Tag: Paul Janish

Cincinnati Reds Ship Paul Janish to Atlanta

According to the Reds’ official team website, the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves have agreed to terms on a deal that will ship Cincinnati shortstop Paul Janish to Atlanta in exchange for righty pitching prospect Todd Redmond.

Boasting a 69-56 career record over 199 minor league appearances, Redmond was described by Reds GM Walt Jocketty as “a big, strong, durable guy” and will likely be inserted into the Triple-A Louisville starting rotation immediately.

Janish, a career Red who saw big league playing time from 2008-11, has always been regarded for his stellar defense, but has struggled mightily at the plate and failed to make Cincinnati’s 2012 major league roster.

Fortunately, the move to Atlanta could present the 29-year-old shortstop with a golden opportunity, given the Braves’ lack of middle infield depth.

With both Billy Hamilton and Didi Gregorius coming through the shortstop ranks in the Queen City, Janish was likely to find himself buried deep within the Cincinnati farm system for quite some time had a transaction not taken place.

While it’s difficult to predict the trade’s long-term impact here and now, the move seems to make sense for Cincy. Janish’s role with the Reds was clearly dwindling and minor league pitching depth can never be overvalued.

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Cincinnati Reds: Paul Janish Breaks Wrist in Louisville, Promotions to Follow?

I heard of Paul Janish‘s possible injury yesterday. Today it’s been confirmed by beat writer John Fay that Janish broke his wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Saturday’s game against the Norfolk Tides.

Janish will be placed on the DL and is likely to miss 6-8 weeks (standard recovery time from a broken wrist).

Janish is one of the more likable players in the Reds organization. He may not always produce to fans’ standards, but he works hard and is a wizard with the glove.

This year, Janish was punishing AAA pitching. In 23 games, Janish was batting .315/.390/.521 with two HR, seven doubles, a triple, four RBI and 11 runs scored.

The Reds will need to replace Janish’s production in Louisville, and the best option seems to be promoting lower level players.

Didi Gregorius is in AA right now and he’d be next in line for a promotion at shortstop. Gregorius is one of the higher-ranked organizational prospects and he’s certainly playing like one this season.

Gregorius is batting .333/.384/.345 with a double, seven RBI and 15 runs scored in 22 games played.

Promoting Gregorius would create a vacancy at shortstop in AA-Pensacola.

Fan favorite and super-prospect Billy Hamilton is the likely candidate for promotion.

Hamilton is killing it in 2012. In 23 games at A+ Bakersfield, Hamilton is batting .393/.481/.591 with a HR, six doubles, four triples, 10 RBI, 24 runs, and 29 steals.

Hamilton’s offensive game is definitely deserving of promotion. His big knock is his defense but as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, defense for shortstops tends to come later in their minor league careers.

Hamilton is the organization’s most exciting prospect and arguably the fastest player in professional baseball.

It will be interesting to see how the Reds handle Janish’s injury. The injury could have major implications on the progression of two of the Reds’ best prospects.

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Cincinnati Reds: Have the Reds Given Up on SS Paul Janish?

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay, Paul Janish is currently the Reds‘ backup shortstop, for now.

In his article “Zack Cozart healthy, rarin’ to go” he wrote, “Right now, Cozart is the only shortstop with a guaranteed spot on the 25-man roster. Paul Janish is a backup for now.”

If you’ve followed Fay at all, you have probably discovered that he appears very high on Cozart and seems to have written Janish off. Thankfully for Janish, it appears as though Reds manager Dusty Baker has not given up on him.

Last winter, when the Reds signed Edgar Renteria, both Baker and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty called Janish and expressed to him that he was their shortstop.

Janishs’ struggles last season led to the Reds calling Cozart up and demoting Janish to Triple-A Louisiville.

According to Mike Bauman of MLB.com, Baker spoke highly of Janish in July and said he was one of the best-liked guys on the team.

“Paul Janish was putting a lot of pressure on himself, and his confidence was waning some. He needs to go down there and, more than anything get his confidence together. He’s definitely a quality shortstop, definitely a proven shortstop, one of the best there is, I think. It’s just a matter of him getting his stroke together and his confidence together,” Baker said.

Cozart performed well in his brief stint, hitting .324 with two home runs and three RBI before an elbow injury led to season-ending surgery.

Janish was called back up after Cozart went down and performed much better, hitting .321 over a 13-game stretch in September.

The shortstop position does appear to be Cozart’s to lose, but according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com Baker has not yet made that declaration.

“There’s a good chance he (Cozart) is the guy,” Baker said. “You reserve that little bit to see how his health is and how his arm comes out.”

Sheldon also noted that Cozart had a minor surgical procedure to clean out his right ankle in September and was cleared last week to resume full baseball activity.

So, it appears as though the Reds have not given up on Janish just yet.

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Should the Cincinnati Reds Try to Get Chicago White Sox Ace Mark Buehrle?

It is well-documented how the Cincinnati Reds starting pitching has been a grave, I said grave disappointment. And when I say grave I am talking about sending them to the basement grave. It’ll sink you like a stone, son.

That is the way Foghorn Leghorn would report it. With all the injuries, lack of an ace and inexperience, the Reds are looking up from three floors down right now.

In the humble opinion of this writer, it is time to lure someone’s ace away from them. Lord knows we have young talent that would commence most GMs salivating.

Southpaw ace Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox would attract my attention. According to MLB Trade Rumors he will be freed up after this season. Not yet considered old, but certainly experienced at 32, he could be just what the doctor ordered.

He is currently being paid $14M for the Southside boys and that stings. But hey, you have to spend money to make money.

Buehrle has some good credentials. He is 10th in wins among active pitchers with 154 and has a career ERA of 3.85. He also has the best interleague record of any pitcher with a 24-6 mark, which means he tears up NL hitters.

Did I forget to mention he threw a perfect game in 2009? It looks good on his resume right beside his 2007 no-hitter.

What would the Reds have to part with to sign such a pitcher? They are in need of relief pitching, what have we got to give them?

How about the big guy, Logan Ondrusek? Don’t cry Reds Nation, we are trying to get a stud ace here. That alone would not satisfy the White Sox Muckety Mucks, I can assure you.

How else could we sweeten the pot? How about we throw in a couple of guys for good measure? For example, we could unload, er…I mean throw in Paul Janish and Wily Mo Francisco. O, my bad, Juan Francisco.

Look at that, we have now made room for Zack Cozart to pop up his head and see if there is a shadow. The 25-year-old is only getting older at Louisville, and his .327/.366/.509 numbers cry out for attention.

And about Francisco, do any of you think he actually has a future in Cincinnati? Just like W.M. Pena, if you love 5:00 upper deck shots, he is your boy.

Do you think that is enough to lure him from the White Sox? With Paulie Konerko making $12M, Alex Rios making $12.5M, Adam Dunn $12M, and I almost forget Jake Peavy and his $16M, do you think they want to keep all of that debt?

If that isn’t enough, we have more to sacrifice if necessary. Maybe we would throw in reliever Jordan Smith, provided they would give us a live body.

The Reds have many young guns, but to make a playoff run, we need an ace and we do not have one. We didn’t pick up the option on ours and he is now 7-2 with a 3.71 ERA at San Diego.

You aren’t thinking we should try to pick up Aaron Harang for cheap now are you?

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MLB in 2011: Can the Success of the 2010 Cincinnati Reds Continue?

Was the Reds success of last season an aberration or a trend?  They were 43-24 against the Astros, Brewers, Cubs and Pirates, and 48-47 against everyone else.

1–Who among the Reds’ young stable of starting pitchers will take it to the next level?

Homer Bailey: 4-3, 4.46 ERA, 19 starts, 109 innings

Johnny Cueto: 12-7, 3.64 ERA, 31 starts, 185 innings

Mike Leake: 8-4, 4.23 ERA, 22 starts, 136 innings

Edinson Volquez:  4-3, 4.31 ERA,  12 Starts, 62 innings

Travis Wood  5-4,  3.61 ERA, 17 starts, 102 innings

Do you see a pattern here?  Cueto was the only one who was in the rotation all year.

 Volquez was out after Tommy John elbow surgery a year.  With his control lapses and mechanics issues, did he come back too soon?   If he can regain his fom of 2008, he may never be worth Josh Hamilton, but has the potential to be a #1 starter on the level of Jose Rijo before his elbow problems.

Wood came up at mid year, and came within two outs of a perfect game, a feat only accomplished by the last successful Reds’ left-handed starter, Tom Browning.  He seems to have the stuff for long-term success.

If Bailey is still around, 2011 may be his last shot at gaining a permanent spot in the rotation. He could fulfill the need for long relief they had[n  Pedro Borbon who kept the Reds in a lot of ball games.  But Bailey takes a while to warm up the clock is ticking…

 After getting off to a fast start that would have made Leake an early Rookie of the year candidate, Leake seemed to have evaporated after Volquez returned.  When he went to the bullpen, he got hammered.  And then he disappeared.

Although Champan is able to throw 105 m.p.h., I am more concerned with his ability to get 27 outs.  He either has to start or finish.  There is no way to justify his money for a set up man. 

If he becomes a closer. where does that put Francisco Cordero?  Cordero gets a huge salary to finish games and probably not be around after next year. To justify Chapman’s salary, he would have to be a Mariano Rivera.

In order to compete with other clubs, the starters have to go deeper into games.   Given the Brewers recent acquirisitions, they will need to get better in order to repeat.

Bullpen.

Cordero, 6-5, 3.84 ERA, 40 saves is in the last year of contract.   With eight blown saves, if half of his blown saves had been converted, the Reds playoff position and maybe results could have been different.  Even when he converted saves, it was rarely easy due to erratic control.

 Behind Cordero is Nick Masset, who was 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA, with two saves.  With Arthur Rhodes departed, Matt Maloney or the possible resurrection of Dontrell Willis filling the void.  Logan Ondrusek, 5-0, 3.68 ERA, in 60 appearances, pitched much better in his second stint with the big club.

Middle and long relief could be a weakness of this team, if a starter, relegated to the bullpen is unable to make the adjustment. 

Catching

Last season’s pickup of Ramon Hernandez (97 games, 7 home runs, 48 RBIs, .297 ave) was, for the short term, along with Scott Rolen, one of the best in recent years.  Coupled with Ryan Hannigan, (70 games, 5, 40, .306) two solid catchers, until last year’s first round draft choice, Yasmani Grandal time to develop.  Last year, Hernandez handled about 60%, to Hannigan’s 40%.  Hannigan always caught Arroyo. and usually an additional start a week.  Barring injury, the Reds seem to be in good shape.

Infield

If the Reds can pony up the dough, they seem to be set for the decade with Joey Votto (150 games, 37, 113, .328, almost unanimous MVP) at first base is the first real difference maker that has come up through the Reds’ system since Barry Larkin, meaning to the Reds what Jeff Bagwell meant to the Astros in the 90’s and Tony Perez to the Big Red Machine. 

With another potential big bat in Yonder Alonzo waiting in the wings, one or the other may have to play out of position, like Perez playing third when Lee May came up.  Votto worked hard on his defense last year, so any move of Votto that would affect his offense would be a  bad idea, and Alonzo may become to Votto what Hal Morris was to Don Mattingly, or Paul Konerko was to Sean Casey.

Brandon Phillips (150 gams, 18, 59, .275) scored a lot of runs, and had a better year than the stats due to a late season hand injury.  His remarks about the Cardinals didn’t set to well in head-to-head encounters, but seemed to set a fire under the other teams in the division,  The Cards were 12-6 against the Reds, but 27-33 against the other four teams, with much of the damage coming after Phillips’ remarks. 

When Willie Stargell wrote his book on the 1979 “We are Familee” Pittsburgh Pirates, he wrote that Dave Parker, a guy who was so talented that he replaced Roberto Clemente, played out of hate.  It doesn’t take much bitterness to shove one into playing out of hate.  They win championships and they are not happy.  Baseball is still a game that pays insane money and most of us can only dream about it.  My best advise to Phillips is to play hard but be happy. 

The 1979 Pirates were their last championship team, sweeping the Reds in the LCS, and beating the Orioles in a seven game World Series.  They haven’t had a winning season since Barry Bonds left them.

Like most Reds good second basemen, Phillips is a converted shortstop, with shortstop range at second base.  Phillips made only three errors and won his second Gold Glove.With Cabrerra out of the picture, it seems that the Reds have put the confidence in Paul Janish (82 games, 5, 25, 260)as an everyday shortstop.  Like Juan Castro, there was never any doubt about Janish’s defense, but had little confidence in his hitting.  But Dave Concepcion was not much of a hitter when he started either.  Put Janish in the eighth slot and leave him there.  They have plenty of 1-7 offense.  Geronimo batted .307 in the eighth slot in 1976, and Sparky Anderson didn’t move him. 

Who’s on third, long term: I dunno.

Last year at this time I speculated what kind of a difference having Scott Rolen (133 games, 20-83, .85) for a whole season would be.  He certainly was enough of a difference to make the Reds a division winner.  But Rolen faded in the second half of the season, and will probably be limited in starts in 2011.   Like several guys in the past, I wish Rolen would have become a Red earlier than when he was acquired.  It is possible that the Reds can have four Gold Gloves this year.

Two guys that were brought up in September, Juan Francisco (36 games, 1-7, .273) and Chris Valiaka (19 games, 1-2, .263) are possiblilties.  Francisco has the offensive pop, and Valaika can back up at second, short, or third, taking Janish’s spot as a backup.  With Miguel Cairo (91 games, 4, 28, .290) returing, it is unlikely that Francisco, Valaika and Alonzo will be with the team on opening day.

Outfield

Johnny Gomes (148 games, 18. 86, .266) was an enigma in left field.  At times he looked like the perfect #5 hitter, driving in runs in droves, and other times he looked all the things Adam Dunn’s agent never brings up in contract negotiations, strikeouts, and although he made only one more error than Jay Bruce, he had 149 less total chances than Bruce.  At 29, he could still have many productive years ahead of him, but 2010 could have been a career year.

Whenever the Reds are approached about trades, Chris Heisey’s (97 games, 8, 21, .254) name probably comes up in discussions.  He appears to be a five tool guy that could be an everyday outfielder for a decade.  When Bruce was injured, and Gomes, Heisey and Stubbs had to play every inning of every game, the team’s play suffered.  Since no one was brought up from Louisville to fill the void, it seems there is little help at AAA. 

The potential great white hope of the Reds is former #1 pick Drew Stubbs (150 games, 22, 77, .255h).  With blazing speed, he appears to be the perfect leadoff hitter.  With Stubbs it is all about contact.  How many times last season was Stubbs 0-2 without taking the bat off his shoulders?  Batting lead off is a lot of pressure, but Baker and the coaching staff are working to make him more aggressive.  If he can become even a decent bunter,he can become a terror to opposing teams.  Short fences in small ballparks are a real tempta tion for guys like Stubbs to look for a perfect pitch to drive.  In the “dead ball” era, guys like Willie Keeler were successful because, as he put it, “I hit ’em where the ain’t.”

With their speed Heisey and Stubbs can cover a lot of ground.  One aspect of the Big Red Machine that is often overlooked was that its defense was as good as its offense.  A great defensive outfield can knock off half a run off the team ERA.

The Reds made a major commitment by signing Jay Bruce (148 games, 25, 70, .281) to a long term contract.  At one point last season Marty Brenamin wondered aloud, “will this kid ever get it?

 One can summarize last season in this statement “as goes Jay Bruce, so goes the Cincinnati Reds.”  As good as Votto is, Votto cannot carry this team alone.  When Bruce is on top of his game, he can hit the first pitch 400 feet to clinch a playoff erth.  When he slumps, the whole team suffers. 

In terms of talent, Bruce is a faster version of Paul O’Neill.  O’Neill “got it” after he left the Reds, and has five World Series rings.  When O’Neill first came up, Pete Rose called him “Jethro.”

Management

When Bob Castelinni bought the team, he got Walt Jockety to be General Manager.  Baseball is different from other sports because baseball is a very long season with the fewest teams making the post season.  A franchise that was an also ran has a bright future.  Jockety sems to be pushing the right buttons like Bob Howsam in the ’70s.  I feel for Bengal fans who are stuck with Mike Brown.

When Dusty Baker was hired as manager, I had my doubts.  Like any. leader, he can only tell his people what to do.  His players have to execute.  Some guys succeed, other do not.  In 1990, people were looking for any reason for hope against the prohibitively favored Oakland A’s.  What they came up with was “the ex Cub factor,” with the Reds having less ex Cubs than the A’s.  After losing the LCS, the win 66 games the next year, Baker gets canned.  His teams weren’t very good his first two years, but found success in the third.

Outlook

Aside from starting pitching, and even then cannot keep up with the big spenders, the Reds are not very deep.  If their regulars stay healthy and continue to improve the decade of 2010 might be like the decade of 1970.  1990 was a great year.  A unique year, being in first place all season.  The rest of the decade was up and down.  I make no predictions.

My Opening Day Lineup:

Stubbs, CF

Phillips, 2B

Votto, 1B

Rolen, 3B

Bruce, RF

Gomes, LF

Hannigan, C (catches Arroyo)

Janish, SS

Arroyo, P  He deserves it.

An irony to end this piece:  only one year have they opened on the road:

 1990

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If Paul Janish Starts for the Cincinnati Reds, Will He Be Fantasy Viable?

There has been talk in the past few weeks about what the Cincinnati Reds will do with Orlando Cabrera, who they hold a $4 million mutual option on for 2011.  Will they exercise that option or will they let him walk, turning the keys over to Paul Janish?

A recent comment from General Manager Walt Jocketty has certainly added fuel to the fire.  He was quoted by WKRC’s Brad Johansen (who posted the quote on Twitter) as saying, “It’s probably more than we want to exercise, we’ll try to find a happy medium..if not Janish would be our SS.”

Now, the question for fantasy owners is if that happens, can Janish hold value?

He certainly hasn’t shown much at the plate thus far in his Major League career, hitting .226 with 7 HR, 47 RBI, 64 R and 3 SB in 536 AB.  Last season he did show some improvement, however, posting the following line:

200 At Bats
.260 Batting Average (52 Hits)
5 Home Runs
25 RBI
23 Runs
1 Stolen Bases
.338 On Base Percentage
.385 Slugging Percentage
.283 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Yes, that is the best season of the 28-year-old’s Major League career.  It’s a relatively small sample size, however, so you have to ask if he has shown any type of potential in the minor leagues that should get us excited.

The 2004 fifth round draft pick had a career minor league average of .261 in 1,702 AB.  He had a grand total of 32 HR, with a high of 14 in 2006 when he saw time at two levels of Single-A as well as a cup of coffee at Double-A.

So, we have little average and no power, but he has speed, right?  He’s got to…The answer would be no, with 34 stolen bases in 44 attempts.  His career high is just 12 stolen bases, coming in 2007 as he split time between Double and Triple-A.

He has a good eye at the plate, with 293 strikeouts vs. 210 walks in his minor league career.  Clearly, that doesn’t mean much however.

If he’s not going to hit for a good average…

If he’s not going to hit for power…

If he’s not going to show any speed…

The Reds will turn to him for a few reasons, with his glove being the most notable.  His offensive potential, however, doesn’t appear to be one of them.  For fantasy owners, that’s all you really need to know.  If he ends up the starter he’ll only be worth considering in NL-only or the absolute deepest of mixed leagues.

For most owners, he’s not worth a second thought.

What are your thoughts of Janish?  Am I being overly skeptical?  Do you think he could hold value in 2011?

Make sure to check out our 2011 projections:

Freese, David
Jaso, John
Morrow, Brandon

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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Cincinnati Reds Unsung Heroes Continue to Produce

Sure, they have a possible Triple Crown candidate in Joey Votto—and fellow All-Stars Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen. The pitching staff has been solid, if not spectacular, led by the most consistent pitcher in the majors: Bronson Arroyo.
 
But the glue that keeps this team together is the bench. They are unsung heroes that have proven to be the WD-40 to the Reds’ machine when it gets a bit rusty. The players that were expected to be afterthoughts have instead been essential to the Reds success.
 
Dusty Baker has told media members that the team would be lost without them. Votto calls them “essential” to the team’s good fortunes. Here are the unsung heroes of the 2010 Reds.

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Another Cincinnati Reds Crisis: Paul Janish Pipping Orlando Cabrera?

What does a team do with so many talented starting pitchers? Uber-rookie Mike Leake has already been relegated to bullpen duty.

The Reds just plain have too many talented starting pitchers. And now this?

Paul Janish trying to Wall Pipp the shortstop position?

When Orlando Cabrera (The O.C.) landed on the DL on August 3rd with a strained oblique, Janish took his spot in the lineup as the everyday shortstop.

The O.C. has been a great clubhouse addition. He’s always loose and joking around at opportune moments—teams need veteran guys like The O.C.

It’s not The O.C.’s fault, but in baseball years, he is approaching elderly status. Worse, his production at the dish is finally starting to show at an ugly tune of a .302 on-base-percentage.

The O.C.’s defensive skills (even though he has lost a step) are still top-notch.  Especially turning a 4-6-3, not sure there is a guy who gets rid of the ball quicker in the league.

If there is a true baseball fan out there who does not appreciate the way Brandon Phillips picks it, shoots it over to The O.C., who then guns it to Joey Votto, well, it’s a safe bet that they are a Cardinals‘ fan.

Along comes Paul Janish.

All winter long Janish thought the shortstop job was his to lose. Even entering Spring Training he thought the same.

Out of nowhere, The O.C. was signed at the beginning of Spring Training. Rendering Janish as annoying background noise. The O.C. is a solidified veteran. A former two-time Gold Glover with a better stick than Janish—or so popular theory had it.

But…

On August 2nd, The O.C. strained his oblique swinging into a double play.

On August 3rd, Janish began the Wally Pipping process.

One may look at Janish’s 43 at-bats as a small sample size—which it is—but those 43 ABs constitute just over 40 percent of his season total.

Entering the August 3rd contest versus the Pirates, Janish had a grand total of 63 ABs. Or around 12 a month.

In his 43 ABs from August 3rd to August 17th, Janish has been hitting at a .302 clip. His on-base-percentage is .362. Slugging? .488, that’s an .850 OPS. 

In the 12 games Janish has played since The O.C. went down, he nailed two home runs in 43 at-bats.

The O.C. has gone deep three times in the whole of 2010, or 416 ABs.

Another standout stat is their comparative strikeout rates: Janish one per every 15.77 ABs, The O.C. one per every 9.6 ABs.

You’re probably sitting there saying to yourself, “Well, Illya, screw mainstream media, YOU are the new voice of the Reds!”

But pertaining to this article, you’re probably questioning Janish’s defensive skills at short against the former Gold Glover.

Janish is as slick as they come at short. A very strong case could be made that his D is better than The O.C.’s—not knocking The O.C. at all. Janish is simply that good.

He has better range and a slightly stronger arm with the same pinpoint accuracy.

Still on the D.L., The O.C. is starting to swing the bat again. Likely meaning his return is imminent.

Reds‘ skipper Dusty Baker has long been known as a guy that will not allow a player to beat out another while he is on the DL.

By playing so well in the heat of a pennant race, Janish is making Dusty’s normal stance quite difficult.

What if Miller Huggins had never replaced Pipp with some guy named Lou Gehrig back in 1925?

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