Season ending Reds evaluations *hardcore reds fans only*

I'm gonna give my post season evaluation of some of the players. Overall i thought it was about what i expected with the exception that if this team would have stayed healthy, they would have been at least a .500 team and would have possibly been in the wild card mix. As we all suspected before the season this is the off season to make some moves and next year will be the year it should all come together. A lot of young players got a bunch of time in and hopefully they should be ready to at least contend for a wild card next year. I know its seems like its said every year but i can honestly say "I think next year is our year"

First off the bright spot all season has been Joey Votto who finished the season on a tear to rank top 5 in 4 major offensive categories.

• Ranks 5th in NL in BA (.322) • Ranks 4th in NL in OBP (.414)
• Ranks 5th in NL in SLG (.567) • Ranks 3rd in NL in OPS (.981)

Homer Bailey has found his swagger. In his last 9 starts he went 6-3 with a 1.70 ERA 53K's to only 23 BB's, that number is outstanding for him.

Jay Bruce had a 2 month stint on the DL thanks to a broken wrist. His defensive play has been great all year long and he has one of the best arms in MLB. His plate discipline was a another story. He struggled at the plate all year before his wrist injury and had to be benched a couple times and watched the game with Baker. Well the broken wrist was a blessing in disguise as he was able to study film and work on his mental game. He hit .326 with an 1.078 OPS in his final 18 games. It will be great to see what he can do over a full season, his AB/HR ratio would have been top 10 in the NL if he would have qualifed with 22 HR's in 345 AB's

This covers pretty much the 3 best prospects the Reds have had for a while and considering to hit this well on two first rounders and a second rounder, its phenomenal. Hopefully this will be the core of a dominant reds team for years to come.

With that said some other vets had great years too.

Bronson Arroyo pretty much gave the other 31 MLB teams a big frick you for not trying to trade for him and has some ridiculous number like 14 consecutive quality starts in the second half. Mad props to the music man.

Phillips had another solid year with 98 RBI's. He led all NL 2B in RBI's and SB. Its nice to get that kind of production from your 2B.

Johnny Gomes had a great year coming off the bench. He was probably one of the best bench guys in MLB this year. He managed 20 HR and 50 RBI's in just 281 AB's. That is awesome.

Cueto started off hot but fizzled as the season went on. He just seemed too burnt out. The great news is he has eclipsed 170IP which kicks in a clause in his contract so he is NOT allowed to pitch in winter ball. Hopefully he will be rested and ready for next year.

Harang is harang. He's gonna eat innings and give you around high 3 low 4 ERA in and out every year. His injuries cut his season a little short but he was having a decent year not winning games.

Volquez. For him it became pretty evident after the elbow evaluation that it was bothering him all year long. Not sure when he will be back next season but hopefully he will be stronger.

Micah Owings. His .808 OPS puts him 3rd on the team with anyone over 50 AB's. So he knows when, i mean if this pitching thing doesn't work out he can always hit. This stat defines Owings

April ERA 3.78
May ERA 5.68
June ERA 3.72
July ERA 8.53
August ERA 6.43 (only 7IP)
Sept ERA 1.23

Mr. Inconsistency.