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Quirk credited for Reds signing Taveras

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 27, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.

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Give former Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk an assist for Cincinnati signing outfielder Willy Taveras to a two-year contract. Taveras, 27, is expected to fill voids the Reds have in center field and the leadoff spot.

General manager Walt Jocketty gave Quirk, now a scout with the Reds, credit for pushing the Reds to make the deal.

Taveras set a Rockies record with 68 stolen bases in 75 attempts last season, but he hit only .251 with a .308 on-base average. He did hit .320 for the Rockies in 2007, but leg problems limited him to 97 games and kept him out of the lineup when the Rockies rallied in September to claim the National League wild-card spot.

In 2007, Taveras had a .367 on-base average.

"Jamie Quirk believes Willy got away from his game plan (in 2008)," Jocketty told the Dayton Daily News. "He needs to bunt more and keep the ball on the ground and get some infield hits. I don't know if he tried to hit home runs, or what, but Jamie thinks he changed his approach and that we can get him back on track."

Taveras became a free agent when the Rockies didn't tender him a contract for 2009.

Comments

  • December 27, 2008

    6:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    DallasKing94 writes:

    Reds gain Rockies loss. I'm not surpised that the Rockies organzation are pathetic, greedy, selfish, and cheap. I dont think the Monforts dont even care about the fans or winning. The only way I see Rockies will ever get better is having a new owner who cares.

  • December 28, 2008

    8:51 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ColoradoSportsFaninTexas writes:

    DallasKing94....

    You are spot on point regarding the Monforts...All they are interested in is stuffing their pockets with cash....It seems like their basic philosophy is to grow the talent through their farm system, and then promote players to the big leagues for a few years, then trade them, or release them...That is not a good concept to build a winning ball club with...And all the while, the Monforts pocket the money from fan attendance, and the revenue sharing plan that baseball has.....

    The Monforts had a chance to sell the team a few years ago to Stan Kroenke, but refused.....I think Mr. Kroenke would have been an owner who is interested in winning and putting money into a team...He has demonstrated that with both the Nuggets and the Avs....It appears to me that the Monforts need to be forced out of their ownership of the team, and the only way I can see that happening is if Rockies fans boycott the games by not attending, and drying up that revenue stream...Then the Monforts will have to look at whether they want to continue keeping the club...

  • December 28, 2008

    12:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    bookmark54 writes:

    You're right about the Monforts but at least the Reds' CF fence will be safe for a couple of years... (grin!)...

  • December 28, 2008

    4:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Eggleston writes:

    Quit hyperventilating about the "greedy Monforts." Taveras had a terrible year and we have better options in center (spilborghs, fowler, gonzales). He wasn't worth the money. The Holliday trade stunk, but that was O'Dowd's fault. True the Monforts are making a profit; why else would they own this team? It is easy to look bad when your employees draft, trade, and coach badly. The Monforts are not the problem.

  • December 28, 2008

    6:15 p.m.

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    GeeTee writes:

    Good riddance. Taveras may be great at stealing bases, but he has problems getting on base and he makes easy plays in the outfield look spectacular. Glad to see him go.

    Spilborghs will finally get the chance to prove himself in CF -- he would have been starting for other teams two years ago.

  • December 28, 2008

    11:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    chizman69 writes:

    Eggleston the Monforts are the probelm. Remeber all trades, ad any other transitions have to be approved by ownership. O'Dowd is just as bad as the Monforts.

  • December 29, 2008

    8:54 a.m.

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    ColoradoSportsFaninTexas writes:

    Taveras is pretty much a one dimensional player, and since he cant steal first base, he is pretty limited in what he can bring to a team...The Rockies did not lose much when they lost Taveras

    I think opposing teams caught on to Taveras about how most of his hitting philosophy was to bunt his way onto base, so they would bring in the corner infielders to prevent this....Thus, Taveras was being "squeezed" and forced into trying to get base hits by other than bunting....So, when Quirk questions why Taveras changed his philosophy, the answer is pretty obvious...

  • December 29, 2008

    9:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ColoradoSportsFaninTexas writes:

    Eggleston...

    I am not hyperventilating about the Monforts...My respirations and blood pressure are just fine, thank you....I am merely stating the obvious about the Monforts...nothing more....

    And to further prove my point...I ask you this....who would you rather have as a ownership group...The Monforts....or...The Steinbrenners??

    I grant you that although throwing a lot of money at star players does not guarantee a World Series, but it certainly increases the odds of success...

    Furthermore, which lineup would you say is more likely to win....Helton, Tulo, Atkins, Cook...or Texeira, Jeter, A-Rod, Sabbathia??

    Nuff Said...........

  • December 29, 2008

    4:25 p.m.

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    arvada_mark writes:

    ColoradoSportsFaninTexas, Willy T. basically can steal 1st base. If he couldn't beat out all those infield dribblers, the guy would have hit around .150 last year.

    And it's not so much that we're losing Matt Holliday, Willy T., & B-Fuent...it's who we are getting to replace them. That is the root of our disdain. This die hard considers it a slap in the face from the front office. Whoever we get to play in left will be lucky to be half the player Holliday is. We're losing out on defense & a guy that can turn a single into a triple with Willy T. And there is no replacing B-Funet. He's one of the top 3 or 4 south paw relievers in the world. And slide him up another notch since Billy Wagner will be shelved this next year. We can understand cost cutting, that's not the problem. The Nuggets did that during their off-season as well...it did not come at the expense of winning, however. In my book, there is winning & there is not winning. Like Yoda. Those who don't win usually spout excuses like "economy" or "bad bounces" or "bad calls." The Brothers Monfort & Happy O'Dowd can spew them all they want...bottom line is our team is tradionally god-awful. Every year but 2 seperate halves of a season...a decade apart at that. One was a strike shortened season & the other was the most amazing season ending run in MLB history. And the front office is not overly concerned about it. I never hear them talking about winning titles.

    I wonder if the front office still thinks Lincicum is too short...or if they still wouldn't be able to find room for Longoria in our line up.

  • December 29, 2008

    10:26 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    robo5555 writes:

    We can't compete with the Yankees guys....when it comes to $$$. No one can..we can't even afford to keep some of our grown talent. The best we can hope for is to put a competitive team on the field....been there done that!!!! We did it in 2007!!! Tampa did it in 2008!!! Without a major change in phylosophy from our team this is the best we can hope for....period. I believe that if we put a winning team on the field the fans will "Rock The House" and the $$$ will start rolling in to improve our odds. The challenge is to put the winning team on the field.

  • December 30, 2008

    3:35 a.m.

    HIGH writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • December 30, 2008

    3:44 a.m.

    HIGH writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • December 30, 2008

    11:48 a.m.

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    jimboelrod writes:

    arvada_mark

    I loved watching Wiily T when he got on base, however his OBP was horrible and he had exactly 1 more triple (2) than he had homers last year. Did not turn many singles in triples or even doubles (15) in a very spacious ballpark.