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    Blake Dunn (Photo: Redleg Nation Staff)
    Photo: Redleg Nation Staff

    Blake Dunn homers in the Reds win on Sunday over the Cubs

    Doug Gray 16

    The Cincinnati Reds took the field on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs and then they took the zero from their record as they handed them their first loss of spring training in their 12th game. The Cubs entered the day 8-0-3, but three Reds home runs helped Cincinnati pick up a victory.

    One of those home runs went to Blake Dunn. The Reds 2023 minor league player of the year and current #17 ranked prospect absolutely destroyed a ball on Sunday afternoon, hitting it well up the berm in left-center. While there was no hit-tracking data for the game, google maps estimated it around 430 feet.

    The home run was Dunn’s first hit of the day. But he would add a single later in the game on an infield hit where he beat out a routine grounder as he showed off his elite speed. His 2-hit day pushed him up to a .385 average and he’s now slugging .692 thanks to a double and a homer among his five hits.

    Jacob Hurtubise, who has been hotter than the sun, saw his average drop to .600 because he went 1-2 today. His lone hit on the day was a double. He’s now 6-10 with two doubles, a triple, two steals, and a walk this spring.

    Tyler Callihan was hitless in seven at-bats entering the day. He was able to bust through this afternoon as he singled in the 9th inning in his only at-bat of the day.

    Simon Miller had another big moment this spring as he entered the game with the bases loaded in the 4th inning and got Chicago’s top prospect and #35 prospect in all of baseball Matt Shaw to pop up and strand all three runners. Earlier in the week Miller made his spring debut in relief of Nick Lodolo and he came in with the bases loaded in that outing, too. Like Sunday he got out of the jam without issue by getting a fly out to end the inning and strand all three runners. Two outs. Six runners stranded. If one were to define clutch, it’s gonna be this.

    You can see the box score for the game here.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    16 Responses

    2. ST can be a time to make the team or not make it and can be a time to put your name on the board for the future. Miller has had to impress Tito with his performance in two pressure situations. It will be remembered down the line in the future.

      Spiers helped himself today looking for that last bullpen spot and Shaw might have gotten himself released.

        1. Relief pitcher of the year on RML. He’s a college arm in the pen, so he could go up levels pretty quickly.

        2. Miller likely starts in AA this year. If he can show out there, you’re never that far away from a big league callup if the need arises and you are producing.

        3. Only real bad moment was when he melted down in last Dragons playoff game.

          Last guy who was dominate all year then did the same was Drew Hayes who gave up a home run to knock Dragons out of playoffs. He was never dominate again but did get to the big leagues and last I heard was a coach in Toronto organization.

    3. We might have a fun mix of guys who aren’t top prospects, but prospects that are ready to help none the less on the MLB level in AAA this year.

      Fingers crossed

      1. Just need one of Dunn/Hurtubise/Benson/Callihan to step up and be a solid 5th OF/last guy on the bench

        1. Throw Johnson, and Marte into that group, and we’ve got quite a few potential guys who may help.

        2. Callihan with some nice hitting yesterday, lining a single opposite way to left.

          Hurtubise’s hit was a chip shot over the infield. They all count but neither of his at bats saw him hit the ball hard (both were little pop ups).

    4. marte might not even make the triple A line up at the rate he is playing right now. He needs to play thegame the right way and not try to hit a 5 run homer every at bat. The more he struggles, the more I worry about how much of a part those ped’s played a role in his previous success.

      1. My take on Marte is likely pretty different from many or even most here and on the other site.

        First, the context of his suspension was following a hamstring injury in winter ball. So his banned substance use occurred at the same time he recovering from injury.

        He has stated he ‘didn’t know’ a banned substance was in whatever he was using, but we all know how that can go.

        Second, if he were ‘juicing,’ that is usually to gain strength, and he had and has plenty of strength (power) at bat and in the field (arm). So that aspect has never made sense to me.

        Third, his failures last season began and ended with his hit tool being way, way off. It was like a degree Connor Phillips-off, with the dramatic loss of control on the mound. Marte also flubbed defensively. Hit tool and fielding tool regression don’t seem banned substance related.

        The next criticism of Marte is usually about what people see as his attitude. He seems lackadaisical, or worse, unmotivated.

        I interpret these behaviors differently, too. To me, he seems very immature. I point to some of his on-field behaviors, clowning around at inappropriate times, or almost *in spite of his failures.*

        That tells me he was way, way in over his head, again, in the context of returning from an injury and, especially, a suspension. I thought his interactions with EDLC in the infield were very telling — Here was a guy absolutely struggling defensively, and was laughing and fooling *with another very young player.*

        I tend to be pretty forgiving of youthful indiscretions, right? But Marte seemed completely unprepared to play on the ML stage after having drawn a very large spotlight on himself. AAA would have been a far better place to adjust, and much more slowly.

        I was actually blown away by one incident, in particular, that shocked me. Juan Soto had just busted his butt legging a double into a triple. Marte then gives him a chest bump or something as he’s standing on 3B. I thought Soto going to slug him. He was not pleased at all.

        It was, “Kid, we are at our JOBS right now, so DO NOT PLAY with me. I am an adult and you are acting like a child.” Whoa!! Juan Soto, of all people! This was a massive error in judgment, IMO, again.

        This all tells me Marte has some serious growing up to do. I don’t label this judgmentally as some do (“entitled”). I DO criticize his behavior as inappropriate for a professional baseball setting.

        Unfortunately, the Reds and David Bell completely mishandled his return from suspension, IMO. On the other site, we constantly hear about the Reds’s lack of accountability. I blow most of it off as many have no idea how to supervise or use progressive discipline when dealing with a work behavior or incident,

        Where the Reds failed was welcoming Marte back with open arms, and not assigning him consequences from the club vs MLB. Jonathon India alluded to this type of thing at season’s end.

        Marte’s suspension hurt *the team.* The Reds should have directed him to AAA to regain the team’s good faith. The issue is about far more than missing 80 games in his career. He missed 80 games for the Reds. Big difference.

        It seems to me that this was one of those times when a Barry Larkin/Joey Votto stance of Respect The Game would have been very appropriate. It still is, which is why Francona must state clearly Marte can go to AAA and work his way back, and he can start by growing up.

        1. That’s a pretty interesting take. Marte might just be a dunce, which often coincides with immature behavior. I hope not, because that would be a hard thing to fix.

          I also think that the Reds mishandled him during the suspension. First, they should have understood going into last spring that Marte was shaky defensively at 3B. I would have moved him then to corner outfield, preferably RF. The Reds’ position should have been, “No, you screwed up; you play where we need you to play.”

          Second, Marte stunk in AAA in his rehab, and the Reds should have activated him but kept him in Louisville, as opposed to promoting him as early as they could. He didn’t earn the promotion, and it ought to be a rock-rib principle that a player has to earn his way back to the big team.

          Freddie Benavides was reported the other day to have had Derek Johnson watch Marte’s erratic throws from 3B. DJ figured out that Marte needed to change his grip on the ball, particularly with his thumb. Marte apparently made some progress with the adjustment. That is an odd thing, but I admit that I never had anyone tell me how to grip the ball (I was a catcher), and Marte was willing to change it.

          Marte is now a big question mark, who may never get over the hump and contribute. He has also lost all trade value, so they may as well start over with him, maybe even in AA, and not even expect him to play MLB in 2025.

        2. Dunce could be accurate. There was something off about him, definitely. He seemed to have really unusual jitters, like he was so far in over his head that he couldn’t cope. I kept thinking, Is he behaving like this because his feet are way off the ground? And that was very different from him at AA the year before, where he had a slow start but just stuck to his guns and pushed through. I was actually as impressed with that as his rocket ship trip to GABP.

          Whereas, in comparison, Connor Phillips last year was equally underperforming, yet held it together pretty well. He looked pretty defeated before being sent to AZ (who wouldn’t be). But he didn’t appear as off as Marte did. And, Phillips’ body language on return as well as this spring was impressive.

          Marte could just be a kid who is moderately “off” from center, too. I always thought Lorenzen was “off” like that (and he doesn’t stay very long in places). I also started to wonder if Marte isn’t thought well of by his peers, as well.

          All speculation, of course (though speculated by one who worked with troubled adolescents for 35 years).

          I do think a season at AAA with Pat Kelly and a team of younger peers like Dunn, Hurtubise, Callihan, Hinds, Johnson, maybe Benson, who’ve had to fight for their achievements in one way or another, could help right the ship.

          He’s still just age 23. And he can really hit. I agree with the idea of moving him to RF, with that 60 grade arm. But also to lighten the load. In its own weird way, Marte may have to fail a bit more at 3B before they can transition him — at least he wouldn’t be learning the OF while trying to get his stroke going.

        3. I’m not starting Marte over Sally Long Balls at 3B in AA. Given Collier has been playing exclusively 1B in spring training so far, I’m assuming they let Sal take over at 3B full time.

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