Yardbarker: Bronson Arroyo

I'm Officially Confused

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:12:17 -0500

I seriously don't understand what the Reds are thinking right now. Yesterday after the game Bronson Arroyo said a bunch of junk about how he shouldn't be traded. Also Walt Jocketty said there would be no salary dumping before the deadline. Now a day later I read about how they were supposedly in Baltimore scouting George Sherrill. continued...

AccuScore: Waiver Wire Wonders

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:06:04 -0500

We are now in the post All-Star break portion of the season, which means it's that magical time where guys like Paul Konerko and Adam LaRoche turn things around.

Bronson Arroyo?!? seriously... Bronson Arroyo?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:14:38 -0500

If i hear the words Bronson Arroyo and the New York Yankees in the same sentence one more time i might just lose my mind. There are certain "beloved" talk show hosts on WFAN who on an almost daily basis make the case for this pitcher to be given a shot on the Yankees because of our hurt staff. Is there seriously any reason why I would want a washed up red sock reject who can't even cut it in the NL Central? Please... he'd get eaten alive in the AL East. I'm not one to bash people without coming forward and proving exactly why I do NOT want this guy on the Yankees:: A guy making 12 million a year who has an ERA of 5.97 and a WHIP of 1.66. For those who don't know about WHIP and why it's so amazing, it is a stat kept to see on average how many runners reach per inning due to the pitchers fault(errors are not included... but it tracks walks, hits, and HBPs). It is one of the most useful tools to truly determine how effective a pitcher is without ever watching him pitch. A WHIP of 1.66 means if he lasts only 5 innings, on an average he would allow more than 8 baserunners... those are stats of pitchers who do not belong in the majors at all let alone someone we shoudl seek that could help us. If the yankees were to make a trade... shouldnt it be for someone more effective than the guy they're replacing?? Arroyo simply cannot provide that. There are PLENTY of guys who are better than Ponson... Arroyo is in NO WAY one of them. Our current 5 starter is Sidney Ponson who is letting up SIGNIFICANTLY less runs and less runners than Arroyo, ALSO, he costs the yankees next to nothing because he is a minor leaguer who was brought up into the bigs to help through our injury ridden staff, oh and we already have him. We didn't have to trade any prospect for him, just signing him to a minor league deal. I can't believe how any Yankees fan wants Arroyo on the team.

Break Work: One Sentence to Sum Up Each MLB Team

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:13:52 -0500

LA Angels (57-38): Pitching, Pitching, Pitching has the Angels tied for the best record in baseball.

Chicago Cubs (57-38): The Cubs are also tied for the best record, their reason though is that they never ever lose at Wrigley.

Boston (57-40): The youth pitching is once again paying off major dividends for the Sox who behind JD Drew have regained the AL East lead despite the absence of Papi.

Tampa Bay (55-39): If the Rays played all their games at the Trop they would probably be 30 games over .500.

Chicago Sox (54-40): Anybody who said that they saw Carlos Quentin having 70 rbi at the break to help the ChiSox to first place is a liar.

Minnesota (53-42): The Twinkies have gotten solid pitching from a bunch of youngsters and should be bringing Liriano up to increase the push to the division.

St. Louis (53-43): Ludwick and Ankiel both have 20 homers getting the Cardinals to a spot where they probably shouldn't be.

Milwaukee (52-43): CC has already shown his worth in one 1 week, with him and Sheets leading the rotation the Brewers look to be in the hunt for both the Wild Card and the division.

Philadelphia (52-44): After Cole Hamels there's a big gap in the starting rotation that needs to be addressed.

Oakland (51-44): Selling off pitchers despite being 7 games above .500 seems like giving up to me.

NY Mets (51-44): A 9 game winning streak to close out the first half of the season certainly makes the future look brighter.

NY Yankees (50-45): For some reason despite having all stars at every position the Yankees get shut out a lot.

Florida (50-45): Hanley Ramirez is a golden god who can be stopped by no one.

Texas (50-46): Check that, Josh Hamilton is a platinum god who can be stopped by no one.

Detroit (47-47): Dug themselves out of a hole when their bats finally started to heat up, poised for a second half explosion.

Toronto (47-48): The Blue Jays have been terribly inconsistent despite Roy Halladay being a beast.

Arizona (47-48): Starting the NL Western theme the reason the Diamondbacks are under .500 is because they don't have any good hitters.

LA Dodgers (46-49): Rafael Furcal has been a massive kick in the junk to both my fantasy team and the Dodgers who really really really need him in the lineup to score runs.

Baltimore (45-48): Um, I really have no idea how the Orioles are only slightly below .500 this season and I'm guessing they don't either.

Cincinnati (46-50): Edinson Volquez's dominating season has been balanced out by Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Haraang's poor seasons.

Atlanta (45-50): Injuries to the starting rotation and bullpen and an inability to win on the road has plagued the Braves this year.

Pittsburgh (44-50): Snell and Gorzy were both solid last season, this year they both have ERAs well above 6.

Houston (44-51): The questionable starting rotation has not been helped by #1 starters Roy Oswalt's inconsistencies.

Kansas City (43-53): The Royals don't have the worst record in their division which has to be seen as a big positive in KC.

Cleveland (41-53): Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner were terrible disappointments this season, and that was before both got placed on the DL.

San Francisco (40-55): When Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, and Aaron Rowand are your best hitters, you know you're not going to score many runs.

Colorado (39-57): The magical run that was slaughtered by the Red Sox, has remained dead this season.

Seattle (37-58): If anything could go wrong in Seattle, it has.

San Diego (37-58): Once again, hitting is entirely optional for the fathers.

Washington (36-60): A lineup as bad as the Giants and Padres, except with no starting pitching either.

Burnett Appears to be Out of the Mix

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:39:51 -0500

Phillies fans who are hoping A.J. Burnett is the pitcher the Phillies acquire before the July 31st trading deadline shouldn't hold their breath. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Phillies have minimal interest in Burnett, and the feeling appears to be mutual as the Phillies are one of the 15 teams on Burnett's no-trade list. While I was against the Phillies pursuing Burnett for health reasons, if he could stay healthy he'd be a good addition. I don't view him as the impact pitcher the Phillies need, but he's one of the best available. With the option of Burnett off the table, you'd have to think the Phillies are going to be keeping a close eye on Erik Bedard. Bedard is currently on the disabled list, but he's not seriously injured. It was a move that was made by the Mariners to take Felix Hernandez off the DL without making a major roster move (sending someone down to Tacoma). Bedard is scheduled to start on July 21st. If the Phillies are unable to land Bedard, going to "Plan B" is the ONLY option as there will not be anything else available. Roy Oswalt isn't leaving Houston, and all the rumors about Derek Lowe are unfounded. The Dodger are only two games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. The "Plan B" list will not be pretty and include the likes of Jarrod Washburn, Bronson Arroyo, & Tim Redding. These aren't exactly the caliber of players Phillies fans were hoping the team would be looking at this summer. Unfortunately they might not have any choice.

Reds at Cubs open game thread

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:04:39 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Bronson Arroyo vs. Cubs hitters: .240/.280/.378 in 196 at-bats Ted Lilly vs. Reds hitters: .219/.276/.364 in 151 at-bats When and Where: 1:20 on WGN Wind blowing straight out to CF at 14 mph. Could be a lot of home runs today as Arroyo has given up 18 and Lilly has given up 19 on the season. Mark DeRosa is really the only Cubs hitter who has much success against Arroyo and that's in only 14 at-bats (7-14, HR). Not much success against Lilly as far as the Reds hitters go either.

BRONSON ARROYO KEEPS ON A-ROCKIN'

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:17:52 -0500

by GMoney, The Money Shot

Living in Ohio, I get to watch all the Reds games (I don't though because I'm sane). But when I do, these JTM commercials always make me chuckle. Here's another classic featuring Bronson Arroyo (Hey, he got someone out this week!) singing about processed hamburgers again while Reds color commentator, Chris Welsh's mustache is grilling in his kitchen(?). My God, clearly he will do anything for a buck.

BRONSON ARROYO KEEPS ON A-ROCKIN'

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:17:52 -0500

Midseason All-Demotion Team (yea the guys that need to be sent to the minor leagues)

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:34:30 -0500

In lieu of the recent trend of teams demoting established players (Phillies' starter Brett Myers, Indians' closer Joe Borowski, and young Braves' slugger Jeff Francouer -- even though Francouer has scored 40 runs, hit 8 HR, and driven in 41 RBI), we examine those players who have failed to meet expectations and would be well deserving of a demotion including "All-Star" Jason Varitek. See who else joins Varitek, Andruw Jones, and Eric Gagne ...

Something Is Happening

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:04:03 -0500

For the last 2 days on Reds broadcast people have been acting funny when talking about trades. Yesterday Jeff Piecoro seemed almost orgasmic when he said something along the lines of "with the trade rumors swirling", and today George Grande and Chris Welsh sounded very suspicious when they were talking about trades as well. Mentioning that they are smelling smoke and that its a "sellers market". They mentioned David Weathers, Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, and even went as far to say that someone is in town specifically scouting Jeremy Affeldt. Something to keep an eye on for sure.

A Redleg answer?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:44:54 -0500

Disgusted? Let me tell you about disgusted. I am in the Army. I spent all of last season in Iraq. I got to watch a total of two games last season. This season, I'm not in Iraq, but am stationed in Hawaii. I HAVE TO PAY FOR A SUBSCRIPTION on MLB.TV to watch the Reds games!!! That's disgust boys and girls. To race home from work to catch the last three innings, see a lead, only to watch that disgusting David Weathers throw each and every outing. Or see Dusty play his pal from his Chicago days Patterson who couldn't hit a softball off a tee. That is disgust. Dunn is not the problem. Yes, the guy strikes out a lot, but he gets on base and DOES drive in runs. National League: He is 13th in OPS at .900, tied for 4th with 21 home runs, is easily on pace to knock in over 100 RBI, has led more walks than anyone else at 67, has the 13th highest OBP at .389, top 20 with a slugging % of .516, and on a sidenote: His fielding percentage is .967. I repeat, Dunn is not the problem. As for Junior. How can you people turn on him like you have? The guy is much more valuable than anyone is admitting. Everyone knows, if not for the injuries, we have the best baseball player in the history of the game. And the injuries only affect the stats. We all know that he was, is, and always will be the best. And even if you don't agree, you have him in the top ten OF ALL TIME. Have we forgotten what that means for a young ball club, to have an EXTRA SEASONED veteran, if not the best, one of the best, just for advice, instruction, encouragement? We need him. He is still hungry. He is worth more than we can put a price tag on. And when we take our kids to the park, we can show them the best while he is still playing. Griffey IS NOT THE PROBLEM EITHER. We can win while keeping Junior. Trading him is not the answer. It is not the answer. Yeah, he's only batting .240, yeah, he's only hit 10 HR, yes, he's only driven in 36 RBI, yes, he's only got an OPS of .745, yes, he's only drew 46 BB...but compare that to Derek Jeter. Aside from Jeter's .279 AVG, Griffey is ahead of him in every category. You don't see the Yankees demanding his trade. Chicago's Fukodome is batting .290, and is just slightly ahead of Junior in OPS, but Junior betters him in every other category. and the Cubbies are in 1st place. Arizona's Justin Upton's stats are almost identical to Junior's. And guess what. They are winning and in 1st place. My point. WE CAN WIN WITH JUNIOR. GRIFF IS NOT THE PROBLEM. So I've given my two cents on what the problem ISN'T. So here's my two cents on what the problem IS. #1 - Pitching - The declining quality of decision-making on the mound from Harang, Arroyo, and Cueto. While we can and SHOULD expect Cueto to make bad decisions while on the mound, he's a rookie, we should not see the same mistakes out of our two veteran hurlers. But this does not fall solely on them, it is a combination of the catchers and the pitching coaches not taking control when needed. The majority of the time it comes down to either a bad pitch, or a bad scouting report. #2 - Pitching - The absence of a 5th spot on the rotation. Belisle was given too many opportunities to turn it around and should have been converted to a bullpen pitcher much sooner. Dusty hit the nail on the head. He's okay until he's facing batters for the 2nd and 3rd time. Homer Bailey is turning into a certified dud, and Daryl Thompson just isn't ready. #3 - Pitching/Managerial - DAVID WEATHERS. The guy is a bum who has pulled the shades over lots of peoples' eyes for 18 years too long. Reds fans have consistently watched him give wins away all season long. The guy will never save 33 games again. He'll never save 33 out of 39 opportunities again. He is a waste and a downer for the team. Why hasn't he been released or traded? Why is he being paid $3.3 MIL? To keep the team in the cellar? #4 - Patterson/Managerial - Bronson Arroyo has a higher OBP than Corey Patterson. He's hitting .188, the same as Jannish, which we expect from a rookie. Not from a guy who's been playing for 8 years. Since June 5th, after being recalled from AAA where he was sent to "find" his swing, he's 7 for 46. That's .152, and he's only accounted for 5 runs. Is that $3 MIL production? Is that what a MLB player is paid to do? CUT HIM. Bottom line: REDS 11th in NL scoring with 367. Which is descent, but could be much better. They're not hitting with RISP. For example, in the June 10th - June 19th homestand, they were 6-for-57 (.105) with runners in scoring position. They were 2 and 7 in that homestand and could have very easily won 3 of those games if not for choking with runners on the bags. And it's the same story of late, losing to the horrid Pirates now two straight. But, that also goes back to the pitching, since they gave up a total of 48 runs in those 7 games. But that's no excuse for hitting .105 with RISP. Those were games that could have been won. 5th in NL HR with 92. Out of the 4 teams who hit more: Florida, 1.5 games out of 1st place - Philadelphia, 1st place - Milwaulkee, 8.5 ahead of the Reds, and 4.5 out of 1st - and Chicago, 1st place. hmmm... Defense - 5th in NL in Errors committed with 58. But the Diamondbacks have committed one more and are in 1st place, so this can be overcome. So, in short. It's not because of Dunn or Junior. Trading them is not the answer. The answer is not just one statement, and it is not simple. But for starters, they can stop giving the ball to Weathers, take the bat out of Patterson's hands, strike fear in the heart of Dick Pole if his boys Arroyo and Harang aren't brought under control, maybe even look for a trade for one of them, if not both. With the offensive numbers put up by the team, if Arroyo and Harang can get their acts together, and Weathers (and Patterson) are cut/traded/assassinated, then the team can have a great second half and get within striking distance of the playoffs. But it has to start soon, and it has to begin with the pitching.

AccuScore: MLB Trade Market

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:47:18 -0500

Sending a blank offer is not enough when making trades in your fantasy league. AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams gives you an example of a deal he sold in his NL only league this past week.

Best Curve in MLB?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:25:03 -0500

Instead of doing what I usually do, which is tell you who has the best curve by me looking at it on SportsCentre highlights, I am going to look at the top MLB curveball-tossers and use stats to back up my argument.

Heyman: 19 Players To Be Traded?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:57:09 -0500

Jon Heyman of SI.com has 19 players that will likely be traded:

1. CC Sabathia, Indians

2. Rich Harden, Athletics

3. Erik Bedard, Mariners

4. A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays

5. Randy Wolf, Padres

6. Livan Hernandez, Twins

7. Greg Maddux, Padres

8. Kevin Millwood, Rangers

9. Joe Blanton, A's

10. Jarrod Washburn, Mariners

11. Bronson Arroyo, Reds

12. Huston Street, A's

13. Kevin Gregg, Marlins

14. George Sherill, Orioles

15. Damasco Marte, Pirates

16. Brian Fuentes, Rockies

17. Joe Borowski, Indians

18. Chad Bradford, Orioles

19. Jamie Walker, Orioles

BRONSON ARROYO: MATCHMAKER

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:44:00 -0500

by GMoney, The Money Shot

Is there anything that Bronson Arroyo can't do? Well, he can't get anyone out. But at least his voice sucks and he can strum a guitar like any idiot in a college dorm. Give the man credit though, it took this song to reunite Reds color commentator, Chris Welsh, and his long-lost love...a bag of processed JTM burgers???