Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings October 27, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1998-President Bill Clinton signs the Curt Flood Act, overturning part of baseball s 70-year-old antitrust exemption, putting baseball on par with other professional sports, when it relates to labor matters MLB.COM Four Reds named NL Gold Glove Award finalists Votto, Duvall, Hamilton, Barnhart one of 3 nominees at respective positions By Daniel Kramer / MLB.com October 26th, 2017 + 9 COMMENTS The Reds felt they were among the best defensive teams in the National League in 2017, and on Thursday, they were given validation for that assertion. First baseman Joey Votto, left fielder Adam Duvall, center fielder Billy Hamilton and catcher Tucker Barnhart were named Rawlings NL Gold Glove Award finalists. Each player is one of three nominees at his respective position for the prestigious award that recognizes the best defensive player at each position for each league. The four nominations are an NL high for any club. The winners will be unveiled on Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. "I think we've got legitimate candidates here to win the award," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "The four guys who have been acknowledged in the final vote is really good, and I'm excited. But I would really like to see us get acknowledged beyond getting into the finalists and actually win some awards." This is the fourth straight year Hamilton has been nominated, though he has yet to win. In 2017, Hamilton converted three five-star catches, rated by Statcast as the most elite such outfield plays, those with a catch probability of 25 percent or less. The MLB high on such plays was seven by Braves center fielder and fellow finalist Ender Inciarte. The Nationals' Michael Taylor, the other finalist, also converted three five-star catches. For Votto, Thursday's nomination was recognition for what has been a season-long goal of improving defensively. That objective was part of the reason he skipped playing in the World Baseball Classic. "I felt like that little window, whether it was a week, three weeks, however long, that window is the most important time in Spring Training to prep," Votto said. "Had I been locked in on meaningful games, I wouldn't have been able to put in the work that I felt was valuable, paired up with the offseason work that I did. I felt like the goal was accomplished." Votto, whose.324/.424/.600 line with 36 homers and 100 RBIs on offense are near mirror figures to what he posted when winning the 2010 NL MVP Award, is likely to be among the finalists for this year's MVP against the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Giancarlo Stanton and Nolan Arenado, among others. Votto is also likely to be a finalist for the NL Silver Slugger Award at first base, which he has never won. For the Gold Glove, he is up against two-time winner Goldschmidt and reigning Platinum Glove winner Anthony Rizzo. Barnhart, the fourth-year Reds catcher, led the NL with a 44 percent caught-stealing rate and posted an average pop time to second base of 2.01 seconds on such attempts, above the MLB average. Buster Posey, who won his first Gold Glove Award last season, and Yadier Molina, who won the previous eight, are the other finalists. "If I were fortunate enough to win a Gold Glove, it would be like the No. 1 honor for me," Barnhart said. "It's what I am as a player, a defense-first guy. To me, it would be extremely special." Duvall is a finalist for the second straight year. He led the Majors with 15 outfield assists and ranked 13th with nine outs above average, per Statcast. The other left-field finalists are the Rockies' Gerardo Parra and the Marlins' Marcell Ozuna. This year's Gold Glove Awards represent just one way the game's top performers will be recognized. Voting is underway now for the Esurance MLB Awards, which annually honor MLB's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process. MLB Awards season will culminate on Friday, Nov. 17, when winners are announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Daniel Kramer is a reporter for MLB.com based in Denver. Follow him on Twitter at @DKramer_. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Reds claim utility man Johnson from Braves By Daniel Kramer / MLB.com October 26th, 2017 + 5 COMMENTS The Reds announced on Thursday that they've claimed utility second baseman and outfielder Micah Johnson off waivers from the Braves. Johnson, 26, played in just 18 games last year, 11 plate appearances, and was largely limited due to a wrist injury. He began the year on the disabled list and was eventually transferred to the 60-day DL. With Zack Cozart set to become a free agent and limited depth across the infield, the Reds could give Johnson -- a once-promising prospect in the White Sox system -- a chance to compete for a bench role in Spring Training. Johnson can also play the outfield, and his presence gives the Reds flexibility at several positions. At the very least, he'll be able to contribute at Triple-A Louisville. Daniel Kramer is a reporter for MLB.com based in Denver. Follow him on Twitter at @DKramer_. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Paul Daugherty: Welcome to the 4th Game Parade era Paul Daugherty, pdaugherty@enquirer.com Published 5:33 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2017 Welcome back, RedsFans, to the 99th Annual 4th Game Parade. We love our traditions here, and none is better than the Opening Day Parade that occurs four days after Opening Day. There has never been a 4th Game Parade like this one, not in all of baseball history. It makes all the other 4th Game Parades look like 5th Game Parades. We here in the Republic of Cincinnati like to think we re special. Different. Anybody can have an Opening Day Parade on Opening Day. We love Day 4. It s sacred around here. Why Day 4? Some ancient Cincinnati legend William H. Taft, maybe, or Buddy LaRosa decreed that there was something magical about the 4th game of the year. Four balls to a walk, right? Let the mortals parade on Day 1. The pretenders, the arrivistes, the people who go to be Seen. A parade on Opening Day? That s for amateurs. True Cincinnatians party on Day 4. Everyone knows that. To quote Nigel Tufnel, legendary guitarist for the mock-band Spinal Tap, about the group s special amplifier, Ours goes to 11. OK, OK. For the first time, the Findlay Market Parade will not precede the first Reds game of the season. Major League Baseball has decided to commence its championship season a week earlier than normal, because if there s one thing casual fans don t like about baseball it s that the season is just too short. This isn t the Reds fault. They could cure the fuss by going on the road for the first three games, but they don t want to do that, and why would they? Starting their season at home is no less traditional than a first-day parade. The merchants who fill Findlay Market could take a big, pre-easter weekend hit, but they don t want to do that, and why would they? Without the merchants there would be no market. Without the market, there would be no parade. So we can t just dismiss the merchants. Besides, have you ever had the fresh sausages and homemade pastas at Findlay Market? To die for, people. Major League Baseball is the culprit. MLB doesn t care about Cincinnati or the Reds, at least no more than any other team, and why should it? The goal is revenue enhancement. The Reds are not an outsized contributor to the baseball vault. They think this is a bunch of farmland, said Neil Neil Luken, parade committee chairman and owner of Neil Luken Meats. Yeah, that too.
You say you can bring half a million people downtown for a day, and Major League Baseball doesn t care, Luken said. This is the same enterprise that decided in 1994 that the season would no longer begin in Cincinnati. Then in 1999, the National Pastime opened with a game in Monterrey, Mexico. Luken isn t overly distressed about the change. He thinks the Day 4 Parade will be better than the Opening Day model would have been. The logistics aren t good for setting up a parade down there if you have to shut down (streets) from Central Parkway all the way to Vine Street, he said. You re cutting off the lifeline of Findlay Market. That matters every Opening Day, or course. It matters more this year, because the opener is four days before Easter, when people are stocking up for Easter brunch and dinner. The following Monday, Luken explained, We don t have to worry about delivery trucks trying to get through a parade route. His biggest issue is with the name. What do they call an Opening Day parade when it s not on Opening Day? Re-brand the parade, said Luken. Make sure it s all about Findlay Market and the city of Cincinnati, our tradition and heritage. He did say, If we can make it work on Thursday, we ll try, but his head is overruling his heart for the moment. Luken has attended every parade since 1978 and been chairman of the parade committee for 15 years. He has no idea how a Game 4 parade will fly. If it s a complete failure, we d have to re-evaluate, he said. The last time the Reds didn t open at home (and thus had no Opening Day Parade, at least not by strict definition) was 1990, when the players were locked out and the team opened in Houston. Things worked out OK for the Reds that year. The Reds have four Gold Glove finalists Zach Buchanan and C. Trent Rosecrans, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 3:28 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2017 Updated 5:24 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2017 The Cincinnati Reds have four players in the mix for Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, the baseball equipment company announced Thursday. Catcher Tucker Barnhart, first baseman Joey Votto, left fielder Adam Duvall and center fielder Billy Hamilton all were named finalists. The winners will be announced on Nov. 7 on ESPN. The Reds had a chance for six finalists, but third baseman Eugenio Suarez and shortstop Zack Cozart did not make the cut. The last Red to win the award was Brandon Phillips in 2013. "I m excited, but I d really like to see us acknowledged and get beyond the point where we have finalists and actually win some awards," Reds manager Bryan Price said on Thursday. No other National League team had as many nominees as the Reds' four, while four American League teams matched the Reds the Red Sox, Indians, Angels and Royals. Here's a closer look at the case for each finalist. Billy Hamilton Hamilton is a finalist for the fourth-straight year, but has never won the award. This could be the year he finally breaks through. He led NL center fielders with at least 1,000 innings at the position in Ultimate Zone Rating, Defensive Rating and Defensive Runs Saved. He didn't make quite as many flashy plays that showed off his tremendous range in center although he still had web gems but he made up for it with 13 outfield assists, second behind only Duvall in the National League. He looks to beat out Michael Taylor of the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves' Ender Inciarte, who won a year ago. "I think he should have one by now, to not have any at this point is a shame, to be perfectly honest," Barnhart said. Hamilton missed some time due to injury, but Price noted that the voting was done before his thumb injury landed him on the disabled list in September. Tucker Barnhart
Outside of pitch-framing metrics that favored several of his peers, the 26-year-old Barnhart might have had the best defensive season of any catcher in the National League. He posted a defensive WAR (dwar) of 2.8, according to Baseball-Reference, and led the league by catching 44 percent of potential base-stealers. He also rated highly on several defensive metrics kept by FanGraphs. "I personally thought that maybe he was the best defensive player, now that Andrelton Simmons is gone, maybe the best defensive player in all of the National League," Votto said of his teammate. In part because of that performance behind the plate, the Reds signed Barnhart to a four-year extension worth $16 million guaranteed in September. The day before the deal was announced, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina called Barnhart a future Gold Glover. Molina and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey are Barnhart's competition for the award this year. "To be mixed in with those guys is special," Barnhart said. "I take a lot of pride in my defense, obviously. It's the reason I got to the big leagues and hopefully the reason I stay. " Joey Votto The 34-year-old Votto is a former Gold Glover and has been a finalist twice before, but that came back in 2011. In the meantime, his defense had slipped to the point where it became a liability over the course of the 2016 season. Frustrated with himself, he rededicated himself to improving his defense at first this past offseason. Votto skipped the World Baseball Classic in order to stay in Goodyear, Arizona, to work with Reds first base coach and infield coordinator Freddie Benavides during spring training. "That window is the most important time in spring training to prep, and had I been locked into meaningful games, I wouldn't have been able to put in the work that I felt was valuable, paired up with the offseason work I had done," Votto said on Thursday. "I felt like the goal was accomplished." The transformation was clear over the 2017 season. Metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and FanGraphs' defensive rating suggested Votto was the best defensive first baseman in the National League. His competition for the award consists of the Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo and Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Adam Duvall Duvall was a finalist a year ago, making a surprisingly adept transition to left field after playing mostly on the infield corners in the minors. His metrics weren't nearly as favorable in 2017, but he undoubtedly benefited from the fact that few left fielders met the necessary innings threshold to be considered for the award. His NL-leading 15 outfield assists should help his case and catch the eye because throwing out runners is not a skill set he flashed often in 2016. His competition for the award will be Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins and Gerardo Parra of the Rockies. "Obviously, I put a lot of emphasis on my defense, it is important for me to excel on that side of the ball, so it s exciting to be mentioned for the second time," Duvall said. Reds claim 2B/OF Micah Johnson The Reds claimed second baseman/outfielder Micah Johnson off of waivers from the Braves on Thursday. Johnson, who will turn 27 in December, appeared in 18 games for the Braves last season. In 40 games at Triple-A, he hit.289/.377/.400, spending most of his time in center field. An Indianapolis native and Indiana University alum, Johnson was drafted by the White Sox and sent to the Dodgers in the threeteam trade with the Reds that sent Todd Frazier to Chicago and netted the Reds Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler and Brandon Dixon. The Dodgers traded him to the Braves last January. TRANSACTIONS 10/26/17 LHP Tommy Milone elected free agency. Cincinnati Reds claimed 2B Micah Johnson off waivers from Atlanta Braves. Chicago Cubs designated SS Mike Freeman for assignment. Chicago Cubs claimed CF Jacob Hannemann off waivers from Seattle Mariners.
Seattle Mariners sent RHP Ryan Garton outright to Tacoma Rainiers.