Louisville Bats: Series Preview

Louisville Bats (0-0):
Parent Club - Cincinnati Reds


Who to watch:

Jay Bruce

Syracuse starts off with a bang facing Baseball America's top overall prospect. Bruce was expected to battle for a spot this year in Cincinnati, but to the surprise of some starts off the year with the Bats. The only reason he is not in the majors is the surplus of outfielders in Cincy. This guy has star written all over him, with his only downfall being a few too many strikeouts. With injury prone Griffey in the outfield in Cincy, I expect Bruce called up sooner rather than later.

Homer Bailey

If not for being injured towards the end of last year, Bailey would most likely be in the Reds' rotation to start the year. He has great stuff, which we will get to see opening day, as he is the projected starter. I'm not impressed with Cincinnati's starting rotation, which means Bailey could get the call as early as mid-May in my opinion.

Kevin Barker

Obviously, he will have some motivation this series, and that is when Barker really performs. He heard the jeers from the crowd (including mine) and I am sure he wants to give us one more proverbial kick in the gut. For all of the times he seemingly didn't give his all, this is the one time I can almost guarantee he will not be lazy and most likely try to have the last laugh. He still has the bat, as proven in the last week of last season. I have a feeling he will use it, much to the chagrin of Syracuse fans.

Projected Starters:

4/3: Homer Bailey (LOU) vs David Purcey (SYR)

4/4: TBA vs TBA

4/5: TBA vs TBA

4/6: TBA vs TBA

As for the rest of the Bats, I am not even sure who else will be on the team, as a request sent to the Louisville Bats front office for a current roster was not return, and as of this entry, the Louisville Bats website is not fully up to date. So I have no clue how the teams match up. If I have time, maybe I will throw something up later.