Generally, I rank great pitchers as more valuable than great position players (batters). For that reason I was torn between Clay, Joba and Clayton. I sided with Kershaw partly because of everything I've heard about him and a tiny part because if I voted for Joba or B-doubleH-Z I'd spend the rest of the day throwing up for voting for an Evil Empirer or Idioter.

Snider will be a great bat and an OK fielder till he's in his late 20's by which time he'll be an MVP type DH at 5' 10" and 280+ pounds.  He'll lead us to World Series after World Series - provided we've got five starters like Roy, McG and AJ.

Apparently, having the intials "F.M." is a deal-breaker -- no love so far for Martinez or Morales, while everyone else has votes.

I think Homer Bailey is going to be a 12-time All-Star and win four Cy Young Awards. But I once thought the same thing about Frank Pastore, another once-upon-a-Red phenom.

I was tempted to vote for Bailey - and he is second on my list - but Longoria's every-day availability trumped him

Bailey is a very nice prospect, but combine all the factors - The Reds play in a good HR/Hitter's park, you have a terrible defensive team and you play in Cincy.  That pretty much seals the deal on how the rest of MLB will view your career.

I personally voted for Joba, I love his stuff and I think he'll have an exceptional career in NY, and be provided with plenty of run support/wins.

I voted for Buchholz.  Bailey would have been my tenth choice.  He has to show some control before I lend him some love.

1. Buchholz
2. Bruce
3. Longoria
4. Kershaw
5. Chamberlain
6. Rasmus
7. Snider
8. Martinez
9. Morales
10. Bailey

I voted Snider, because I think that he has the best bat.  That is obviously very subjective. Longoria and Bruce have excellent cases, of course.  As for the pitchers, I like Buchholz and Chamberlain best, but I'd take the hitters first.

The Reds play in a good HR/Hitter's park, you have a terrible defensive team and you play in Cincy.

You left out one important factor - Wayne Krivsky is the Reds GM, and there is no guarantee he won't trade Bailey for a handful of magic beans

Be sure to check back on Da Box on Feb. 1, 2023 for our special feature "Homer Bailey: How'd We Do in Seeing the Future?"

By the way wouldn't the fact that the Reds play in a "Homer-friendly" park be good for this kid?

By the way wouldn't the fact that the Reds play in a "Homer-friendly" park be good for this kid?

He's a pitcher.

You missed the pun.

You missed the pun.

yes, yes I did.  Now I see it, and am stunned I could miss it.

Rasmus.  With a nod to Snider and a recognition that Evan Longoria is a potential George Brett, I think Rasmus  is a better hitter than Longoria is and will play at a much better position than Snider - and has much more power to add than Snider.

Snider.  I figure there is a much better chance of one of the hitters putting  everything together to have a HoF-type career than one of the pitchers.  After that, well, I'd pick Longoria over Snider right now if I was starting a team, but projection is such a crapshoot that I might as well go with the homer pick instead.  So there it is, the skein* of my reasoning.




*Okay, I figured this was the correct usage of the word - "overview of a tangled mess" or somesuch thing - but dictionary.com does back this up...oh well, I'll give it a try anyhow.

Since no one actually has any idea what will happen will may as well vote in our favor! Go Travis!

I might as well go with the homer pick instead.

Then you should have voted for Bailey! (Don't make the puns so easy ...)

Mick, my high level of respect for you has only gone up with your usage of terrible puns. I personally also love making such obvious ones. Also, like 37.5% of my Battersbox bretherin, I voted for Snider. I believe pitchers are too much of a crapshoot so that leaves Bruce, Longoria, Martinez, Rasmus and Snider. Martinez is too far off to accurately predict, so that brings it down to four. I also am not as high on Rasmus as others. Then we're left with Longoria, Bruce and Snider... And well then I became a homer (but not Homer Bailey).

I voted for Travis Snider, since, you know, he's a Blue Jay.  Sorry if my reasoning lessens the poll's statistical merit.

Also, anagrammatically I voted for "Drives Trains".