My take on our Reds. WJ has done a great job as usual. The deadwood/head case in the line up has been filled with a quality player, Choo, who in essence is auditioning to stay or be a free agent. So he will be giving his all. With Luddy, Bruce, Choo, and Heisey coming in as needed we are strong in the OF. Add in Frazier when needed with Hannahan to sub in at third.
Votto was the linchpin to all of this happening. He is not a Junior being an unproductive albatross around their necks. If he is hurt he starts going with contact hitting and is still a .300+ hitter. Bruce remade his physique last season with a trainer. It takes a year or so to adjust and he has been working on being better at contact hitting and the strike zone. Add in BP, Masher, Frazier (for a whole season), Choo, Hannigan - even Cozart will get better as a hitter. Very strong line-up that can score some runs. No easy outs now.
WJ knows how to deal and improve a club. These longer term contracts with guys like Votto, Bruce and BP are telling the other great players we have a nucleus committed to winning in Cincy. The money for the team to pay it comes from winning. Cincy fans always come out and spend money when the Reds are in the thick of it. Drove up I 75 for it last year and will again this year.
Pitchng, D and consistent reasonable run production are what win championships and the team is really good now in all respects. The only problem in my mind has and always will be Dusty. He has proven to be a wannabe over a lot of years. His decision making is just strange to non-existent at times. The team is so good sometimes they can bail him out. But when it is playoff time and the opponents are fully focused it gets intense, and that's when it all heads south because he can't see the bad stuff coming, much less make the right call on what to do. He is so hung up on his personal MO and process he forgets the object is to win every game that can be won all of the time, but especially when it matters most.