For the better part of the past seven years, the Reds' management has been headed in the wrong direction. When you haven't had a winning season since 2000, it's obvious not much has gone right. On balance, those in the executive offices have experienced more boners than coups. Sadly, their collective batting average has flirted with the Mendoza line.
So what to do? Simple. Change course. Take a different tact. Alter your latitude and longitude and try a new heading.
And now is precisely the time to employ an alternate approach. With a new leader in the dugout in the person of the tested Dusty Baker and a fresh voice upstairs courtesy of the esteemed Walt Jockerty, there's no need to continue with what has been a losing hand. Time to scrap the old and failed formula and rely on something else.
In a nutshell, Cincy should go young. They should turn to a promising corps of up-and-comers and ride them for all their worth. If the Reds are smart, they'll allow a youth movement to infiltrate their ball club. Better still, they'll allow it to take over. The Reds' youth must be served and pronto.
For too long, Cincinnati has attempted to compete by filling critical holes with veteran players who offered no lasting solutions. Basically, they amounted to nothing more than stopgaps and that's hardly the way to build a club for the long haul. Sustained excellence is rarely built on the backs of imports. Rather, a team's destiny is usually tied to the quality of its' foundation or put another way, the homegrown talent that it produces.
Finally, after too many years of little or no help from the minors, the Reds are positioned to benefit from a host of young studs who are primed and ready to make an impact in the bigs. They've already strutted their stuff down below, demonstrating they possess the type of talent that could make the Reds very special in the near future.
There's absolutely no reason to hold them back any longer. Nothing is gained by clinging to some misguided notion that says it's unwise to advance players unless they've had a specific amount of seasoning. It's that kind of backward thinking that can keep an organization mired in mediocrity for eons.
Look, if someone is ready, if he has the goods to compete at the highest level, his age or amount of pro experience should be incidental. Performance on the field should be the ultimate criteria as to whether a player is fit for major league competition. That and nothing else.
Finally, the Reds have been overly cautious when it comes to many of their high profile prospects. Instead of letting them take flight, Cincy management has coddled and babied most of these would-be stars. Out of fear of rushing them, the Reds sometimes keep their young bucks vying at levels that are beneath their skills, thereby stifling their growth. Too often, the Reds are slow to advance its' turks even when it's warranted. This sort of narrow-mindedness must cease if the Reds are to start getting the most out of the considerable potential now germinating within the organization.
O.K., enough with the generalities. Let's get down to specifics. Who should be included in this massive infusion of youth?
Pitching is always a good place to begin so let's start there. Though he was just picked up via trade and is new to the Reds, we'll nonetheless involve righty Edinson Volquez in this discussion. Since sacrificing the gifted Josh Hamilton was necessary to acquire Volquez, the 24-year-old righty had damn well better be in the rotation. He's had big league experience with Texas and the Reds' scouts are gaga about his stuff. On the surface, Volquez looks more than legit. G.M. Wayne Krivsky is on record as saying he wouldn't have swung the deal for Volquez without the expectation that the right-hander would be a factor in '08. So pencil in Volquez as a lock to start.
Ditto Homer Bailey. There's no reason why the 6-4 hurler can't begin his march towards greatness right now. On balance, he showed enough moxie and skill during his abbreviated season with Cincy last year. Still only 21 and continuing to add to his arsenal of pitches, the lean Texan is primed to be a force for years to come. The Reds must allow his presence to be felt in the here and now.
Another young pup righty who must be given every opportunity to make the staff is the exciting Johnny Cueto. The 5-10, 185-pounder added to a spectacular minor league season by wowing those who saw him pitch during the recently concluded Dominican Winter League. In a word, the 22-year-old Cueto was stellar. Reputed to have great stuff and a makeup to watch, if Cueto comes up big in spring training, sending him down would be imbecilic and inexcusable. And if that means a guy like the inconsistent Matt Belisle is bounced from the rotation, then so be it.
As far as positional players are concerned, the two babes to watch out for are infielder Joey Votto and electrifying outfielder Jay Bruce.
Despite our admiration for the solid job Scott Hatteberg has done since coming over to the Reds in '06, Cincy is obligated to give Votto the first base job. He's more than earned the shot. Votto followed up a banner year in Louisville with an impressive though brief stint in the Queen City after being promoted in September. Blessed with size ( 6-3, 220 pounds) ) and a sharp eye, the 24-year-old left-handed hitter has something the Reds sorely need at his position, namely power. Whether it's driving the ball to the gaps or mashing it over the fence, Votto has bona fide pop. Adding to his cause is the fact that he runs very well and is sound with the glove. Put it all together and it says that Votto is destined to become a regular right now.
Lastly, but hardly least, is the multi-skilled Bruce. Regarded by many to be the top prospect in all of baseball, this rare five-tool stud has Reds' fans salivating over his upside. Though just 20, the 6-2, 210-pound lefty seems to have stardom ingrained in his DNA. He drips with promise and exudes true star power. If he didn't, it's inconceivable the Reds would have peddled a potential gem like Hamilton in order to ultimately make room for him.
Louisville manager Rick Sweet, who mentored a precocious Ken Griffey, swears that Bruce has the same kind of monumental talent as did Junior. Wow. Talk about an endorsement.
Despite a crowded centerfield picture that includes the speedy Norris Hopper and hardnosed vet Ryan Freel, if Bruce stands out in March, then he should break camp with the club and be installed as a Cincinnati mainstay. The odds are that Bruce is probably too good to keep down on the farm.
So, there you have it. Five young turks who, if presented with a fair and open opportunity to compete, figure to make their mark but quick at Great American Ball Park.
Unquestionably, the Reds could use their energy, their fire, their exuberance but most of all, their undeniable talent. The time has come for management to smarten up and get with the program. It should be out with the old and in with a new era. An era where fresh, young faces take center stage.
In Cincinnati, the wait must end. The time has definitely come when Cincy's youth must at last be served.