Tweet, tweet
Bryan Price would be a great candidate for the Marlins. An important question for all candidates there: Can success happen there now?
Buster Olney, ESPN, on Twitter @Buster_ESPN
Marlins have many managerial options
MLB.com
Bryan Price
Price has been the Reds' pitching coach since 2009. Prior to joining Cincinnati's staff, the Marlins showed interest in Price for their coaching staff. Price has also interviewed for the Marlins' managerial vacancy in recent years. The 50-year-old has yet to land a job with Miami, but that could change soon, as the Marlins are searching for someone who has experience with winning clubs. Price has been the pitching coach for D-backs and Reds teams that have reached the postseason.
***
Show preview
6:05, Sports Talk
8:05, Butch Jones Show
Topics
Reds
World Series
***
Reds
Managers select Showalter, Johnson top managers
Sporting News
National League (voting by only NL managers)
1. Davey Johnson (Nationals): 4 votes
2. Dusty Baker (Reds): 3 votes
3. Bruce Bochy (Giants)/Ron Roenicke (Brewers): 1 vote
Frazier finishes 2nd in NL ROY voting by players
Sporting News
National League (voting by only NL players)
1. Wade Miley (Diamondbacks): 54 votes
2. Todd Frazier (Reds): 35 votes
3. Bryce Harper (Nationals): 20 votes
Starting at the top
The Reds offseason list of priorities will include finding a leadoff hitter.
The Reds leadoff spot was the least production of any team in MLB.
Leadoff spot/batting average 2012:
Reds .206, MLB average .261
Leadoff spot/on-base percentage
Reds .254, MLB average .323
Reds leadoff hitters walked 37 times, struck out 148 times and stole 10 bases in 162 games. The Reds played leadoff roulette in 2012, with no success:
Zack Cozart: .223/.262 in 443 AB
Brandon Phillips: .202/.254 in 114 AB
Drew Stubbs: .159/.237 in 69 AB
Chris Heisey: .208/.269 in 48 AB
It would be tough to sell most on an in-house candidate again in 2013. If the Reds choose to go that route an option is to platoon Stubbs and Heisey. Dusty has not done that, despite offensive evidence to support it. Stubbs has no business facing right-handed pitching. He is a .228 hitter vs RHP, in over 1,300 at-bats. Heisey is a career .277 hitter vs RHP. Overall, the two players have almost identical numbers in the leadoff spot.
Overview
By process of elimination, the leadoff batter is going to be playing CF.
Unless Ryan Ludwick walks in free agency and LF opens up. Or, the Reds trade another position player and their position opens. So, what do the Reds have to work with/pursue?
Drew Stubbs
2012: .186/.259 vs RHP, .283/.324 vs LHP
Career: .228/.301 vs RHP, .276/.344 vs LHP
Career batting leadoff: .243/.320
Batting average has declined in three consecutive seasons.
OBP, SLG, OPS has dropped in back to back seasons.
Chris Heisey
Career: .277/.332 vs RHP, .214/.272 vs LHP
Career as starter: .251/.308
Career leading off: .240/.320
Free agents..........
Michael Bourn
Age: 29, LH, '12 salary: $6.8M
'12: .274/.348, 96 R, 26 2B, 10 3B, 9 HR, 42 SB, 70 BB, 155 K
19th in OBP in '12 among leadoff batters with at least 100 AB
Career: .272/.339
Career vs RHP: .281/.350, vs LHP: .249/.306,
Led NL SB 3-years row 2009-2011. SB seasons: 61, 52, 61, 41
Gold Glove 2009, 2010
Scott Boras client
CBS Sports: A yearly salary between $11 and $12 million would make sense.
Career stats
Angel Pagan
Age: 31, Switch-hitter, '12 salary: $4.85M
'12: .288/.338, 95 R, 3B 2B, 15 3B, 8 HR...61 extra-base hits
'12 led NL with 15 3B, including 10 in second half season
Career: .281/.333
vs RHP .291/.344, vs LHP .259/.306
Career GABP: .352/.407 in 54 AB
SB totals: 29, 32, 37
Good glove
Career stats
Buster Olney says MLB executives would not be shocked to see Pagan get a 4-year deal in the range of $50+M
BJ Upton
Age 28, RH, '12 salary: $7M
2012: .246/.298/.454/.752
Career:.255/.336/.422/.758
'12 29 2B, 28 HR, 78 RBI
Best SB totals: 31, 36, 42, 42, 44
K totals: 169, 161, 164, 152
All-Star teams: 0
8th MLB player in history w/ at least 100 HR/ 200 SB by age 28
50 OF assists since 2007 is best among CF
HR total increased 5 years row: 9, 11, 18, 23, 28
Has hit 2nd (193) more games in career than leadoff (166)
Career stats
Shane Victorino
Age: 32, Switch-hitter, '12 salary: $9.5M
'12: .255/.321, 29 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 39 SB
'12 .245 in 53 games after trade to LA
Career: .275/.341
46 postseason games, 2 World Series, 1 ring
Career stats
Juan Pierre
Age: 35, LH, '12 contract: $800K
2012: .307/.351, 37 SB, 23 BB, 27 K
'12 vs RHP .329/.374, vs LHP .190/.227
Biggest problem: He's not a CF any longer. He last played full-time CF in '07. He played just 13 games in CF '09 and 14 games '08. No arm.
Career stats
Grady Sizemore
Age: 29, LH, '12 salary $5M
2012: Missed season due to back/knee injuries
2011: .224/.285 in 71 games
Injuries a constant problem. Played 0, 71, 33, 106 games last 4 years
Played all games in 2006/2007 with a streak of 382 consecutive games played into the 2008 season.
Over three-year span starting in 2009, missed more games (276) than he played (210).
3 time All-Star
From 2005-08 averaged 27 HR, 81 RBI, 29 SB, 41 2B
Gold Glove 2007, 2008
Career stats
Trade prospects............
Coco Crisp
Age: 32, switch-hitter, '12 contract: $6M
Contract status: '13 $7M, '14 $7.5M (team option/$1M buyout)
2012: .259/.325, 25 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 45 BB, 64 K, 39 SB in 43 attempts
2012 vs RHP .265/.337, vs LHP .244/.296
Career vs RHP .276/.333, vs LHP .270/.322
Career stats
Denard Span
Age: 28, LH, '12 salary: $3M
2012: .282/.342/.395/.738
2012: 38 2B, 4 3B, 17 SB, 47 BB, 62 K
Career: ..284/.357/.389/.746
Career home: .312/.387/.433/.820
Career road: .260/.330/.349/.679
Career vs RHP: .280/.349, vs LHP .293/.374
Salary: '13 $4.75M, '14 $6.5M, '15 $9.0M ($500K buyout)
Career stats
Dexter Fowler
Age: 27, switch-hitter, '12 salary $2.35M
2012: .300/.389/.474/.863
'12: 18 2B, 11 3B, 13 HR, 72 R, 12 SB
Career: .271/.364/.427/.791
Career
Home: .295/.395/.487/.882
Road: .248/.331/.367/.698
vs RHP .263/.356, vs LHP .289/.380
K totals: 128, 130, 104, 116
Contract: Rockies control through 2015, 3 arbitration remaining--should get around $4.5M for '13.
Rockies need starting pitching
Average/below average as defensive CF
Career stats
Jacoby Ellsbury
Age 30, LH, '12 contract: $8.05M
Contract: Headed to arbitration again, FA after '13
2012: 74 games, .271/.313/.370/.682
Career: .297/.349/.442/.791
'11: .321, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 2nd MVP voting
Career: vs RHP .298/.350, vs LHP .296/.349
Gold Glove 2011. Led AL SB '08-'09 with 50, 70
Injuries: 18 games played '10, 74 games '12
Scott Boras client. Red Sox need starting pitching.
Career stats
Brett Gardner
Age: 29, LH, '12 contract $2.8M
2 years of arbitration still ahead
2012: .323/.417 (injured right elbow-surgery/played just 16 regular season games)
Career: .266/.355
vs RHP .269/.352, vs LHP .256/.363
More of a LF: Played 18 games in CF '11, 44 games '10, 99 games '09.
OBP .383 in 2010
SB totals: 26, 47, 49 in career
His salary, age and speed are more ingredients Yanks need than would likely look to deal.
Career stats
***
AAA Louisville
With David Bell leaving Louisville to take over as Chicago Cubs 3B coach, who takes over at Triple-A? Do the Reds bump guys up a level and put them players they are familiar with? Do the Reds go outside the organization?
Among in-house candidates to be shuffled around:
Jim Riggleman, Double-A Pensacola manager: Pensacola and the minor leagues appear just a stopover for the former Padres, Cubs, Mariners, Nationals manager.
Probably difficult for Riggleman to land a ML managerial job, but could see him landing on a ML coaching staff.
Ken Griffey Sr, High-A Bakersfield manager: I could see him being bumped to Pensacola to manage many of the players he had at Bakersfield.
Delino DeShields, Low-A Dayton manager:
Rick Sweet, former Louisville manager: He spent last season as roving catcher instructor in the organization.
Corky Miller, catcher: I could see the 36-year old entering the managerial pipeline. After 15 years and 994 minor league games maybe now is the time?
***
Bengals
Bengals still searching for answers at No. 2 WR
Steelers breaking out throwback jerseys this weekend
(Pittsburgh Steelers)
***
Stuff
MLB clip and save: Here is your calendar of what happens and when during the offseason.
Pick 6: Most wanted coaches
Associated Press
Jones is in his third season at Cincinnati after a successful three-year stint at Central Michigan. He replaced Brian Kelly at both spots and is 46-25 in his career, three times winning at least a share of a conference title. The Michigan native also spent two years working under Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia.
Could end up: Tennessee.
NFL Redzone: The People's Champ
Grantland
This Edison-rivaling invention referred to as "RedZone" is a game changer in the same way running water made wells obsolete. It's incredible. Similar to how it's hard to believe we as a TV-watching culture viewed non-HD television with such joy for so long, it's hard to believe that for 99.82 percent of my life, I pushed the "last" button on my remote while two games were on simultaneously, all the while sulking that I didn't have access to all the other Sunday games being played. Getting to flip between two games was exciting and, believe it or not, at times worked like a poor man's RedZone, with one game reaching high drama as the other was at commercial.
The NFL's most (and least) liked players
Forbes
Most Liked NFL Players
1. Troy Polamalu (63% appeal)
2. Drew Brees (62% appeal)
3. Charles Woodson (62% appeal)
4. Peyton Manning (59% appeal)
5. Aaron Rodgers (58% appeal)
Most Disliked NFL Players
1. Ndamukong Suh (19% appeal)
2. Jay Cutler (21% appeal)
3. Michael Vick (23% appeal)
4. Randy Moss (24% appeal)
5. Matt Leinart (26% appeal)
From Matt Jones and Kentucky Sports Radio: (Tuesday night)
The folks at ESPN have been nice enough to give KSR a clip of a preview of tomorrow’s ESPN All Access: Kentucky that includes two minutes of UK practice. It is exactly what you don’t usually see…behind the scenes of a UK practice in all its glory and entertainment. Enjoy and get ready for the broadcasts tomorrow night at 7 and 10:30 pm on ESPN.
***
Did you miss him?
Mount Union football coach Larry Kehres was my guest on Sports Talk last night. Kehres passed Bear Bryant for 4th place on college football's career victory list with 324, with a 51-0 victory over Otterbein Saturday. Kehres is 324-24-3 (.927) in 27 seasons at Mount Union. Kehres' teams have won 10 of the last 18 Division III championships. Mt Union has appeared in:
7 consecutive D3 championship games (3-4).
11 of the last 12 D3 championship games (6-5)
14 of the last 16 D3 championship games (9-5)
Mt Union has won 23 Ohio Conference championships, including the last 20.
Current Mt Union win streaks:
*70 game regular season win streak dating back to a 21-14 loss to Ohio Northern in Alliance on Oct. 22, 2005.
*63 game home winning streak dating back to a 21-14 loss to Ohio Northern in Alliance on Oct. 22, 2005.
*107 consecutive regular season road victories dating back to a 21-18 loss at Baldwin-Wallace on Sept. 28, 1991.
*The Raiders hold the NCAA's two longest consecutive college football win streaks -- 55 from 2000-2003 and 54 from 1996-99
This season
387-7: The point differential between Mount Union and its opponents for the first six games this season.
(From Mount Union athletics)
Listen to podcast here: Interview starts around 5-minute mark.
For the Hoosier faithful
***
