The Reds announced today that Edinson Volquez is heading for the 15-day disabled list with a back problem and that Homer Bailey will take his place in the rotation Saturday night against the Indians. It's amazing how much can change in two years. At this time in 2007, Bailey was making his debut as the Reds' can't miss pitching phenom. Two years and two bad stints with the Reds later and with little improvement in Triple-A, and Bailey's recall is a secondary story to Volquez being placed on the DL. It's still worth noting that Bailey got the call from the big club because he's made some pretty big strides in Louisville this year. His 4.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP may not seem impressive, but he's struck out 43 hitters and walked just 17 in 45 1/3 innings; numbers better than any year since his 2006 season in Double-A. He's still very young (he turned 23 earlier this month), and could be a big part of the Reds' rotation in the future if he can get himself back on track.
So what's caused the improvement for Bailey? Driveline Mechanics recently looked at his delivery in slow-motion and couldn't detect any significant mechanical change at all, despite what some scouts had been saying. Maybe the difference is just age. Bailey was just 21 when he was called up two years ago and one of the biggest knocks on him was that he would try and throw his fastball past just about anything. Then again, maybe he's just learning to dominate Triple-A and will be knocked around by big-league hitting again.
The key is going to be his control. Everyone knows he's got great stuff, but in his different stints with Cincy, he's struck out 46 hitters and walked 45 in 81 2/3 innings. He's simply got to be better than that if he wants this to be more than a two-start cameo while Volquez is out. His minor league numbers this year indicate that it at least might be a possibility this time around.
