“The sophomore slump”.

No one will ever actually admit to being a second-year player going through a mysterious curse that makes the best hitters and pitchers suffer tremendously following an impressive rookie year outing. Some say it’s just a lack of concentration, or raising the expectations too high for themselves, or just plain old nerves. Newsflash: Those three excuses are just better ways of saying, “I’m in the sophomore slump and I don’t think there’s any way out of it.” Read more »

The Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and, most importantly, Ken Griffey Jr. have agreed to a deal that will send Griffey to Chicago in exchange for reliever Nick Masset and minor league infielder Danny Richar, FOXSports.com first reported. Shortly after the two teams came to terms on the deal, Griffey, a 10-and-5 player, approved the trade.

A puzzling deal in most circles because of the Sox’s dearth of outfielders, DH types and power bats. Griffey would seem to be more likely to split time at DH with Jim Thome and in the corner outfield, but ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian reported that Griffey would return to his old stomping grounds in center field and shove Nick Swisher into a platoon role. Read more »

Ken Griffey Jr.’s slow, painful journey to 600 home runs finally reached a climax on Monday night, as he launched a Mark Hendrickson offering over the right field wall to become the sixth member of the 600-home run club. Griffey entered the season just seven home runs shy of the mark, then saw his progress slowed as the pressure mounted after slugging four homers in his first 21 games.

After that, Griffey endured a 23-game homerless drought that spanned April and May, then fell victim to “old man pains” after hitting No. 599 against Atlanta on May 31. He was in and out of the lineup as Cincinnati began a road trip through Philadelphia and Florida, which likely was a ploy to give him a better chance of hitting No. 600 on his home field. He fell a game short, though, going yard in the Reds’ final game of a seven-game road trip. Read more »

First, it was Dodgers phenom Clayton Kershaw on Sunday. Now, it will be Reds super prospect Jay Bruce making his major league debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 21-year old outfielder will presumably take over full-time duties in center field, pushing Corey Patterson and Ryan Freel back into reserve roles.

Bruce was hitting .419 for Triple-A Louisville in the month of May, raising his season average to an International League-leading .364 in 49 games. He had 10 home runs, 24 extra-base hits, 37 RBIs and 8 stolen bases, and he ranked among the league’s top four in slugging percentage (3rd, .630), OPS (4th, 1.023) and total bases (2nd, 116). Read more »

There’s no denying the electric stuff that Cincinnati Reds rookie right-hander Johnny Cueto possesses. His explosive fastball reaches the upper 90s, and he matches it with a disappearing changeup that sits in the lower 80s. Opponents are batting .255 against him; he doesn’t walk batters; and he averages 8.7 strikeouts per inning.

So, how is it that the phenom has a 5.56 ERA after 10 starts? Well, it’s a number of different things, all generated by an extreme inability to stay composed in tight situations. Read more »

Rookies, despite all their inexperience, can make even a novice fantasy baseball manager look like a serious veteran. These are the top 10 rookies so far this season in the fantasy landscape. And yes, the Cincinnati Reds do have an incredible group of young players. Read more »

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger broke the patella in his left knee on Tuesday night when he fouled off a Mark Hendrickson pitch in the second inning of the Reds’ 8-7 win over Florida, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. A postgame X-ray revealed a fracture, but an MRI will determine the extent of the injury, John Fay said in his Reds Insider blog. Read more »

The Seattle Mariners have made it clear that they are very interested in a reunion tour with former M’s center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., and why not? The club is struggling mightily to score runs and has the worst record in the American League (15-25). According to Gregg Bell of the Associated Press, Mariners special assistant Duane Shaffer was in New York scouting Griffey over the weekend, which could put this deal on the fast track.

As Bell emphasizes, small crowds are becoming a big problem in Seattle, even bigger than the Mariners’ anemic offense. A return of the revered Griffey would help solve both, especially if his pursuit of 600 career home runs would follow him from Cincinnati to Seattle. Judging by Griffey’s home run pace so far (4 in 140 at-bats), it seems safe to assume that the chase will continue into the summer months. Read more »

The longer the Cincinnati Reds flounder in the cellar of the National League Central, the faster we will see super prospect outfielder Jay Bruce in center field. The Reds have some tradeable pieces in outfielders Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., while a platoon of Ryan Freel and Corey Patterson has been less than stellar in center field.

New general manager Walt Jocketty will be wanting a clean slate as the Reds look to re-tool their roster. Young building blocks Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Joey Votto have already claimed full-time roles, and it is only a matter of time before Bruce does the same. He has an array of skills that will translate immediately in fantasy, most notably 30-home run and 20-stolen base potential. Read more »

In a surprising move, the Cincinnati Reds sent Josh Hamilton and his feel-good story to the Texas Rangers for pitching prospect Edinson Volquez over the winter. The decision has turned out to be a win-win for both clubs, with Hamilton hitting the cover off the ball in Arlington and Volquez leading the National League in ERA, even before his seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.

Volquez garnered significantly less attention than teammate Johnny Cueto early, who burst onto the scene with an outstanding spring and a dominant first outing. Though Cueto has just a tad more upside, Volquez features a similar repertoire and is already growing into a frontline big-league starter. Read more »