Snake Pit Appraisals: Addison Reed

Strengths

• "The numbers say he probably didn't have the worst season top notch K rates, solid walk rates. The only thing that really killed him was the long ball, and it really, really killed him. Add in the fact that they seemly happened at all the worst times, perception may have been worse than reality. Not a great season by any stretch, but not necessarily a disaster. A solid 2 that would have been a 3 if not for the expectations put upon him." - SenSurround
• "He was streaky a number of bad games. But he also had the longest string of converted save opportunities in a while. I think that means I have to do something…" - preston.salisbury

Weaknesses

• "Hello Addi.......oh crap, there goes another one!

  As has already been mentioned, the long ball was the killer. Too inconsistent. Brilliant for long stretches and then that was all undone by a really bad patch. If he can keep it in the park, he can be one of the better closers in the league. But can he keep it in the park, which basically means can he be less wild in the zone? His problem wasn’t velo related. It was missing his spots badly over the heart of the plate when he wasn’t "on".." - Fangdango

• "I give him a two. Showed flashes of being the great closer we were promised, but the rest of the time, he reminded me of the batting practice pitching machine." - imstillhungry95

Towards 2015

• "He was a high stress closer but at least he wasn’t Heath Bell.
  If the DBacks keep him, potentially could he have a very strong year in 2015? Maybe another season under his belt will help him, he’s just coming into his prime years." - MrMrrbi
• "As Reed started into the portion of his career when he was to put it all together,
  he discovered that his stuff is way too erratic for being a dominating closer in MLB baseball. Unless he magically can begin to harness his stuff and be consistent and not toss the occasional gopher ball, he’s probably a middle innings sort of relief pitcher. If he walks the bases loaded and gives up the homer during the process and then strikes out the side, we can’t rely on him." - ford.williams.10
• "I do think his growth this year was legit though, and he should be one of the building blocks for this team going forward. I am not expecting All Star levels of play from him, but it is reasonable to see him providing great defense along with some solid speed and decent power going forward." - JoeCB1991

Comment of the Thread

1

I thought Reed would be better than he was, but his fastball was as straight as a mooses’ dick in mating season.

shoewizard

The Tally

• 5 - Highly Satisfied: 1%
• 4 - Somewhat Satisfied: 7%
• 3 - Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied: 14%
• 2 - Somewhat Dissatisfied: 46%
• 1 - Very Dissatisfied: 32%

Three's really not much surprise here. Given the expectations of Reed when he was acquired, and his constant reminder of the Heath Bell Experience, it's not a shock that the overwhelming majority found him to be unsatisfactory. Although he was not an expensive bust like some of his low-ranked peers, Reed was the poster child for the Diamondbacks pitching woes out of the bullpen.

The Scoreboard

1. David Peralta 4.82 (162 votes)
2. Evan Marshall 4.76 (119)
3. Josh Collmenter 4.71 (151)
4. Paul Goldschmidt 4.64 (168)
5. Ender Inciarte 4.51 (111)
6. A.J. Pollock 4.48 (132)
7. Chase Anderson 4.18 (161)
8. Chris Owings 4.13 (112)
9. Vidal Nuno 3.96 (92)
10. Eury de la Rosa 3.63 (91)
11. Cliff Pennington 3.52 (62)
    
12. Tuffy Gosewisch 3.50 (113)
13. Brandon McCarthy 3.43 (542)***
14. Jake Lamb 3.31 (115)
15. Gerardo Parra 3.14 (122)
16. Wade Miley 2.94 (122)
17. Didi Gregorius 2.75 (106)
18. Miguel Montero 2.67 (128)
    
19. Mike Bolsinger 2.67 (117)
20. Bronson Arroyo 2.63 (125)
21. Will Harris 2.49 (61)
22. Randall Delgado 2.25 (122)
23. Aaron Hill 2.11 (91)
24. Addison Reed 1.99 (114)
25. Trevor Cahill 1.07 (147)