Rust Belt Baseball

When spring training opened nearly four weeks ago, the battle for the fifth starter's spot in the Reds' rotation was considered to be wide open. But since that time, it has come down to two serious contenders: Micah Owings and Homer Bailey.

In his three starts this spring, Micah Owings has gone 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA while totaling 12 strikeouts through 10 2/3 innings. Homer Bailey meanwhile sports a 0.90 ERA through four games, including two starts, accumulating eight strikeouts in 10 innings. For comparison, Nick Masset, who was another serious contender at the outset, has struggled in two of his three outings. So far he has chalked up a 6.75 ERA with six earned runs and 13 hits over eight innings.

Like most Reds fans, I would be happy with just one of them putting in a strong showing, but for two of them to do so is glorious – and intriguing.

Micah Owings



Micah Owings has been sharp in spring training and by all accounts is very comfortable on the mound. That isn’t very surprising since he has had some extended success in the majors previously. He is coming off a shoulder injury that limited him to pitch hitting duties last season following the trade that saw Adam Dunn head to the Arizona desert. But there does not seem to be any lingering issues with his shoulder. He has been able to move the ball well on both sides of the plate and his off-speed pitches have been confounding batters.

Owings recently commented on his progress:

"There are still some things I can keep working on - building up my arm strength so I can go deeper in the games. That will be my focus.”

Owings clearly is the front-runner for the fifth spot so far, but it not a runaway. There stands next to him a lanky young man who is making things very interesting this spring.

Homer Bailey



It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Bailey is pitching so well – he’s always had the stuff. But putting it all together at the major league level has been another matter for him. He developed a reputation for being cantankerous and brusque to coaches and reporters as well as not being the most dedicated player to off-season conditioning. Never a good combination.

Last season saw a regression in his development: 0-6 with a 7.93 ERA (2.09 WHIP) in two stints in the majors and 4-7 with a 4.77 ERA (1.47 WHIP) at AAA Louisville. But it appears that last season’s poor showing provided a wake-up call; that perhaps Bailey now realizes that things don’t always fall into your lap. He has come into this training camp with a new attitude.

Here are a couple of quotes he has made to reporters this spring regarding his new approach this spring:

"When you go through a year like that last year, you can't help but have a few things knocked inside your head. I guess I was able to look back and really think about it a lot more and realize some of the mistakes I made. I understand it more, I think. One more year of seeing the game and watching games and this past off-season a lot of things sunk in.”

On his new attitude:

“I guess it has to do a lot with the off-season I had. I had a really good off-season. Maybe before I didn't prepare as much as I think I should have, looking back on it. This year, I know the work I put in and I think it's going to be beneficial. This year, I have a little more confidence."

Could this be the season that Bailey puts it all together? Several players from Bailey’s draft class are already productive major leaguers. Among them are Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver. Here’s hoping Bailey will be among them very soon – and do so for the Reds.

Regardless of who ultimately earns the fifth and final spot in the rotation, it should make the Reds rotation one of the strongest they’ve had in years. A win-win situation you might say - and winning is always a good thing, isn’t it?