http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/21685 Recent articles about Justin Upton en-us The All-Star break was last week, but several players are finally getting back to work. Troy Percival and J.J. Putz came off the disabled list over the weekend while other closers are having their own injury issues. And what does the presence of Ray Durham in Milwaukee mean for Rickie Weeks? Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:56:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293920 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293920 Over the past several years teams have been looking more and more toward the future of the franchise instead of today. The "Win Now" mentality is waning and a youth movement has begun. Below we have several teams' profiled and broken down to show the climate change in Major League Baseball. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:33:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 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. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:44:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285427 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285427 Following a stunning, 15-1 loss at the hands of the Oakland Athletics, Arizona has now won two games in a row after a 2-1 victory Thursday night. During this six-game homestand, 20-year-old Justin Upton was 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts. Needless to say, Diamondbacks fans and players alike were euphoric when he went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. www.rawsportsblog.com Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:06:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280319 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280319 Written by Randy Holt Saturday, 14 June 2008 Risin' 1. Jose Guillen (OF-KC) – Since going on a little tirade and questioning his team, Guillen has done the talking with his bat. He has an 8 game hit streak, while leading the league in doubles. He's batting .516 during his current streak, bringing his batting average to a solid .282. He's has 11 homers and 50 RBIs, ranking near the top of the league in the latter. Guillen has hit over 20 homers in four of his last five seasons, a trend that will probably continue this year. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:20:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277994 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277994 Screaming Sports' Drew Thibodeau breaks out another edition of MLB Trade 'Em and suggests some very surprising moves. Trade Justin Upton? J.D. Drew? You betcha. And while it may sounds crazy, he follows it up with some very sound reasoning. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:18:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277935 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277935 Meet Jorge Campillo. He is a little known 29-year old rookie for the Braves and throws an invisible pitch. He has gone from obscurity in the Mexican league to baffling major league batters. Troy Percival hits the DL, and Jason Bartlett and Ian Stewart arrive to help your fantasy teams in the middle infield. Fri, 30 May 2008 13:56:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272525 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272525 Rather than giving you the same old names that sit unappreciated on your waiver wire week after week, AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams takes a look back to the best waiver wire pick ups of the season , and suggests buying a guy like Johnny Cueto, while selling this week's hot pickup, Jay Bruce. Fri, 30 May 2008 13:51:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272521 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272521 A look at what's happening around the majors this week, including a commentary on the state of official scoring in baseball. Thu, 29 May 2008 21:42:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272296 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272296 The best and worst fantasy hitters for the week 8. Mon, 26 May 2008 11:00:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271027 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271027 Trades during the winter meetings are a staple in baseball's offseason today. It's the time when franchises realize that they can no longer afford their superstars and feel pressed to ship them off to bigger market clubs in return for up-and-coming prospects. The Minnesota Twins had to part ways with two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana while the low budget Florida Marlins dealt both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. Ironically enough, the biggest splash came not from said blockbusters, instead from an under-the-radar move on the first day of the meetings.. Sat, 24 May 2008 21:44:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270697 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270697 I love the All-Star game. At no other point in the season does more discussion take place on player performance, merit, entitlement, etc. on a game that doesn't even matter. Still, I vote. It's a yearly event and I love it. Mon, 19 May 2008 02:28:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268431 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268431 Well, little did most of America know, the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft kicks off on June 5th. Unlike the NFL Draft and it's months of hypothesizing and glory holing that goes on before it and the NBA Draft with their wily lottery draft. No, the MLB draft loses a little luster to the quick and to the point drafts of the NFL and NBA. With 50 rounds plus Supplemental drafts, the MLB draft is carried out in dark draft rooms over telephones with about as much fanfare as your wife has to watching your fantasy baseball draft. Another reason that the MLB Draft draws as much attention as the World Series of Lumberjacks, besides the 41 more rounds that it has on the NFL and NBA combined, is that while most first rounders in the NFL and NBA become immediate stars, MLB first rounders quite often wash out easier than the cast of Cop Rock. That being said, let's go through the past 20 years of #1 overall MLB draft picks and look at where they are now. Read more at ArmchairAssociation.com... Sat, 17 May 2008 09:59:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268059 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268059 April baseball is a lot of fun, the new season is still exciting and fans get wrapped up in emerging story-lines. Among these, Florida Marlins sit atop the National League East, beating out the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies; the Chicago Cubs, on the brink of their 100th seasons without a World Series, are looking poised to make a run; and the Colorado Rockies are looking lost despite winning the NL pennant in 2007. Here are ten things to look for in May. Sun, 11 May 2008 23:08:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265886 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265886 Justin Upton may have the biggest upside of any D-backs player. He talked with Ken Rosenthal about tapping into that limitless potential. Fri, 09 May 2008 18:49:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265335 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265335