 | June 8, 2007 Coach Danko |  |
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Homer Bailey, Cin SPThe "Jered Weaver Phenomenon" continues tonight as the pitching prospect that every Cincinnati Reds fan has been salivating over is about to make his major league debut tonight against the Cleveland Indians in the first game of the 2007 Battle of Ohio. Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey was brought up from Triple-A Louisville today and will get to strut his stuff against one of the best offenses in all of baseball. The 21-year-old has been one of the top prospects in the Reds organization since he was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft. Lets take a look at the young stud's resume.
The 51:24 strikeout-to-walk ratio is a bit of a concern. My worry is that it may translate to an inflated WHIP against MLB hitters. Otherwise, it sounds like this guy has pretty electric stuff and is a must-own in all leagues, at least as a prospective addition. The Indians have scored the second-most runs in the league this year, so don't jump off of the bandwagon if Bailey gets banged around a bit tonight. Also, I've watched a lot of Tribe games this year and they know how to work the count and drive up a pitcher's pitch count, so tonight will also be a great test of Homer's control. Homer's been hyped so much this year that he's probably already owned in your league, but if he's not pick him up immediately. Also, should the Indians rough him up, be ready to pounce on him if his owner gets antsy and drops him. |
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Bailey was the Reds' 2006 Minor League Player of the Year after tallying a stat line of 10-6 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over the course of 138.2 innings for the Reds' Single-A and Double-A organizations. After 10 starts this season, Homer has been even better going 6-1 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Over 58.1 innings, he has struck out 51 batters, walked 24, and he has held opponents to a .191 batting average.