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It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Reds to get Sunday’s game off on the wrong foot. In fact, it only took two outs for it to take a bad turn. They lost their starting pitcher Jon Moscot to a dislocated shoulder in the first inning. The Reds were suddenly faced with a big question – who will take Moscot’s place in the rotation?
Before settling on David Holmberg, Reds’ top prospect Robert Stephenson’s name somehow came up as an idea. While many fans would love to see Stephenson make his major league debut, let me say this: Stephenson is nowhere near ready to make his major league debut. Sure, he can strike opponents out and has been able to hold opponents to a .200 average, but he has proven numerous times that there are still kinks he needs to work out.
His last outing served as a reminder of the issues he has with his control as he went four innings, gave up three runs and walked six as he picked up his sixth loss of the season. In 12 games started, he has walked 4-plus batters in 5 of them. Overall, Stephenson has racked up 39 walks on the season.
His previous three starts, however, would give you the idea that Stephenson has earned a promotion. Many fans would also be more willing to give him a spot start as he accumulated the following stat line:
22 IP’s / 7 hits / 2 runs / 4 BB’s / 25 K’s
These stats are what the Reds want to see out of their former first-round pick on a consistent basis. The Reds hope Stephenson can become their next ace, but until he get his control issues fixed he will be nothing better than a No. 3 pitcher.
With current ace Cueto presumably on his way out, the Reds will need to find a new ace and all they can do is hope they have one in Stephenson. In the end the Reds should play it safe and let him develop more before calling him up. The last thing a team should do is to rush a prospect to the majors like I believe they did for Homer Bailey.
Ultimately, Stephenson has the potential to be a better pitcher than Bailey was believed to be, but that will only be the case if the Reds leave him down in the minors to develop.
Chad Troyan is a baseball and football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChadTroyan15, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
