Reds Three Down — Week of 1/20/13

Leading up to and during the upcoming MLB season, I will be posting a weekly “Reds Three Up” and “Three Down” segments. This stock-watch of sorts will detail three Reds with rising stock and three Reds with declining stock. It will be a nice way to measure what Reds are hot, and which are not.

Yesterday I noted which three Reds-related things were watching their stock rise. Today, I’ll be focusing on the three things that aren’t doing so hot.

Pete Rose

I’m starting to think that Pete Rose will never be in the Hall of Fame. I used to think that there was a small chance. At one point in my life, I even thought of it as a matter of when, rather than if. However, after seeing absolutely no one get into the Hall of Fame this year, I’m starting to think that we’ll never see Charlie Hustle enshrined in the Hall.

As you might know, this week MLB commissioner Bud Selig was in Cincinnati this week announcing that the 2015 All-Star festivities would take place in the Queen City. And, naturally, questions about Pete Rose started to arise in the press conference. Man, old Bud must have been expecting that, right? He declined to comment, of course, and it seems as though any talk of the all time hits leader getting into the Hall of Fame has been put off for a bit longer.

Well, at least he’s got his reality show…

Brandon Phillips

Recently @DatDudeBP announced that he would be playing for the United States team in the 2012 World Baseball Classic. Baseball is, as far as I know, the only sport where fans regularly cross their fingers in hopes that their favorite players AREN’T selected for teams like these.

Oct 10, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips (4) reacts to striking out during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants in game four of the 2012 NLDS at Great American Ballpark. The Giants defeated the Reds 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a great honor, sure. But let’s not forget what effect the WBC had on Johnny Cueto in 2011. He missed the first month of play, and still didn’t make it through the entire season. I’ll be keeping tabs on the classic not out of interest, but in hopes that our starting second baseman is healthy after each game.

Mike Leake

You have to feel bad for this guy. Recently, talks about how the Reds will handle the Aroldis Chapman situation for the 2013 season have started to brew. It seems as though the final plan will be revealed to us all soon. Unfortunately for Mike Leake, it’s highly doubtful that he’s involved too heavily in any of these possible plans.

The thing about Leake is that he’s not a bad player. He’s barely spent any time in the minor leagues, and he’s still posted average numbers. But when you’re attempting to fight for a rotation spot against a borderline Cy Young winner, a hard throwing righty who three of your teammates were traded for, a kid who threw a no-hitter last year, a guy who can seemingly easily throw 200 innings each season, and the hardest thrower ever who could (potentially) be better than all four above mentioned, chances are average isn’t going to cut it.

Speaking of not cutting it, I don’t expect Leake to be cut from the 25 man roster. I think he’ll start the season in the rotation, and quietly phase out into a long man role. I do like Mike Leake as a player, and given time, I think he’ll be able to fight for a spot in the rotation with a couple of prospects in the near future.