Cincinnati Reds doing no favors to pitching prospects

The Cincinnati Reds have several prospects that are flourishing in the big leagues, but sending the rest to the mound to start is a big gamble.

The Cincinnati Reds have a decent four deep rotation if they chose to use it.  Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Sal Romano have all stabilized themselves in Cincinnati.  Jackson Stephens also seems ready to take on a bigger role down the stretch.

The Reds, in classic Reds style, pulled Castillo from the rotation to “save him.”  There is no proof that limiting appearances limits injuries.  All this does is keep Castillo from strengthening his arm for next season and keeps the Reds’ lone stud out of the rotation.

Instead, the Reds are sending Homer Bailey and Robert Stephenson to the mound every fifth game.  Bailey doesn’t deserve it.  He is a spent man.

Stephenson is fine.  It is easy to envision his spot in the rotation being shared among other pitchers down the stretch.  It is those other pitchers that need to be saved, though.

Want your voice heard? Join the Blog Red Machine team!

Write for us!

The Reds plan on sending Amir Garrett, Rookie Davis, and possibly Cody Reed out to start games in the next two weeks.  Cincinnati exiled all of these players to the minor leagues for a large portion of the season.  Davis even went all the way down to Double-A.

The Cincinnati Reds need to focus on developing starting pitchers that can go six innings every fifth game.

More from Reds News

• Reds vs. Pirates: Pitching preview, prediction, and more
• Reds appropriately designate reliever Brad Brach for assignment
• Reds: 3 reasons why Jonathan India will win NL Rookie of the Year
• Reds: Despite six straight series defeats, Cincinnati is still contending
• Reds: It’s time to end Asdrúbal Cabrera’s brief tenure in Cincinnati

The best example of the flawed logic from the Reds is the difference between Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.  In nine seasons Scherzer hasn’t missed a single start, while only twice averaging less than six innings per start.

Strasburg, by contrast, has only made every start once in eight MLB seasons with injuries as recently as last year.  He has averaged six or more innings three times.  The Nationals treated Strasburg with kid gloves, while the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers treated Scherzer like an MLB pitcher.

Unless the injury bug has already bit Castillo, the Reds should have him out there every fifth day.  The act of limiting starts and innings just doesn’t help anyone.  Castillo could be helped by the additional starts.

Then there is the irreparable harm done to the egos of the pitchers that keep going out there.  Garrett may be lost for good thanks to the cavalier attitude employed by the Reds front office.  Garrett is clearly overmatched at this point in his career.

Next: Introducing left hander Scott Moss

The Reds need to realize that their job is develop consistent pitchers.  They shouldn’t be worried about hurting pitchers’ feeling.  They should worry about destroying young pitchers’ careers.