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Tony Santillan was last year's AAA closer, so I'd throw him into the mix.
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(03-23-2025, 08:13 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/alexis-diaz-suffers-hamstring-injury-before-opening-day?msockid=3f23c3b31a766037055bd1381b0861f9
But I don't see Ashcraft as a closer. He's more of like a 6th/7th inning type.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/graham-ashcraft-aiming-to-be-reds-closer/ar-AA1BuTkA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=9f8b5e061dc84261a00aa34079bdc6ec&ei=18
GA wants to be the closer? I like the bulldog attitude but at least he wants to earn it and has re-focused to his bullpen role. Too many bad memories of "AG" Amir Garrett being anointed the closers role. I think that a 'closer by committee' wouldn't be too bad for now. Mainly, because I haven't liked watching Diaz pitch in about a season and a half.
The article mentioned Rogers, Pagan and Barlow . . . pretty much based on being the most experienced. Well, MY EXPERIENCE of watching Pagan pitch is that I do NOT want to see him in the 9th unless it's finishing up a blowout. If the game is close/tied/save situation, I wouldn't mind a mix of Rogers, Barlow, Ashcraft and Goalpost's suggestion, Santillan.
Ashcraft is a year or two behind Santillan in the 'starter to bullpen' adjustment. However, Santillan did not finish the season strong with a 4.22 ERA in September. A 5.63 ERA in his last nine appearances took his season ERA from 2.05 to 3.00. But, I do like how Santillan doesn't seem to let a bad performance affect him. Diaz seemed to get rattled at times.
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(03-24-2025, 12:38 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: GA wants to be the closer? I like the bulldog attitude but at least he wants to earn it and has re-focused to his bullpen role. Too many bad memories of "AG" Amir Garrett being anointed the closers role. I think that a 'closer by committee' wouldn't be too bad for now. Mainly, because I haven't liked watching Diaz pitch in about a season and a half.
The article mentioned Rogers, Pagan and Barlow . . . pretty much based on being the most experienced. Well, MY EXPERIENCE of watching Pagan pitch is that I do NOT want to see him in the 9th unless it's finishing up a blowout. If the game is close/tied/save situation, I wouldn't mind a mix of Rogers, Barlow, Ashcraft and Goalpost's suggestion, Santillan.
Ashcraft is a year or two behind Santillan in the 'starter to bullpen' adjustment. However, Santillan did not finish the season strong with a 4.22 ERA in September. A 5.63 ERA in his last nine appearances took his season ERA from 2.05 to 3.00. But, I do like how Santillan doesn't seem to let a bad performance affect him. Diaz seemed to get rattled at times.
Me too
Diaz two seasons was very strong for the most part. Last season he was horrible in way to many games!! IIRC he kinda started recovering towards the end. I'm hoping we get the Diaz back of two seasons ago. But in the same breath if Santillian or whoever else shoves Diaz aside I'm not going to be upset.
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(03-23-2025, 08:38 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Tony Santillan was last year's AAA closer, so I'd throw him into the mix.
Right and who knows he may take over?
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Ashcraft should try getting an ERA below 4.75 for the first time in his career before he even begins to worry about trying to become the closer.
Last year the league average relief pitcher (all of them, not just closers) had a 3.97 ERA. Ashcraft has a career 4.91 ERA. Heck, while spring training stats don't really matter a ton as far as what a player will do in the regular season, he had a 5.51 ERA this spring.
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(03-24-2025, 01:52 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Ashcraft should try getting an ERA below 4.75 for the first time in his career before he even begins to worry about trying to become the closer.
Last year the league average relief pitcher (all of them, not just closers) had a 3.97 ERA. Ashcraft has a career 4.91 ERA. Heck, while spring training stats don't really matter a ton as far as what a player will do in the regular season, he had a 5.51 ERA this spring.
Right
I think he had one decent game this spring and pretty much got rocked in every other game. But I wish him luck
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(03-23-2025, 08:13 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/alexis-diaz-suffers-hamstring-injury-before-opening-day?msockid=3f23c3b31a766037055bd1381b0861f9
But I don't see Ashcraft as a closer. He's more of like a 6th/7th inning type.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/graham-ashcraft-aiming-to-be-reds-closer/ar-AA1BuTkA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=9f8b5e061dc84261a00aa34079bdc6ec&ei=18
Francona needs to look at some of the other bullpen anyway. I say Closer by committee with Diaz out. There is no law that says one pitcher has to get every save or every hold. Francona new to Reds can se what he has and also not use same pitcher more than 2 games in a row out of the pen. Carry extra bullpen and see what the heck Reds have. Ashcraft when healthy is a starter, or if in bullpen a long reliever. If your starter just doesn't have it and gets rocked early, a pitcher that does mop up from 1st inning on, depending how off the starter was. You need one long reliever that carries a mop to work. His job is simple, eat innings in early lost games to save pitchers for next game. I would like to think Ashcraft comes back to be more than a Mop Up man, he had good stuff when he came up from minors healthy.
I would like to see what else Reds have in the pen beside Diaz also. Closer By Committee at first. Give some different ones a shot. Whoever steps up the best is your boy. If he looks even better than Diaz, even better. Diaz was not as good last year, so it's possible someone may do better than Diaz. Wally Pipp got injured and Lou Gehrig got a shot, and that is Baseball. Let's see who else is in Reds Pen. I see this as an opportunity to see other pitchers in regular games, not spring training. Plus Francona was brought in to Develop Young Players.
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(03-24-2025, 12:38 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: If the game is close/tied/save situation, I wouldn't mind a mix of Rogers, Barlow, Ashcraft and Goalpost's suggestion, Santillan.
Ummmmmmm.
Gibaut is the clear answer. Gonna chalk this up as a "Tito learning what his bullpen can and can't do" situation.
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One game in, and the Reds lost the same way as last year.
A runner gets thrown out out at 3rd base, completely unnecessary. We play defense shift and 2 balls are hit where we are not positioned. A walk in 9th in a one run game, 2 singles and a home run.
Why do we have to bring in a pitcher from the bench to pitch the 9th, when we had 3 shut out innings with the other relievers. It didn’t work last year, saving the 9th for a closer.
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(Yesterday, 08:28 PM)Timanky12 Wrote: One game in, and the Reds lost the same way as last year.
A runner gets thrown out out at 3rd base, completely unnecessary. We play defense shift and 2 balls are hit where we are not positioned. A walk in 9th in a one run game, 2 singles and a home run.
Why do we have to bring in a pitcher from the bench to pitch the 9th, when we had 3 shut out innings with the other relievers. It didn’t work last year, saving the 9th for a closer.
And the complaining starts already. Reds season is definitely back!
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(Yesterday, 08:48 PM)cinci4life Wrote: And the complaining starts already. Reds season is definitely back!
Read the Cincinnati Enquirer, they said the same thing this morning.
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(Yesterday, 08:15 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Ummmmmmm.
Gibaut is the clear answer. Gonna chalk this up as a "Tito learning what his bullpen can and can't do" situation.
What’s that, throw strikes in the 9th inning and not put the tying run on base?
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