BigTen's ramblings and thoughts

The Reds fans have been waiting for Jay Bruce for quite some time now. He has shown some of the tools he has in his first couple of games. He has two SBs in two games, and a couple of RBI. Although the most important thing he may bring to the team is his energy. Replacing Corey Patterson (who was sent to AAA) with Jay Bruce is huge. The energy and excitement that Bruce brings to the stadium has resulted in part in the Reds scoring 9 runs two games in a row. The other part of those 18 runs is playing the Pirates....

Sending Corey Patterson to the minors was like a gift from the heavens for Reds fans...Dusty obviously didn't have a say in that move. Reds fans will no longer have to watch a guy hitting .200 with an OBP not much higher in the leadoff spot. Jay Bruce is an incredible athlete who has all the tools to succeed at the Major League Level.

As far as Josh Hamilton succeeding for the Texas Rangers I am so happy for the kid. He has been through some tough times, and appears to have come out the other end for the better. Hamilton really reached out to the Reds community in his year in Cincy. Unfortunately he was injured and could not play most of the season. The glimpses that he showed were nothing short of superstar. He walked off the bus having not played professional baseball for about 5 years to hitting around .300. He is truly a talented ballplayer. Hamilton is leading the league in RBI, is right near the top in BA, and HR. He is looking for the Triple Crown and is leading the Rangers to their best record in memory.

But the departure of Josh Hamilton was good for the Reds. The acquisition of Edinson Volquez is very important for the Reds ballclub who needs arms in the rotation. Of course it would have been better to deal Adam Dunn (who I am sick of). Volquez has an ERA under 1.4 and is leading the majors in the category (while playing games in GABP). Volquez had 8 starts in which he gave up just 1 run (and another where he gave up 2) which is just awesome. He also strikes out a lot of batters, and appears to be gaining more and more control.

The Volquez-Hamilton deal appears to be one that works out very good for each team. I wish Josh Hamilton the best of luck, and hope that he can stay clean and continue to show MLB fans how talented a ballplayer he really is.

Shermboat19 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 14, 2007	Posted on: May 29, 2008 2:47 pm Score: 96 Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure The Volquez-Hamilton deal appears to be one that works out very good for each team. I wish Josh Hamilton the best of luck, and hope that he can stay clean and continue to show MLB fans how talented a ballplayer he really is. As a Texas Rangers fan I wish Edinson Volquez the best too. Sometimes, it is OK for both Teams to win on a trade. BTW - Thanks for Josh Hamilton. Dude can play. [ Reply to Comment ]
StarsRock99 Reputation: 83 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 23, 2007	Posted on: May 29, 2008 5:15 pm Score: 84 Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure You are completely right on with this. Jay Bruce is a dream come true for us Reds fans. There seems to be unlimited potential coming from him and hopefully that will put this team on track for some successful years to come. As for Hamilton, I am so happy to see him continue to play well after the trade that sent him to my hometown Rangers. It was sad to see him go after what seemed to be the start to a great career, but we received exactly what we needed in return, Edison Volquez. Both teams were really helped by this trade and I think both players will benefit from their new surroundings. I wish Josh all the best with the Rangers, and hope to see an amazing season and career from Jay Bruce. He is the future of the Cincinnati franchise. GO REDS!!! [ Reply to Comment ]
bigtenboy07 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 3, 2006	Posted on: May 29, 2008 6:15 pm Score: 96 Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure Sherm- Good call, a change of surroundings sometimes does wonders for a player. It appears to have happened in this case. Oh and thanks for the Volquez kid....the dude can play. Tough to argue with the trade on either side. I just have to wonder if the Rangers wouldn't have rushed Volquez if he would have developed and not struggled so much at the major league level. They brought him up when he was 21 and threw him to the wolves. He obviously had the stuff to be a good MLB starter. It begs the question should the Rangers have just waited a year and seen if he could reach his full potential? The offense appears to be loaded, and the pitching is so weak. A starter can do wonders fro a team (in terms of saving bullpen, and making more favorable matchups for other pitchers). As a Rangers fan do you think they pulled the trigger too quickly on a 24 year old who has the stuff that Volquez has? [ Reply to Comment ]
bigtenboy07 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 3, 2006	Posted on: May 29, 2008 6:19 pm Score: 96 Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure Stars- We waited long enough to see this kid play. What I really like about Bruce is not only his energy but his willingness to go to the opposite field. Bruce and Votto both have that instinct to go opposite field unlike Griffey (at least later in his career) and Dunn. Your right Hamilton is certainly a great talent (perhaps amongst the best tools in the game) but since he couldn't pitch he wasn't what the Reds needed. It is sooo tough to root against a guy who has come back the way Hamilton has, and I am sure you get those same sentiments from most Reds fans. I guess we have to wait and see the long term effects of this trade before we make a serious judgement. If Volquez continues at a pace near this and Hamilton reminas clean and healthy it could be serious superstar for serious superstar. If Volquez drops off (which is possible because of a small sample size, but not likely in my opinion) and Hamilton continues his upswing it could resemble the trade the Reds made with the Orioles when Frank Robinson was traded. Perhaps the Reds traded away 2 of the last 3 triple crown winners (F. R

bigtenboy07

Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure

Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure

Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure

Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure

Bruce arrival, Hamilton departure