Reds have high expectations in '12 
Lead Summary

By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — As the Cincinnati Reds are traveling in their annual Caravan event, one of their first stops came at WBEX 1490 AM Radio in Chillicothe, and with that they brought some lofty goals and high expectations two seasons removed from winning the NL Central crown.
Last season was a season of under-performance and injuries for the Reds, finishing in third place in the NL Central at 79-83, but changes have been made by General Manager Walt Jocketty, and it seems the Reds are in a "win now" mode as the division is theirs for the taking with the Milwaukee Brewers losing Prince Fielder and the St. Louis Cardinals losing Albert Pujols this offseason to the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Reds radio and TV broadcaster Thom Brennaman sees big things for the Reds headed into spring training.
"I think they have a chance to be not a good team, but a great team," he said during the Reds Caravan Media event held at WBEX 1490 AM radio in Chillicothe. "On paper, I don't think there is any doubt about it … they have the best team potentially in the six years I've been here.
"When they first made the move a few years ago to start bringing these young guys up, some took off right away like (Joey) Votto and (Brandon) Phillips. It took (Jay) Bruce a little while, but he had a breakout year last year. Many of the players on the roster got a chance when they were very young, and they are now about to hit the prime, or what should be the prime, of their careers."
Brennaman has the feeling success is at the doorstep of the Reds this season.
"I think (the Reds) have potentially the legitimate chance of not just being a playoff contender; I think the team has a legitimate World Series-contending team."
This offseason has been one of revamping a pitching staff that was 12th in the NL in team ERA at 4.16. The Reds' starters were 13th in the NL (4.47) with 90 quality starts. In those quality starts, the Reds were 61-29.
Reds relievers were ninth in ERA at 3.55 as they converted 39-of-61 save opportunities.
"We can rest on our laurels," Jocketty said. "We have to keep plugging every year to keep trying to improve. That's the approach we'll take this year."
The GM took a look back at last season and what went wrong.
"Going into last spring we felt, based on how we performed the year before, we didn't have to do a lot to improve the club," Jocketty said. "We thought we had a lot of depth in our pitching. When we got to spring training, we found we weren't as deep as we thought.
"Both (Homer) Bailey and (Johnny) Cueto were unable to start the season, and (Bronson) Arroyo got sick, and it just really affected us early. This year, we felt we had to make some changes and improve the club. Now we feel good about the club headed into spring training, and we'll continue to improve our bench."
[[In-content Ad]]Added to the roster for the '12 season is 24-year-old potential top-of-the-rotation pitcher Mat Latos, who the Reds acquired from a trade with the San Diego Padres for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Edinson Volquez.
In San Diego last season, Latos was 9-14 with a 3.47 ERA. He was 14th in the NL last season with 185 strikeouts and 18th in the ERA standings.
"The offseason objective was to try to improve our pitching staff," Jocketty said. "The first thing I wanted to do was find a top-of-the-rotation starter. We identified six guys. Some were unavailable, and through our internal examination and research, we felt that Latos best suited our situation.
"He's young and has the potential to be a No. 1 starter. He's a guy we'll have control over for a few years, so he's the guy we went after and were able to get."
Also new to the pitching staff are Sean Marshall and Ryan Madson. Marshall was traded from the Cubs for starter Travis Wood, and Madson was a free agent addition from the Philadelphia Phillies.
"To get a guy like Sean Marshall, an excellent set-up guy … when we first got him we thought if we didn't sign (Francisco) Cordero we could close with Marshall too," Jocketty said.
"We kept negotiating with Cordero, and finally the Madson deal became available and came down to a level where we could afford him. What we have now with Latos is a guy who adds quality to our rotation, and we added depth to our bullpen."
The additions to the pitching staff will make a big difference, according to Brennaman.
"When all of a sudden you have a guy like (Logan) Ondrusek who last year because of ineffectiveness and injury, he was forced to become the eighth-inning guy, and I don't know if he was ready to become that guy. This year, there is a little more breathing room for guys like him with Marshall and/or (Nick) Masset as an eighth-inning guy.
"They have a group, especially in that bullpen, that could be the best in the league when all is said and done. I don't think it is a stretch to think the Reds bullpen could be the very best in the entire league for this upcoming season."
Another key addition to the roster was outfielder Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick was obtained as a free agent, signing on a one-year deal.
"He will be a guy in the outfield mix," Jocketty said. "We have four good outfielders with Ludwick, (Chris) Heisey, (Drew) Stubbs and (Jay) Bruce. So we have four quality major league outfielders.
"Also, Ludwick will be a guy who bring some leadership to the clubhouse. He's a quality individual."
Now about the aforementioned bench play of the Reds. They signed Wilson Valdez, along with Ludwick. Utility player Willie Harris, along with veteran left-handed pitcher Jeff Francis, were signed to minor league deals.
"Valdez … he and (Paul) Janish will compete for a role on the infield, and again, it adds competition. I think it is important and healthy to have competition at different positions, and he just adds depth to our bench.
"The same with Francis. He'll be a guy who competes for a spot in our rotation, and if not, he'll provide depth at Triple-A. With the addition of these guys, it gives us a chance to really let (Aroldis) Chapman develop as a starter. If he's not quite ready to start the season, we won't be pressed to rush him."
Jocketty spoke about the process of turning Chapman from reliever to starter this offseason.
"(The process) has been good. He was in an instructional league for awhile, then he pitched in a fall league for a little bit, and then we shut him down," Jocketty said. "We worked on strengthening his shoulder and getting him in better shape to be able to compete as a starter … be able to get strong enough to pitch deep into a game."
As for the NL Central, the defending champion of the division are the Fielder-less Brewers, and the reigning champions of baseball are the Cardinals, who lost their biggest bat in the lineup.
"I think (the departure of Fielder and Pujols) helps our situation, but Milwaukee will still be a strong club, and they won the division. St. Louis won the World Series, and yes, they lost Pujols, but they added (Carlos) Beltran and have (Adam) Wainwright coming back. They are going to be tough," Jocketty said.
"We're still not sure about the direction the Cubs are going in and will probably get a better idea of that in spring training. And, if Pittsburgh continues to improve … it's going to be another tough year, but I feel we've improved ourselves enough to where we should be in contention all year."
Brennaman has seen the core of the Reds team go from fresh-faced rookies to leaders to what he says needs to become "their team."
"Now is the time where the guys have to make this become their team," he said. "Now is the time where all of those players that came up in '09 and '10 … it's time now for this to become their team, and we'll see if they are up for that challenge. The team will need leadership from those players in the way they play and the way they lead in the clubhouse."
Listen to Cincinnati Reds baseball all season long on WBEX 1490 AM and Cool Oldies 1250 WCHO-AM.
Last season was a season of under-performance and injuries for the Reds, finishing in third place in the NL Central at 79-83, but changes have been made by General Manager Walt Jocketty, and it seems the Reds are in a "win now" mode as the division is theirs for the taking with the Milwaukee Brewers losing Prince Fielder and the St. Louis Cardinals losing Albert Pujols this offseason to the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Reds radio and TV broadcaster Thom Brennaman sees big things for the Reds headed into spring training.
"I think they have a chance to be not a good team, but a great team," he said during the Reds Caravan Media event held at WBEX 1490 AM radio in Chillicothe. "On paper, I don't think there is any doubt about it … they have the best team potentially in the six years I've been here.
"When they first made the move a few years ago to start bringing these young guys up, some took off right away like (Joey) Votto and (Brandon) Phillips. It took (Jay) Bruce a little while, but he had a breakout year last year. Many of the players on the roster got a chance when they were very young, and they are now about to hit the prime, or what should be the prime, of their careers."
Brennaman has the feeling success is at the doorstep of the Reds this season.
"I think (the Reds) have potentially the legitimate chance of not just being a playoff contender; I think the team has a legitimate World Series-contending team."
This offseason has been one of revamping a pitching staff that was 12th in the NL in team ERA at 4.16. The Reds' starters were 13th in the NL (4.47) with 90 quality starts. In those quality starts, the Reds were 61-29.
Reds relievers were ninth in ERA at 3.55 as they converted 39-of-61 save opportunities.
"We can rest on our laurels," Jocketty said. "We have to keep plugging every year to keep trying to improve. That's the approach we'll take this year."
The GM took a look back at last season and what went wrong.
"Going into last spring we felt, based on how we performed the year before, we didn't have to do a lot to improve the club," Jocketty said. "We thought we had a lot of depth in our pitching. When we got to spring training, we found we weren't as deep as we thought.
"Both (Homer) Bailey and (Johnny) Cueto were unable to start the season, and (Bronson) Arroyo got sick, and it just really affected us early. This year, we felt we had to make some changes and improve the club. Now we feel good about the club headed into spring training, and we'll continue to improve our bench."
[[In-content Ad]]Added to the roster for the '12 season is 24-year-old potential top-of-the-rotation pitcher Mat Latos, who the Reds acquired from a trade with the San Diego Padres for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Edinson Volquez.
In San Diego last season, Latos was 9-14 with a 3.47 ERA. He was 14th in the NL last season with 185 strikeouts and 18th in the ERA standings.
"The offseason objective was to try to improve our pitching staff," Jocketty said. "The first thing I wanted to do was find a top-of-the-rotation starter. We identified six guys. Some were unavailable, and through our internal examination and research, we felt that Latos best suited our situation.
"He's young and has the potential to be a No. 1 starter. He's a guy we'll have control over for a few years, so he's the guy we went after and were able to get."
Also new to the pitching staff are Sean Marshall and Ryan Madson. Marshall was traded from the Cubs for starter Travis Wood, and Madson was a free agent addition from the Philadelphia Phillies.
"To get a guy like Sean Marshall, an excellent set-up guy … when we first got him we thought if we didn't sign (Francisco) Cordero we could close with Marshall too," Jocketty said.
"We kept negotiating with Cordero, and finally the Madson deal became available and came down to a level where we could afford him. What we have now with Latos is a guy who adds quality to our rotation, and we added depth to our bullpen."
The additions to the pitching staff will make a big difference, according to Brennaman.
"When all of a sudden you have a guy like (Logan) Ondrusek who last year because of ineffectiveness and injury, he was forced to become the eighth-inning guy, and I don't know if he was ready to become that guy. This year, there is a little more breathing room for guys like him with Marshall and/or (Nick) Masset as an eighth-inning guy.
"They have a group, especially in that bullpen, that could be the best in the league when all is said and done. I don't think it is a stretch to think the Reds bullpen could be the very best in the entire league for this upcoming season."
Another key addition to the roster was outfielder Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick was obtained as a free agent, signing on a one-year deal.
"He will be a guy in the outfield mix," Jocketty said. "We have four good outfielders with Ludwick, (Chris) Heisey, (Drew) Stubbs and (Jay) Bruce. So we have four quality major league outfielders.
"Also, Ludwick will be a guy who bring some leadership to the clubhouse. He's a quality individual."
Now about the aforementioned bench play of the Reds. They signed Wilson Valdez, along with Ludwick. Utility player Willie Harris, along with veteran left-handed pitcher Jeff Francis, were signed to minor league deals.
"Valdez … he and (Paul) Janish will compete for a role on the infield, and again, it adds competition. I think it is important and healthy to have competition at different positions, and he just adds depth to our bench.
"The same with Francis. He'll be a guy who competes for a spot in our rotation, and if not, he'll provide depth at Triple-A. With the addition of these guys, it gives us a chance to really let (Aroldis) Chapman develop as a starter. If he's not quite ready to start the season, we won't be pressed to rush him."
Jocketty spoke about the process of turning Chapman from reliever to starter this offseason.
"(The process) has been good. He was in an instructional league for awhile, then he pitched in a fall league for a little bit, and then we shut him down," Jocketty said. "We worked on strengthening his shoulder and getting him in better shape to be able to compete as a starter … be able to get strong enough to pitch deep into a game."
As for the NL Central, the defending champion of the division are the Fielder-less Brewers, and the reigning champions of baseball are the Cardinals, who lost their biggest bat in the lineup.
"I think (the departure of Fielder and Pujols) helps our situation, but Milwaukee will still be a strong club, and they won the division. St. Louis won the World Series, and yes, they lost Pujols, but they added (Carlos) Beltran and have (Adam) Wainwright coming back. They are going to be tough," Jocketty said.
"We're still not sure about the direction the Cubs are going in and will probably get a better idea of that in spring training. And, if Pittsburgh continues to improve … it's going to be another tough year, but I feel we've improved ourselves enough to where we should be in contention all year."
Brennaman has seen the core of the Reds team go from fresh-faced rookies to leaders to what he says needs to become "their team."
"Now is the time where the guys have to make this become their team," he said. "Now is the time where all of those players that came up in '09 and '10 … it's time now for this to become their team, and we'll see if they are up for that challenge. The team will need leadership from those players in the way they play and the way they lead in the clubhouse."
Listen to Cincinnati Reds baseball all season long on WBEX 1490 AM and Cool Oldies 1250 WCHO-AM.