Ghost of Ross

OMGreds treked to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on this lazy winter Saturday and we found that David Ross is still kicking it on the lineup board at Great American. What's up with that?

We did find some great old-school Mr. Redlegs logos while putzing around today. You know how we do.

Benzinger time!

From press release:

The Dayton Dragons announced that Todd Benzinger has been selected as the team's new manager.

Benzinger, 45, was the first baseman on the Reds' 1990 World Series championship club and recorded the final out of the series when he caught a foul pop off the bat of Oakland's Carney Lansford. He spent nine years as a player in the major leagues with the Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, and Giants, playing in 924 major league games.

Benzinger was signed by the Red Sox after being selected in the fourth round in the 1981 draft. He reached the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1987 before being acquired by the Reds prior to the 1989 season. He hit 17 home runs while batting .245 for the Reds in 1989, playing in 161 of the team's 162 games. In 1990, he appeared in nine of the Reds' 10 post-season games including all four World Series games after playing in 118 regular season games for Cincinnati and batting .253. He was traded by the Reds to Kansas City in 1991 and concluded his major league playing career in 1995.

Benzinger is a Cincinnati-area native. He was an All-American at New Richmond (Ohio) High School and now resides in Loveland. He has enjoyed a highly-successful career coaching girls' high school basketball in the Cincinnati area since 1999. Benzinger has also served as a color commentator on several Dragons television game broadcasts.

Benzinger had been named to the position of hitting coach for the Dragons in October. However, Jamie Dismuke, who had been slated to manage the Dragons in 2009, accepted a position as hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate earlier this month, and the Reds selected Benzinger to fill the vacancy.

Tony Jaramillo will serve as the Dragons hitting coach after filling the same role with the Reds' Pioneer League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs, in 2008.

Starting to get worried

I'm not a huge Willy Taveras fan. His on-base percentage last season was .308 and his slugging percentage was .296, lowest among players who qualified for the batting title. In 133 games, he batted .251 with 18 of his 120 hits going for extra bases.

I know he had 68 stolen bases, but you can't steal first. Sure he'll get infield hits, but I don't think it'll be enough. You need your leadoff guy to get on base. We all know how pathetic Corey Patterson's numbers were last season. Taveras doesn't get on base much more than Patterson. I don't see how it's really that much of an upgrade.

And then I read this quote from Jocketty:

He could end up being the left fielder if we can't get that RBI man, which might be hard to do at this point.

And this one:

With Bruce and Taveras, we have two of our outfield spots filled.

Uh oh. Do you really expect to compete for the NL Central title with a starting outfield of Willy Taveras, Jay Bruce and Chris Dickerson/Norris Hopper?

I guess you never know. I'll be the first to admit I didn't think Jerry Hairston Jr. would contribute much when we signed him. I'm just not as excited about Ramon Hernandez and Willy Taveras as I would be about J.J. Hardy, Alex Rios, Juan Rivera, Jermaine Dye or some big right-handed bat.

2009 Reds Bobbleheads: OMGreds predictions

The Reds are throwing a few small wrinkles in the bobblehead pormotions this year. A couple of things stand out:

A) They are doing four, yes... count 'em... FOUR bobbleheads this year.

B) All bobblehead games are on Saturdays some against some good teams, too!

C) There will be a "Fan's Choice" bobblehead this year. GREAT idea.

Here are the Bobblehead dates. These and other promotions can be found on any 2009 pocket schedule. I picked one up at Redsfest.

Bobblehead #1
Saturday, May 9 vs. Cardinals

Bobblehead #2
Saturday, July 4 vs. Cardinals

Bobblehead #3 (Fan's Choice)
Saturday, July 18 vs. Brewers

Bobblehead #4
Saturday, August 15 vs. Nationals

For reference, here is my one prediction from last year, and a list of all the bobbleheads the Reds have done since 2001.

Predictions

The fan's choice is throwing a pretty good (but fun) curveball on the thinking of what the Reds might do this season. There are a few givens, I believe, and those givens will pave the way for my thoughts on the fan's choice possibilities. So, here are my three picks for Reds promotional department choices:

Edison Volquez - LOCK
Volton was our lone All-Star game representative. That virtual guarantee a bobblehead. It's like a reward for making it to the All-Star game for the Reds. Felipe Lopez got one, remember? I have a feeling Edison will turn out a little better for us. So yeah, put Edison on lock for a bobblehead this season.

Joey Votto - GOOD CHANCE
Our home skillet Votto tore up National League pitching last year to secure a second place finish in the ROY voting. The ROY would have put him on lock for a bobble, but alas, the Cubs' Geovany Soto had a great season and beat him out. Joey is a part of that young core of talent that the Reds are going to by hyping this season. That means bobblehead, folks.

Jay Bruce - FAIR CHANCE
BRUUUUUUUUUUCE may get one this year, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they waited on him. Reds probably don't want to do the entire young core of the team in just one season. Since Jay didn't garner much award action last season, it's likely that the Reds will wait on him He's more of a fan favorite that Votto, why not string the whole thing out, right?

Johnny Cueto - NOT LIKELY
See: Jay Bruce. Same deal and a even a little less popular than Jay. That's not to say the fans don't love Johnny Cueto, it's just not the right time for a bobble just yet.

Francisco Cordero - NOT LIKELY
But, I say that and Coco could be bobbling at some point this season. You never know! I have seen ideas thrown out there by fans to do a Latin Pitching Club bobblehead series. Cuteo, Coco, Volquez, Mario Soto. It would be a fun one, but not likely to happen. He is one of the few established veterans on the team and the only one without a Reds bobblehead (Arroyo, Harang).

Edwin Encarnacion - WILD CARD
I don't where EE stands. He might be likely to get one this year. Though he has been with the Reds for a few years now, he's still young, folks - 25. There are a lot of fans that either want him traded or moved to another position. But, the guy can be a dynamic player and the potential is obviously there and gets flashed a little more each year. Maybe he breaks out in '09 and he's a lock for a bobblehead in 2010.

So, that's two solid picks, and another couple of who knows? I say Bruce fits well in that thrid spot... the people want it. I just think the Reds should hold off on at least of their young players.

Now, that leaves the fans choice. I figure that if they are going to do a couple of the current players for sure, voting on more current players for this slot will either be insanely lopsided (say, Jay Bruce getting all the votes or something), or the bobblehead will feel more like an after thought. My thinking is that the Reds are going to basically do a Reds Hall of Fame Bobblehead for this one. Since a lot of great players have been done already from the Big Red Machine, the Wire-to-Wire teams and a few characters in-between, they will need to dig down a little deeper for the next great past Red to honor with a bobble. So, I think they will throw out 5-6 past Reds and leave it to the fans. It will invoke some passion on the part of Reds fans and maybe some fist-fights at the voting both. Well, maybe not. But, I think it's a GREAT idea and a good time to do it. Let's throw out a few names:

George Foster
I've called for his bobble in the past, and I will do it again. He has been making a lot of appearances at Reds stuff the past few years (Redsfest, Hall of Fame Events, Big Red Machine Reunion) and he's got that Dancing with the Stars petition out there. He's begging for some attention. Give it to him.

Ted Kluszewski
I've always wanted to see The Big Klu in bobble head form. sleeveless jersey, big arms, big bat. It would PWN all the other Reds bobbleheads. He's got a statue in the front lawn of Great American Ball Park. He should have a bobblehead on your desk at work.

Johnny Vander Meer
Of course, it should be a dual bobblehead... right. Two no-hitters in a row. That's a huge piece of not only Reds history, but baseball itself. Johnny should be immortalized with a nodder.

Ernie Lombardi
See the Big Klu... the guy has a statue out front! Let's hope the Reds start diggin' deep in the past for inspiration this year. Let's teach the kids about our Hall of Fame catcher, Mr. Lombardi.

Sparky Anderson
A fan favorite, for sure. The only member of the Big Red Machine that is in the Hall of Fame and doesn't have a bobblehead. Folks will turn out in droves for this one.

Now, even if the fan vote does go the Reds Hall of Fame route, I think there still might be a chance for a past Red to have a bobblehead already slated for the season. I would give those odds to George Foster. Perhaps a dancing George Foster?

Well, that's it. I'd say the only solid is Volquez, everything else is left open to debate... but the young guys like Bruce, Votto and Cueto look to have some promotional action thrown their way this season. Of course, OMGreds is looking forward to it all.

Reds Bobbleheads: A Quick History

2001
Barry Larkin
Danny Graves
Pete Harnish

2002
Eric Davis
Chris Sabo
Adam Dunn
Johnny Bench

2003
Austin Kearns
Mary Brennaman & Joe Nuxhall
Gapper

2004
Joe Nuxhall
Joe Morgan
Sean Casey

2005
Ken Griffey Jr.
Tony Perez
Wily Mo Peña

2006
Dave Concepcion
Barry Larkin
Filipe Lopez

2007
Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Frank Robinson
Thom & Marty Brennaman

2008
Brandon Phillips Dual
Adam Dunn '80s Theme
Tom Browning

2009
Saturday, May 9 vs. Cardinals
Saturday, July 4 vs. Cardinals
Saturday, July 18 vs. Brewers
Saturday, August 15 vs. Nationals

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Chris Sabo's Bobblehead and OMGreds. Have a great holiday, yo.

UPDATE! While heading out on Christmas Eve, my wife and I just happened to catch a great segment on NPR where a tape of Red Barber's recreated call of the final out of the second of Johnny Vander Meer's no-hitter was played. Here's the summary from NPR:

Baseball broadcaster Jon Miller talks about a recently discovered recording of a baseball play-by-play that was made 41 years after the actual game took place. At a broadcasters' conference in Orlando in 1979, Red Barber recorded a gripping play-by-play of a 1938 game at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.

Click here for to listen to the call at NPR.org

Big ouch for the Dragons

Jamie Dismuke, who was named in October as the team's new manager, has instead taken a job as hitting coach for the Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.) Braves, according to the daytondailynews.com. Wha?? Gets better.

Leon Roberts, a former minor-league hitting coordinator with the Reds, was announced as the Dragons manager for 2007. However, before the season, he took the same job with the Braves that Dismuke is taking, when the franchise's AAA team was in Richmond, Va. Now Roberts is the Braves' minor-league coordinator, and he helped pry Dismuke away from the Reds.

Larkin headed to MLB Network

According to this report on MLB.com, Barry Larkin will become a studio analyst for the new MLB Network, which is set to take to the airwaves on January 1.

It would have been cool to see the Reds bring him back into the organization after he parted ways with Ol' Leatherpants and the Nationals, but it will be great to see him breaking down highlights every night on TV. And, it looks like we'll actually be able to see him, as most of the major satellite and cable carriers have agreed to broadcast the new network, including DirecTV and Time Warner.

Dancin' with Foster

Homeboy Hal McCoy has a fun little column about George Foster and who else from the Reds past he would NOT want to see on Dancing With the Stars. We at OMG couldn't agree more. You saw the petition, right? Well, you can sign the online one right here.

George... man, just do your thing. If dancing is going to make you happy... then go for it. We might actually watch the show then. Well... maybe not. But hey, it's worth a shot.

Timberlake: "GIVE IT ON UP FOR FOSTERVILLE!!!"

What are you doing?

OMGreds.com is now on Twitter. It's been a long time coming. Follow us at: twitter.com/OMGreds. We'll have the Twitter feed integrated into the site design sometime in the first of the year. Until then, make sure to follow us.

my thesis

We've heard it time and time again: The MLB First-Year Player Draft is a crapshoot. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to play the "what if" game. For every Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones and A-Rod, there's a Brien Taylor, a Matthew Bush and a Bryan Bullington. And then there's Josh Hamilton, and there's no doubt in my mind that some dude I call a dud ends up being the next Hamilton in a couple of years. I apologize to that individual in advance (and also to those whose injuries turned them into busts).

The Reds have had their fair share of duds. But how have their past few drafts compared with other teams'? Let's take a somewhat subjective (with help from Baseball America, baseballcube and baseball-reference) look (feel free to disagree), regardless of whether or not the player is still a Red. It's strictly a "how did we draft that year and how did they turn out" as opposed to a "who did we end up acquiring down the road and how did they make us better" analysis.

Note: Especially in the first few (most recent) years of the analysis, pretty much anyone with any big-league experience whatsoever is included in the "Studs so far/Guys they're high on" category. Because you figure guys that are 26 and under have impressed to some extent (particularly if they weren't high draft picks) if they've made it to the bigs.

Sorry, Yonder Alonso, but we're skipping 2008 because the jury's still out on these guys. I thought about skipping 2007 too but we'll give that one a gloss-over treatment.

2007
First-round pick: C Devin Mesoraco (15)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: pride of Moeller HS Andrew Brackman
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: 3B Todd Frazier; probably too soon on guys like Kyle Lotzkar, Zack Cozart, Scott Carroll. Matt Klinker, a 15th round pick from Lakota West HS, pitched pretty well at Dayton last year. Only guys who have advanced as high as AA are RHP Ray Jeffords (19th round) and Brandon Douglas, who returned to University of Northern Iowa after the Reds drafted him in the 32nd round (he's now in the Tigers' system).
Duds so far: way too soon?
Grade: INC

2006
First-round pick: OF Drew Stubbs (8)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Giants' Tim Lincecum, Yankees' Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Stubbs, RHP Sean Watson (2nd round), SS Chris Valaika (3rd round), RHP Jordan Smith (6th round), RHP Josh Roenicke (10th round), OF Chris Heisey (17th round), OF Danny Dorn (32nd round)
Duds so far: too soon?
Grade: B

2005
First-round pick: OF Jay Bruce (12)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury, Twins' Matt Garza, Braves' Joey Devine, Cardinals' Colby Rasmus, Athletics' Travis Buck, Red Sox's Clay Buchholz, Red Sox's Jed Lowrie
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Bruce, LHP Travis Wood (2nd round), RHP Zach Ward (3rd round - in Twins' system), RHP Sam Lecure (4th round), RHP Jeff Stevens (6th round - in Indians' system), SS/3B Milton Loo (9th round), SS Adam Rosales (12th round), 2B Michael Griffin (14th round), RHP Abe Woody (31st round - in Diamondbacks' system)
Duds so far: too soon?
Grade: A-

2004
First-round pick: RHP Homer Bailey (7)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Angels' Jered Weaver, Nats' Bill Bray, Royals' Billy Butler, D'backs' Stephen Drew, White Sox's Josh Fields, Twins' Glen Perkins, Yankees' Phil Hughes, Dodgers' Blake Dewitt, Athletics' Huston Street
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Bailey, Paul Janish (5th round), Jason Urquidez (11th round - in Diamondbacks' system)
Duds so far: B.J. Szymanski (2nd round), Craig Tatum (3rd round), Rafael Gonzalez (4th round)
Major busts: Lonny Roa (6th round), Greg Goetz (8th round), Trevor Lawhorn (9th round)
Grade: C-

2003
First-round pick: RHP Ryan Wagner (14)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Red Sox's David Murphy, D'backs' Conor Jackson, Nats' Chad Cordero, Giants' David Aardsma, Dodgers' Chad Billingsley, Cards' Daric Barton, D'backs Carlos Quentin, Red Sox's Matt Murton, Braves' Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mariners' Adam Jones
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Carlos Guevara (7th round - in Padres' system), Chris Dickerson (16th round), Josh Newman (31st round - didn't sign with the Reds; Rockies drafted him in 19th round in 2004), German Duran (32nd round - didn't sign with the Reds; Rangers drafted him in 6th round in 2005)
Duds so far: Richie Gardner (6th round)
Major busts: Thomas Pauly (2nd round), Jose Ronda (3rd round), Marc Cornell (5th round), Damian Ursin (8th round), Ben Himes (9th round), Andy D'Alessio (10th round)
Grade: D

2002
First-round pick: RHP Chris Gruler (3)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Royals' Zack Greinke, Brewers' Prince Fielder, Rockies' Jeff Francis, Marlins' Jeremy Hermida, Angels' Joe Saunders, Padres' Khalil Greene, Blue Jays' Russ Adams, Mets' Scott Kazmir, Athletics' Nick Swisher, Phillies' Cole Hamels, Dodgers' James Loney, Twins' Denard Span, Indians' Jeremy Guthrie, Braves' Jeff Francoeur, Athletics' Joe Blanton, Giants' Matt Cain, Athletics' Mark Teahen, Red Sox's Jon Lester, Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton, Braves' Brian McCann, Rockies' Micah Owings
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Joey Votto (2nd round), Camilo Vazquez (4th round), Kevin Howard (5th round - now in Mariners' system), Chris Denorfia (19th round - now with Oakland)
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Gruler, Mark Schramek (supplemental pick for failure to sign 2001 No. 1 pick Jeremy Sowers), Walter Olmstead (6th round), Corey Wachman (7th round), O.J. King (8th round), Steve Booth (9th round), Frankie Keller (10th round)
Grade: D (Votto keeps it from F)

2001
First-round pick: Jeremy Sowers (20, who opted to go to Vanderbilt instead of signing with the Reds)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Braves' Macay McBride, Athletics' Bobby Crosby, Athletics' Jeremy Bonderman, Giants' Noah Lowry, Mets' David Wright, Brewers' J.J. Hardy, Cardinals' Dan Haren
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Slim pickings. Bobby Basham (7th round) at one time showed tremendous promise with Sarasota and Chattanooga but appears to be out of baseball now. David Shafer (32nd round) also looked great in 2005 and 2006 but hasn't impressed since the Reds got rid of him. He's in Oakland's system now. Same goes for Daylan Childress (5th round), who was lights out for Dayton in 2002 (at age 23) but then slowly but surely disappeared.
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Justin Gillman (2nd round), Alan Moye (3rd round), Scott Light (6th round), Jose Rodriguez (8th round), Junior Ruiz (9th round), Bryan Prince (10th round)
Grade: F

2000
First-round pick: David Espinosa (23)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Braves' Adam Wainwright, Twins' Aaron Heilman, Blue Jays' Dustin McGowan, Braves' Kelly Johnson, Padres' Xavier Nady, Red Sox's Manny Delcarmen, Astros' Chad Qualls
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Dustin Moseley (supplemental first-round pick for loss of free agent Juan Guzman) is with the Angels. Dane Sardinha (2nd round) is with the Tigers. Chris Schroder (46th round) has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Nationals.
Duds so far: David Gil (3rd round) showed promise but he's out of baseball. Same goes for Ryan Mottl (6th round).
Major busts: Espinosa, Marc Kaiser (4th round), Roydell Williams (5th round), Daniel Fletcher (7th round), Dan Gooris (8th round)
Grade: D-

1999
First-round pick: Ty Howington
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Rockies' Jason Jennings, Blue Jays' Alex Rios, Orioles' Larry Bigbie, Royals' Mike MacDougal, Dodgers' Jason Repko, Cardinals' Chris Duncan, Orioles' Brian Roberts, Rays' Carl Crawford, Nationals' Brandon Phillips, Pirates' Ryan Doumit, Athletics' Ryan Ludwick, Angels' John Lackey, Twins' Justin Morneau, Rangers' Hank Blalock
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Ben Broussard (2nd round) has played seven big-league seasons and is now with the Rangers. Brad Salmon (21st round) appeared in 26 games for the Reds in 2007. Rich Hill (36th round - didn't sign with the Reds; Cubs drafted him in 4th round in 2002)
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Howington, Brandon Love (3rd round), Kenny Lutz (4th round), Alex LeFlore (6th round), Corey Barrow (7th round), Ryan Lundquist (8th round), Casey Bookout (9th round)
Grade: D

1998
First-round pick: Austin Kearns
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Blue Jays' Felipe Lopez, Rangers' Carlos Pena, Tigers' Jeff Weaver, White Sox's Kip Wells, Astros' Brad Lidge, Indians' C.C. Sabathia, Nats' Brad Wilkerson, White Sox's Aaron Rowand, Yankees' Mark Prior, Athletics' Gerald Laird, Rangers' Barry Zito
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Kearns, Adam Dunn (2nd round). 12th-rounder John Koronka has had three big-league stints and is still only 28 (he's in the Rockies' system). B.J. Ryan, selected in the 17th round, is the Blue Jays' closer and has 115 big-league saves. Todd Coffey, now with the Brewers, was a 41st round pick.
Duds so far: Greg Porter, the Reds' third pick in the draft, has bounced around quite a bit and is currently believed to be in the Yankees' system. Sixth rounder Bobby Madritsch was out of baseball for a couple of seasons but attempted a comeback in 2008. Seventh rounder Josh Hall had a cup of coffee with the Reds in 2003 and is currently in the Rockies' system.
Major busts: Darrell Hussman (4th round), Jayson Larman (5th round), Clint Vaughn (8th round), Jacob Wallis (10th round)
Grade: A-

cool

Dayton, Ohio - One of the most exciting and unique events ever to occur at a minor league ballpark will take place at Fifth Third Field in Dayton on Saturday, April 4, 2009 when the Cincinnati Reds battle their top minor league prospects in a "futures game" in the stadium where several of the current Reds' stars once played.

The Reds will take the field against a team consisting of their best minor league prospects currently playing at the Triple-A, Double-A, and Single-A levels. The game will provide Dragons fans with a glimpse of the future and a look back at the past on the same day at Fifth Third Field. Many of the players on the "Futures" team will be former Dragons of previous seasons who are now viewed as upcoming major league stars awaiting their opportunity to join former Dragons Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Johnny Cueto.

This historic event is believed to be the first of its kind in baseball in which a major league club matches up against its top prospects in a stadium that was once the home park for players of both clubs.

"We are very excited with the opportunity to host this historic Futures Game at Fifth Third Field," said Bob Murphy, President of the Dragons. "Many of the top Dragons players from past years will play in this game, either as members of the Reds or with the Futures team. It is a great chance to see the Reds' major league stars and their top prospects from all levels of the minor leagues, all on the same field in Dayton."