This guy is my favorite Red, now that Adam Dunn is gone. I hope he takes as big a step forward in 2009 as I think he will.
So, who’s your favorite Red? And who’s your favorite non-starter?
This guy is my favorite Red, now that Adam Dunn is gone. I hope he takes as big a step forward in 2009 as I think he will.
So, who’s your favorite Red? And who’s your favorite non-starter?
Jay Bruce.
With that said, Aaron Harang is right on up there too.
lol dunn and now EE, weathers next yr?
overall – Votto, I love his work ethic, attitude, and willingness to learn
non-starter – Burton, tough, competitive, and ice in his veins.
Love Jay Bruce, but if you ask me for right now, as an out of town fan, I will take Phillips. After his Cleveland experience he seems to be proud to be a Red, and that is nice to see. He may be overpaid/rated, but it seems to me carries the flag well.
btw, wasn’t making fun, just seems like you got a penchant for choosing lightning rods for fav. players
Jay Bruce with Votto a close second. I like Phillips a lot but he drives me crazy sometimes with the first pitch swinging and willie mays hayes swinging for the fence!
Starter: Brandon Phillips…
Though, I’m afraid to get attached to any one player…Everytime I do, they get traded…(Aaron Boone, Pokie Reese, Casey, Jr, Hamilton, Dunn…
Unfortunately, in today’s game, players are as expendable as toilet paper…(At least that’s my take) And I know that it’s all about the team & not who wears the uni. Blah, Blah, Blah.
And since I’ve probably already doomrf the guy…I’ll use BP as an example…He is a GG caliber 2B & has a pretty good stick…His contract #’s are at $5MM in 2009 & $6.75MM in 2010…But then jumps to $11MM…Hard to justify that coin, unless he has 3 straight “All-Star” yrs…I doubt that happens & thus, I expect him to be moved before the REDS foot that bill.
(Boy, I sure do love today’s MLB…btwn PED’s, scumbag agents, completely unjustifiable escalating salary structures…and Bud Selig.. It’s like the “Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse” for baseball fans!)
Non-starter: Jonny Gomes…
Got to love a player that loves our Pete(Rose that is) and the history of the REDS…Will give 100%, all the time…And will flat drop knuckles, when things get a little touchy, in defense of a teammate.
Favorite Red: Joey Votto.
Favorite Non-Starter: Adam Rosales.
I think Votto will be one of the best players in the league soon and Rosales could really contribute if he got the chance.
My favorite starter has been Edwin ever since that 06 season. He has the ability to help this club out so hugely this coming year and hopefully more years into the future. Harang and Phillips would be right up there though.
Non starter…..hmm I’ll have to agree with catcard. Jonny Gomes. When all that insanity went down last year with the Red Sox-Rays with the fight in spring training and then during the season this guy seemed like he had a mentality of what I’d like to see with the Reds. Just that firey passion and not afraid to stick up for teammates at the drop of a hat. That said I know that when playing the actual game of baseball he hasn’t been that good but I hope he can do well for the Reds.
I’ve already gotten long winded but wether or not this team can compete there just seems to be a lot of awesome things/players to watch this year. It’ll be interesting no matter how much we complain about David Weathers loading the bases in the 7th in a one run game and weasling out of it or Willy Taveras getting on base only once a game and then stealing second and third when he finally does.
Hmmm, with Junior and Dunn gone, I forgot that I no longer have a favorite Reds player. I guess I’d say Brandon Phillips, he’s so proud to be a Red, and I love his defense and clutch hits. Joey Votto is a close second.
But Jay Bruce could be my favorite by the end of the season.
For non-starters, I’m in a small minority, I like Jerry Hairston, he
plays with pizzazz. Stay healthy, Jerry !
There are a lot of potential candidates but I can’t say any single one is my favorite Red at this point.
It’s sad, but I agree with Y-City Jim. There’s no one that deserves to be a favorite right now…
Jay Bruce…no ego, young, sky high potential…
Non-starter…Probably Burton. Came out of no where and has had two very effective seasons.
Jay Bruce. I know he’s young, but I’m excited to see him play.
Pitchers…mucho amor for Cueto and Volquez.
Starter- I think I am going to root hard for Taveras. I think he has gotten a bad rap so far.
Non-starter- If he is a non-starter, Norris Hopper. I got to know him on the Reds Cruise in ’07 and he is really a great kid.
Anybody else think EE is just “rated”? I know a lot of people under rate him because they look at the errors and inconsistency at the plate and discount that fact that he’s only 26. On the other hand, I haven’t really seen anything out of him that indicates his ceiling is any higher than “above average”.
I’m not trying to pick on anybody’s favorite, it just seems like everybody’s either real high or low on him. I think he’ll be a solid, if unspectacular, regular who has the potential to make an all-star team if he has a career-year. IMHO, I don’t think he has the kind of ceiling that Bruce or Votto have.
Re: comment #2. I think I am just drawn to players who are underappreciated. Dunn and Encarnacion fall into that camp. I really feel EE is going to surprise a lot of people this year. He’s basically the same age as Votto! People forget that.
I’m surprised that Bill named the same favorite non-starter as me: Jared Burton. I love that guy’s potential. I love his cut fastball more.
Jeff Keppinger may be on that list, too.
I’m going to root hard for Taveras, too. I still think he’s rotten, but if he plays well, it helps the Reds.
If any of you have ever gone to the Reds spring training facilities, you will know where the batting cages are located in a shed that adjoins the clubhouse. Two springs ago, I met Joey Votto at the end of another Reds Baseball Heaven program. I introduced myself as he did also and then I watched him hit ball after ball over the fence in a private batting practice scenario. A couple of the homers bounced up against the shed. I asked him then if he’d ever hit the shed on the fly.
Votto looked at me and said “Watch this.” The next toss he hit
OVER the shed. A shot of shots.
Make mine Joey.
Favorite Starter– Phillips. As was said in another post or two, I appreciate the fact that he seems to want to be a Red and invokes the idea of being a Larkin type guy for the team.
Favorite bench player- Kepp. I wish him all the playing time in the world. I know he didn’t come back from the injury well, but I really think the man can hit.
Can I still say Eric Davis? 😉
Oh MAN he was cool. Quickest bat I’ve ever seen, I think. Quickest bat wearing a Reds uniform anyway.
Plus the lightning speed and the pop-up slide…
Plus robbing HR’s by going over the fence in LCF… remember when he stole a HR from Jack Clark 2 nights in a row on almost identical plays?
Anyway… I know this thread isn’t meant for reminiscing… but I can’t see “favorite Red” without throwing that out.
I’ll think about current favorite Red… it’s a good question… gotta be someone who seems happy to be a Red and seems to have fun playing the game.
I’ll take Edwin, too. I like him. I’ve never heard him say anything bad or offensive, and I do get the sense that he tries really hard. As a teacher, I have to respect the kid that tries even if he doesn’t get it.
I like a lot of this team though. From what I’ve seen, most of the players are very likable and don’t come with a lot of attitude, though I wish Volquez would choose his friends a little better. But then, it’s a sport, and I’m not going to pretend that I think all players should be perfect role models.
Starter: Phillips/Votto
Non-Starter: Valaika
Pitcher: Bray/Burton
I’d have to go with B. Phillips as my favorite position player right now. I agree with everyone saying he swings for the fences too much. He’s not a 4th hitter and needs to concentrate on getting on-base with his speed.
My favorite pitcher is Harang for sure. Those back-to-back 16 win seasons in 06 and 07 are pretty impressive for Reds teams. I think he’ll bounce back nicely this year.
My favorite non-starter is Bill Bray. He’s young and left handed. I hope he finds his groove this year because I think he’ll have a big role in the pen this year.
hmmm… i think harang is my favorite now on the team.
for an every day starter, i guess i pick brandon phillips – i don’t have to pick the best player, he’s just the most fun to watch and i like his attitude on the field.
a full season of watching jay bruce might change my mind.
as far as bench guys go, well, i guess if dickerson winds up on the bench he’ll be may favorite. otherwise, uh, i don’t know. let’s say weathers. 🙂
I love Votto for his badass cool. He’s like some mob dude–you just know you shouldn’t mess with him. It doesn’t hurt he can hit a little bit. My non-starters are Bray and Dickerson, nice guys you can’t help but root for.
I don’t dislike anyone on the team (couldn’t say that last year), but I’d like to see a little more leadership from Harang and Arroyo this time around.
starter – Edwin followed by Votto
non starter – bill bray
When we say Votto has a
do we mean after five years as a pro he will finally learn to properly flip a ball to a pitcher covering first base?
My favorite, and I guess it’s no surprise that he hasn’t been mentioned at all, is Bronson Arroyo.
The reason I like Bronson is because he is the one guy on the Reds who does the MOST with the LEAST. I mean he by far has the least impressive “stuff” topping out at 91-92 (and that’s on a good day) but there he is year after year with 14-15 wins and 200 innings. He seems like a smart pitcher who gets out of jams with finese instead of overpowering guys.
That and in an interview you can always count on him to be one of the most objective players on the team and not just a “rah-rah” guy.
Here’s another reason to root for Bronson this year. Let’s say the stars line up and the Reds are a contender. I think Arroyo matches up nicely against a team’s #3 or #4 starter and playoff teams NEED four solid starting pitchers and that’s a word I think sums up Arroyo nicely……solid (except for the start against the Blue Jays last year)
Gotta go with Aaron Harang though Votto and Bruce are up there too.
Won’t lie, I’m a big fan of Cueto too (or K-ueto! as I call him haha)
Brandon Phillips. He loves to play and it shows. For non starter, I’ve got to go with Keppinger. Love the way he approaches the game.
Harang as a pitcher
As a regular I wish it would be Hannigan or Dickerson. Bench guy Hopper or Keppinger
Timb, Votto’s throws to the covering pitcher got a lot better after the San Diego games. Of course for a while he just stopped flipping it but by the end of the season he looked a bit more comfortable doing it.
Also I’d like to back up whoever said Hairston. Along the same lines as Jonny Gomes, Hairston just seems to have a great personality and I like having him as one of the Reds’ veteran presence type of players.
Hi Phill, For the non-tarter I said Hairston. A lot of people have said Keppinger, I like him a lot too, he can rake.
For non-starter pitchers, I’d go with Burton, a cool customer.
With Dunn and Griffey gone, I’ll take Joey Votto. The potential to be a great MLB hitter plus a name that sounds like it oughta be on Vito Corleone’s guest list for his daughter’s wedding.
However, if Bruce goes .330/30/100, I’ll have a new favorite Red. Unless Joey V. can match him, that is.
Starter – Bruce/Phillips/Votto in that order.
Non Starter – Keppinger, with Freel gone he seems like he could be the most exciting player on the squad. Love the hustle!
EE and Harang.
Non-starters: Who’s left? I guess Keppinger.
I posted this without reading other opinions first so I could not be influenced.
Favorite Red: Brandon Phillips because I love solid defense.
Favorite Bench player: Bill Bray because scarcely anyone else sticks out and I like his traditional baseball pants.
Now I read the other opinions and my only surprise was that more people did not have Arroyo as favorite player, just because of his personality.
Go REDS! Win in spite of Dusty.
Votto
Volquez
Keppinger
Favorite Reds:
Phillips
Keppinger
EdE
Bray
EdE – I still believe in a high ceiling for him. At worst, a solid bat, and regular throwing errors and highlight reel plays.
Keppinger – puts 2008 behind him and comes out strong.
New guys: pulling for Ramon Ramirez who gets the least press – threw 3 quality starts, a decent 5ip, 2er start, and a no-hit/no-walk 3 inning relief appearance (after Fogg gave up 5er in his 3 innings) in his 5 games. Two quality starts were against the Brewers. I certainly can understand projecting Owings or Bailey ahead of him from a scouting perspective but he has earned the right to be on an equal playing field with those guys in spring training.