear things like “We will not be looking at free agents this offseason.” Come on Walt, the fans need to hope for something. Don’t crush our dreams at the very start and then expect us to run out and buy season tickets. All I want for Christmas this year is the news that Walt Jocketty did make moves, not “tried” to make moves. Oh and while we are talking about Christmas gifts, I also want Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder to go to American League teams. Thank you Santa.
2r2d
