June 6, 2025 • 9 mins
Nick Kirby from Chatterbox Sports joined Todd Walker to discuss the disappointing season to date for the Reds.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Reds are back at it tonight as they take on
the Diamondbacks, and here to talk Reds Baseball with us
as Nick Kirby from Chatterbox Sports. And you know, Nick,
last time we talked, I expressed some hesitation about the
recovery of Hunter Green and like I always tell my wife, Damn,
I get tired of being right.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, what a frustrating glow. And then the Red Steine weaight,
Miley and fair not to wait, Miley. It was a
tough spot for him. Certainly didn't inspire a whole lot
of confidence on Wednesday his last few eggs out there.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
No, And neither did his nine era and the Miners.
So you know, clearly this season is tracking toward disappointment.
And there's a lot of frustration with Reds fans. You know,
they're wondering about Connor Joe in the lineup and Hampson
and wondering why Matt McLean isn't toiling a triple A
instead of hitting a buck fifty in the big leagues.
(01:00):
What's number one at your pet peeve lift right now? Uh?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
And probably it's just you know, you watch that Red
series against the Brewers and it's just the Brewers. Man,
they are they maximize every single ounce of talent out
of their players, and they then their roster feels like
it has more of a purpose than the Reds. Every
player they use, like their whole position players in that
(01:25):
series against the Reds for different matchups and whatnot, it
just feels like the Reds aren't maximizing their roster. Would
it matter this year, I don't know, but that's probably
my personal biggest pet team is that there's just players
on those rosters. It's just have have no business, you know,
(01:46):
being on a big league roster right now. And also
in that series against the Brewers, the Reds just that
there's a stubbornness with the lineup, like the Brewers brought
it in a left handedrepreneur basically on Wednesday of the finale,
and they had to have two left handed batters at
the top of the lineup. And they made it so
(02:09):
easy on the Brewers in that series to match up
their pitching even late in the game the first two
games and went left left left. Well, Ellie's not left,
but he can't hit left handed pitching. But as steel as,
they made the series very easy on the Brewers.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yeah, I since there's even discontent now with Terry Francona.
I mean, who would to thunket were fourth on the
way end of the season and everybody's already questioning what
he's doing and how he's going about things. Do you
get the feeling that he's sort of taking stock of
how this organization is run and what he has and
(02:46):
what may be coming or has he gotten caught up
in the Red's way of doing things and it's polluted
his mind.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I don't I don't know what the Red way doing
things is. It feels like they've changed their way of
doing things quite a bit over the last decade or so.
His line that don't necessarily match what David Bell was doing,
So I don't know if there's necessarily he's you know,
following that. Like the problems are much bigger than Terry Francona,
(03:17):
but it just feels like, and maybe it's it's not
completely fair, but it just it doesn't feel like he's
got a solution really at all to any of the issues.
And he's made some decisions that I scratched my head at,
and some of the players that.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Are on the roster that he chooses to use.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I just kind of question why he uses them and
in those roles, But I also acknowledge the problems are
much bigger.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Than him, no question about it. We're talking Reds with
the Nick Kirby from Chatterbox Sports, the Reds and Diamondbacks
tonight here on WYMA, And yeah, this team right now
just doesn't seem to be in any position to threaten
to even have a winning season, let alone contend for
a playoff spot or a divisional title. You mentioned Elie
(04:03):
de la Cruz, and clearly he has a superstar level talent,
but we've seen him, as you alluded to, still not
really nearly as good a hit or right handed as
he is left handed. He still routinely flubs plays a shortstop.
And you know there's there are now two lanes you
(04:25):
can take if you want to engage with people on
social media. As it pertains to Ellie, you're either in
the lane where you think he walks on water, or
you're in the lane where you think he's a high underachiever.
And if you're in the lane where he walks on
water and somebody says, you know, he probably shouldn't have
thrown that ball away in the ninth inning the other night,
they're like, Ellie's the greatest thing ever. I mean, look
(04:47):
what he's doing, and he's so fun and he's so great,
and the other guys are there's a few of us
in the middle like me. I go, yeah, Ellie's great.
I love what he brings to the team. He's got
an endless high ceiling. But you got to be able
to make a throw from shortstop of the ninth inning
to end the game. And he's still routinely screwing things
up in the field. What's your position on Ellie as
(05:09):
he is right now? Not what he could be, But
what have we seen this year? Is he better than
last year?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Well?
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I wasn't in The defense has probably been the most
disappointing thing. But by far, the defense has probably been
the most disappointing thing. But by far, I don't think
it was. It's realistic to expect Ellie daily Crews to
be a perfect defender or anything close to that at
this point. But I think that you're hoping just to.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Continue to see even if it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Was minimal, just minimal progress, And it doesn't feel like
there's been any progress there so far this year. I
mean this guy's very larking. Committed a ton of airs
his first couple of years in the big league, so
playing big league shortstop and being consistent is hard. Last
year Ellie was a little bit there was kind of
(06:00):
the fielding was was a mixed bag because he had
a lot of airs. But like the advanced defensive metrics
said that, you know, actually, hey, look he's more than
made up for it. Well, so this point, all the
advanced metrics that he hasn't made.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Up for it. So I guess the hope is that
this this leg injury or whatever it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Is, has also maybe played some impact into his defense.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
So that's my hope there.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But yeah, but the defense has got to get better
for him to take that next level. And you know, defense,
we don't think of defense as slumping, but it does slump,
as frustrating as it is. I think offensively overall, I
don't really have any issues with Ellie.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I mean, he hasn't fully heated up this year, but.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The guy has twelve home runs and no one else
on this red team has more than six. So offensively
like he's been fine. As his on base perc images
is going up, I don't ever really worry about his
strikeouts to the degree that's a lot of I think
red Skins do. I pointed this out the other day.
(07:09):
He actually has a lower strikeout rate than Shohyotani had
in the equivalent of where they were at in their seasons.
I think Shoey a Ton's third or fourth season the
big leagues, you get a higher strikeout rate than Ellie.
So like, that's just part of the package that you're
going to get with a player like Ellie that can
also hit a ball four hundred and fifty seats.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, and I guess Nick, the other real disappointment is
what's going on with Matt McClain. Of course, he missed
all of last year, that's important to keep in mind,
which would have been his second big league season. But man,
not many guys can get away with hitting one fifty
or one eighty and just keep being in the lineup
every day. And when you have options and you're that young,
(07:55):
how long can the Reds tread water with this guy
before they've got to send him down or do something.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah, it's a it's a tough talking about we have.
We've talked a lot about recently. The issue is the
resorts don't have a better player than Matt McClain to
play the safer base. And this is why the Brewers
are better than Red. Because the Brewers have replacement players,
they have better depths throughout their organization. I mean, I'm
sure there's a lot of people to say we'll just
put anyone in there instead of Matt McLain. I'll be honest,
(08:22):
I don't think you're gonna get a whole lot better production.
And I still think Matt McCain has played good defense.
The advanced defensive metrics would say that. I know he
hasn't been perfect, and he has made some airs, but
it's been nowhere near like what kind of the amount
of airs as Ellie. So I think the defense like
that's still valuable. And this team hasn't really hit on
(08:45):
all cylinders offensively, and their strength has.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Been pitching in defense.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
So I don't I don't necessarily think that that demoting
Matt McClain is actually going to make this team any better.
The reason you would demote Matt McClain would be to
try to the Sixon right. We thought it with Jemove
Marty unfortunately didn't last. But Noelvey Marque went down a
triple A instead of starting to hear in the big
league team back up and produced right away. Now, maybe
(09:13):
that's some dumb luck involved in that, but that would
the hope for me would be more about fixing Matt
McLain than helping this roster, because I just don't see
it really helping the current roster a whole lot at
all from devoting a mclan I don't care. So there's
a better option.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah, I think that's a very valid point on both
sides of that. Nick Kirby is with Chatterbox Sports. You
hear their segment on the Reds pregame show here on
the radio, and of course they cover the Reds daily
with their various feeds on YouTube and social media. Nick,
we appreciate you taking time for us.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, appreciated, Tott. Thanks for having me as always
Reds are back at it tonight as they take on
the Diamondbacks, and here to talk Reds Baseball with us
as Nick Kirby from Chatterbox Sports. And you know, Nick,
last time we talked, I expressed some hesitation about the
recovery of Hunter Green and like I always tell my wife, Damn,
I get tired of being right.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, what a frustrating glow. And then the Red Steine weaight,
Miley and fair not to wait, Miley. It was a
tough spot for him. Certainly didn't inspire a whole lot
of confidence on Wednesday his last few eggs out there.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
No, And neither did his nine era and the Miners.
So you know, clearly this season is tracking toward disappointment.
And there's a lot of frustration with Reds fans. You know,
they're wondering about Connor Joe in the lineup and Hampson
and wondering why Matt McLean isn't toiling a triple A
instead of hitting a buck fifty in the big leagues.
(01:00):
What's number one at your pet peeve lift right now? Uh?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
And probably it's just you know, you watch that Red
series against the Brewers and it's just the Brewers. Man,
they are they maximize every single ounce of talent out
of their players, and they then their roster feels like
it has more of a purpose than the Reds. Every
player they use, like their whole position players in that
(01:25):
series against the Reds for different matchups and whatnot, it
just feels like the Reds aren't maximizing their roster. Would
it matter this year, I don't know, but that's probably
my personal biggest pet team is that there's just players
on those rosters. It's just have have no business, you know,
(01:46):
being on a big league roster right now. And also
in that series against the Brewers, the Reds just that
there's a stubbornness with the lineup, like the Brewers brought
it in a left handedrepreneur basically on Wednesday of the finale,
and they had to have two left handed batters at
the top of the lineup. And they made it so
(02:09):
easy on the Brewers in that series to match up
their pitching even late in the game the first two
games and went left left left. Well, Ellie's not left,
but he can't hit left handed pitching. But as steel as,
they made the series very easy on the Brewers.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yeah, I since there's even discontent now with Terry Francona.
I mean, who would to thunket were fourth on the
way end of the season and everybody's already questioning what
he's doing and how he's going about things. Do you
get the feeling that he's sort of taking stock of
how this organization is run and what he has and
(02:46):
what may be coming or has he gotten caught up
in the Red's way of doing things and it's polluted
his mind.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I don't I don't know what the Red way doing
things is. It feels like they've changed their way of
doing things quite a bit over the last decade or so.
His line that don't necessarily match what David Bell was doing,
So I don't know if there's necessarily he's you know,
following that. Like the problems are much bigger than Terry Francona,
(03:17):
but it just feels like, and maybe it's it's not
completely fair, but it just it doesn't feel like he's
got a solution really at all to any of the issues.
And he's made some decisions that I scratched my head at,
and some of the players that.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Are on the roster that he chooses to use.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I just kind of question why he uses them and
in those roles, But I also acknowledge the problems are
much bigger.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Than him, no question about it. We're talking Reds with
the Nick Kirby from Chatterbox Sports, the Reds and Diamondbacks
tonight here on WYMA, And yeah, this team right now
just doesn't seem to be in any position to threaten
to even have a winning season, let alone contend for
a playoff spot or a divisional title. You mentioned Elie
(04:03):
de la Cruz, and clearly he has a superstar level talent,
but we've seen him, as you alluded to, still not
really nearly as good a hit or right handed as
he is left handed. He still routinely flubs plays a shortstop.
And you know there's there are now two lanes you
(04:25):
can take if you want to engage with people on
social media. As it pertains to Ellie, you're either in
the lane where you think he walks on water, or
you're in the lane where you think he's a high underachiever.
And if you're in the lane where he walks on
water and somebody says, you know, he probably shouldn't have
thrown that ball away in the ninth inning the other night,
they're like, Ellie's the greatest thing ever. I mean, look
(04:47):
what he's doing, and he's so fun and he's so great,
and the other guys are there's a few of us
in the middle like me. I go, yeah, Ellie's great.
I love what he brings to the team. He's got
an endless high ceiling. But you got to be able
to make a throw from shortstop of the ninth inning
to end the game. And he's still routinely screwing things
up in the field. What's your position on Ellie as
(05:09):
he is right now? Not what he could be, But
what have we seen this year? Is he better than
last year?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Well?
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I wasn't in The defense has probably been the most
disappointing thing. But by far, the defense has probably been
the most disappointing thing. But by far, I don't think
it was. It's realistic to expect Ellie daily Crews to
be a perfect defender or anything close to that at
this point. But I think that you're hoping just to.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Continue to see even if it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Was minimal, just minimal progress, And it doesn't feel like
there's been any progress there so far this year. I
mean this guy's very larking. Committed a ton of airs
his first couple of years in the big league, so
playing big league shortstop and being consistent is hard. Last
year Ellie was a little bit there was kind of
(06:00):
the fielding was was a mixed bag because he had
a lot of airs. But like the advanced defensive metrics
said that, you know, actually, hey, look he's more than
made up for it. Well, so this point, all the
advanced metrics that he hasn't made.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Up for it. So I guess the hope is that
this this leg injury or whatever it.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Is, has also maybe played some impact into his defense.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
So that's my hope there.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But yeah, but the defense has got to get better
for him to take that next level. And you know, defense,
we don't think of defense as slumping, but it does slump,
as frustrating as it is. I think offensively overall, I
don't really have any issues with Ellie.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I mean, he hasn't fully heated up this year, but.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The guy has twelve home runs and no one else
on this red team has more than six. So offensively
like he's been fine. As his on base perc images
is going up, I don't ever really worry about his
strikeouts to the degree that's a lot of I think
red Skins do. I pointed this out the other day.
(07:09):
He actually has a lower strikeout rate than Shohyotani had
in the equivalent of where they were at in their seasons.
I think Shoey a Ton's third or fourth season the
big leagues, you get a higher strikeout rate than Ellie.
So like, that's just part of the package that you're
going to get with a player like Ellie that can
also hit a ball four hundred and fifty seats.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, and I guess Nick, the other real disappointment is
what's going on with Matt McClain. Of course, he missed
all of last year, that's important to keep in mind,
which would have been his second big league season. But man,
not many guys can get away with hitting one fifty
or one eighty and just keep being in the lineup
every day. And when you have options and you're that young,
(07:55):
how long can the Reds tread water with this guy
before they've got to send him down or do something.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah, it's a it's a tough talking about we have.
We've talked a lot about recently. The issue is the
resorts don't have a better player than Matt McClain to
play the safer base. And this is why the Brewers
are better than Red. Because the Brewers have replacement players,
they have better depths throughout their organization. I mean, I'm
sure there's a lot of people to say we'll just
put anyone in there instead of Matt McLain. I'll be honest,
(08:22):
I don't think you're gonna get a whole lot better production.
And I still think Matt McCain has played good defense.
The advanced defensive metrics would say that. I know he
hasn't been perfect, and he has made some airs, but
it's been nowhere near like what kind of the amount
of airs as Ellie. So I think the defense like
that's still valuable. And this team hasn't really hit on
(08:45):
all cylinders offensively, and their strength has.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Been pitching in defense.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
So I don't I don't necessarily think that that demoting
Matt McClain is actually going to make this team any better.
The reason you would demote Matt McClain would be to
try to the Sixon right. We thought it with Jemove
Marty unfortunately didn't last. But Noelvey Marque went down a
triple A instead of starting to hear in the big
league team back up and produced right away. Now, maybe
(09:13):
that's some dumb luck involved in that, but that would
the hope for me would be more about fixing Matt
McLain than helping this roster, because I just don't see
it really helping the current roster a whole lot at
all from devoting a mclan I don't care. So there's
a better option.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah, I think that's a very valid point on both
sides of that. Nick Kirby is with Chatterbox Sports. You
hear their segment on the Reds pregame show here on
the radio, and of course they cover the Reds daily
with their various feeds on YouTube and social media. Nick,
we appreciate you taking time for us.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, appreciated, Tott. Thanks for having me as always
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.