Reds 2018 Season Outlook

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2018 season of the Cincinnati Reds.

2017 Cincinnati Reds Bobblehead Review

2017 marked a bountiful year in terms of Cincinnati Reds bobbleheads. The team gave out a good number of both special ticket package bobbleheads and regular stadium giveaway bobbleheads. Being an avid bobblehead collector, I attended quite a few games to add some new bobbleheads to my collection. In this post, I will showcase the bobbleheads that I picked up at Cincinnati Reds games during the 2017 season.

First up is Rocket Raccoon. Known as the wisecracking member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, this bobblehead was given to fans who bought a special ticket package as part of a cross promotion between Marvel and the Cincinnati Reds. 

Second was Adam Duvall. This was the first regular stadium giveaway bobblehead that the team gave out during the 2017 season. Duvall had a breakout season in 2016 and he was an obvious choice to be featured as a bobblehead in 2017.

The third bobblehead I received from the Reds was of Marvel’s metallic mega hero, Iron Man. This was the second cross promotional bobblehead between Marvel and the Reds. Like Rocket, this was given out to fans who bought a special ticket package.

The same day I received Iron Man, I also received an Anthony DeSclafani bobblehead. This was a stadium giveaway bobblehead and it featured one of the better Reds starting pitches. It was also the only time Reds fans saw DeSclafani as he did not take to the mound once due to an injury.

The next bobblehead I received from a Reds game was of Raisel Iglesias. He is by far the best relief pitcher the Reds have and cemented himself as the team’s closer. His dominance on the mound was incredible, and he was definitely worthy of being immortalized as a bobblehead.

Next was the past and present triple bobblehead that featured three generations of Cincinnati Reds first basemen. Tony Perez, Sean Casey, and Joey Votto were featured on this bobblehead and it is one of the coolest bobbles the Reds have ever made. 

The final bobblehead of the year was of Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart. 2017 proved to be a breakout year for Barnhart as he not only won a Gold Glove, but he also had his first bobblehead giveaway game. Barnhart won a fan vote during the beginning of the season to be featured as the final bobblehead of 2017.

Those are the bobbleheads I obtained during the 2017 season from Reds games. I think it is a pretty solid lineup of bobbles that feature some super heros, modern Reds stars, and Reds legends of the past. Hopefully the 2018 bobblehead lineup is just as good if not better.

Go Redlegs!

Raisel Iglesias Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Raisel Iglesias bobblehead. 

Dave Parker Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Dave Parker bobblehead.

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a new #Reds Bobblehead#LetsGoReds #bobblehof #ATOBTTR #MLB #BobbleheAddicts #sports pic.twitter.com/dwVaBvb6Wy

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 22, 2017

Double Bobble Weekend

What’s better than getting a bobblehead at a baseball game? Getting two bobbleheads at a baseball game! This Saturday, August 5, fans of the Cincinnati Reds will have the opportunity to attain two bobbleheads when they head to Great American Ball Park.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will be giving away a bobblehead of Dave Parker. The bobblehead of  “the Cobra” will be given away to fans who purchased a general admission ticket to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays in August. There are only 6,000 bobbleheads available and with Parker being a fan favorite, this bobble could sell out pretty fast.

The Cincinnati Reds are giving away a bobblehead of star relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias to the first 20,000 fans on August 5. Iglesias has been the best pitcher of the Reds bullpen this year, and his excellent pitching has allowed him to secure the spot of team closer. Based on his popularity among Reds fans, I would expect a big turnout for this game despite the lackluster record the Reds have.

If you plan your day correctly on August 5, you will be able to add bobbleheads of Dave Parker and Raisel Iglesias to your collection. Parker is a Reds legend and Iglesias is becoming a bigger star every time he takes to the mound. I have tickets to the game and plan stopping by the Reds Hall of Fame to get the Parker bobble before heading into the stadium to get the Iglesias bobble. The only thing that would the weekend better is a win for the Reds!

Go Redlegs!

The 2017 Reds Bobbleheads Are…

The Cincinnati Reds have finally announced what bobbleheads they will be giving out during the 2017 season. For the most part, the lineup of nodders is pretty solid. New players are being featured, but the team has once again decided to showcase a certain first baseman. In this post, I will share my thoughts on the bobbleheads that the Reds plan to give out in 2017. Please note that I am only sharing my thoughts on the standard stadium giveaway bobbleheads and not the special package bobbleheads.

The first bobblehead the Reds will be giving out is of Adam Duvall. This was a no brainer. Duvall was the breakout star of the team last season. He competed in both the homerun derby and the all-star game and really made a name for himself at the plate. The Reds have already posted a picture of the bobblehead on their twitter account, and it looks great. I will definitely try to go to the ballpark on May 20 to pick up this bobblehead.

The second bobblehead of the year will feature pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. This is another great choice as DeSclafani has been a very solid member of the pitching rotation for the last few years. He usually has very good starts and is almost guaranteed to have the Reds in position to pull out a win. His bobblehead will be given out on June 3, the same day a special ticket package Iron Man bobblehead will be featured. If you play your cards right, you could go to the game and walk away with two bobbleheads.

Third on the list is Billy Hamilton. This will be the third bobblehead the Reds have given out of Hamilton in the last four years. I do not plan on going to the July 15 game to get it as I have the Hamilton bobble that the team gave out in 2014. The previous two nodders featured Hamilton stealing a base. Based on his emergence as a defensive stud last year, I think the Reds will have this bobblehead showcase Hamilton in the midst of an incredible catch in centerfield.

Fourth is a bobblehead of Raisel Iglesias. The heir apparent to Aroldis Chapman stepped into the closer role last year and did a pretty good job overall. While there is room for improvement, he was definitely the best bullpen pitcher for the Reds in 2016. His work last year was deserving of a bobblehead, and I plan on heading to the stadium on August 5 to get it.

The fifth bobblehead of the 2017 season is of pitcher Homer Bailey. Reds Country has mixed feelings about Bailey. He was spectacular in 2012 and in 2013 and earned a hefty contract based on his performances on the mound. Since he signed the new contract, he has seemingly barely pitched for the Reds as injuries have shortened his season for the past three years. This has many people claiming the Reds wasted a ton of money on the pitcher. Despite this, the team will be giving out a Bailey bobblehead on August 26.

Sixth on the list of bobbleheads is a Reds “Past and Present” triple bobblehead that will be given out on September 16. It will feature three first basemen representing three different eras of the team. The first basemen chosen for this nodder are Tony Perez, Sean Casey, and Joey Votto. I have lost count on how many times the Reds have featured Votto as a bobblehead. This will be the second time Perez will be featured and the third time Casey will be showcased. The concept for this bobblehead seems pretty cool, and I will probably try to add it to my collection.

The seventh and final bobblehead the Reds will give out in 2017 will feature somebody voted on by the fans. According to the Reds promotional schedule, a poll will be held in April with the winner of the poll being featured as the final bobblehead of 2017. I hope players and coaches who have not had bobbleheads are featured in this poll. If Lou Piniella is a choice, he has my vote. This game will be on September 23 and will be during the 1975 Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship replica ring package weekend. I plan on getting the ring, and the bobblehead would be a nice little bonus.

Those are the bobbleheads that the Reds plan to give out to fans in 2017. It is a mix of new and repeat players that makes for a solid lineup overall. I plan on getting a few of these nodders for my collection, and hopefully I can get the tickets to these games soon. More information on the bobbleheads as well as the other promotions the Reds have planned can be found here. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the unboxing videos!

Go Redlegs!

2017 Cincinati Reds Bobblehead Predictions Part 1

With Redsfest just around the corner, I thought it would be an appopriate time to share my predictions for the 2017 series of Cincinnati Reds bobbleheads. One post will cover the line of nodders that the team will give away to fans during the season, and another post I will write will discuss the bobbleheads I think the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will give out during 2017. Please note that these are just my predictions and not an actual list of bobbleheads the Reds are producing. Let’s start with the bobbles that I think the team will hand out to fans this upcoming season.

One of the few bright spots on last year's team was Adam Duvall. The left fielder made his way to the Reds by way of a trade with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, and he had his first full season as a member of the Redlegs last year. He quickly burst on the scene with great defense in the outfield and an impressive bat at the plate. He also represented the Reds in the 2016 Home Run Derby and in the MLB All-Star Game. Based on his fantastic Reds debut last year, I think it's a no brainer that he will be featured as a bobblehead in 2017.

Another possible candidate to be featured as a bobblehead is Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias. Although he spent some time on the disabled list because of injuries last year, he managed to bounce back and pick up right where he left off in 2015 albeit from the bullpen instead of the starting rotation. He seemingly became the heir apparent to Aroldis Chapman as Iglesias was largely used as a closer. Due to his solid 2015 and 2016 campaigns, I could definitely see the Reds featuring the young pitcher as a nodder for the upcoming season.

Speaking of young pitches, Brandon Finnegan is another potential player to be featured as a bobblehead. With this team undergoing a reconstruction period, Finnegan was without a shadow of a doubt the most consistent young pitcher in the starting rotation. He flirted with a no hitter and was always reliable whenever he took to the mound. Finnegan is a guy the Reds can build a starting rotation around, and I believe he deserves to be immortalized as a bobblehead.

The most exciting player on the Reds roster last year was Billy Hamilton. While he is known for struggling at the plate, his speed and defensive prowess have made him a favorite player among Reds fans. His reckless abandon in center field added many impressive catches to his defensive highlight reel and cemented him as one of MLB's premier outfielders. Even though he has already had two bobbleheads given out by the Reds in the past, I do not doubt that the team will go back to the Billy Hamilton well once again when you consider the lack of established stars the team has.

The fifth and final bobblehead I predict the Reds will give out is a Star Wars themed nodder. Last season, the team gave a bobblehead of Mr. Redlegs flying an X-Wing, and it was really cool and easily one of the best nodders the Reds have ever given out to fans. With Star Wars themed bobbleheads being a growing trend among MLB teams, I expect the Reds to give out another Star Wars themed bobble. My guess is a bobblehead of Gapper that looks like Chewbacca.

Those are my predictions for the five bobbleheads the Cincinnati Reds will give out to fans. Should my predictions prove to be true, I would attend every bobblehead game except the Billy Hamilton one as I already have a nodder of Hamilton in my collection. These are only predictions though, and no official bobblehead giveaway has been announced by the team at the time that I wrote this. Until then, us Reds fans can only speculate and guess what kinds of bobbleheads the team has planned for 2017.

Go Redlegs!

Reds Recap 2016

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2016 season of the Cincinnati Reds.

Graphing at Reds Games

Being a diehard sports fan, I usually try to collect everything that deals with sports. I collect sports cards, bobbleheads, and other types of memorabilia. One of my favorite things to collect are autographs. I try to get tons of things signed by Bengals players at the various Bengals shows I go to during the season, and I am currently working on getting the autographs of some of the FC Cincinnati players. Some of the most challenging autographs to get are from Reds players. There are only a handful of Reds shows before spring training, and Redsfest only comes once a year. That means I have to try and get Reds autographs at games, and that is easier said than done. In this post, I will discuss how I attain signatures from Reds players at games.

Before I head to the stadium, I make sure I pack my bag with things to get signed, usually baseballs, and a small bag of sharpies and pens. I always bring extra in case one of the writing instruments I bring with me runs out of ink.

The gates to the game usually open an hour and a half before the game starts so arriving early is key. Once I get to the stadium, I head over to the first base line and usually try to stand at the end of the aisle that is next to the camera well that is by the Reds’ dugout. I have found that you can usually get quite a few autographs in this spot as players walking on and off the field pass this spot and other times players will walk over from the dugout and into the camera well and sign for fans that way.

When players comer over, you have to your item ready with a pen, hold it out, and hope they sign. Sometimes a lot of players sign, and other times nobody signs. Some guys like Joey Votto and Jay Bruce rarely sign, and others like Zack Cozart and Brandon Phillips sign pretty frequently. It is all a matter of luck.

I have managed to get quite a few autographs from players at Reds games. Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier, Shin-Soo Choo, Zack Cozart, Joey Votto, Billy Hamilton, and Raisel Iglesias among others have all signed things for me at games. It is fun trying to call players over and when you manage to get something signed, it’s a great feeling. I hope you found this post helpful and hopefully you can get some autographs the next time you go to a Reds game.

Happy graphing and go Redlegs!

Cincinnati Reds 2016 Season Outlook

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2016 season of the Cincinnati Reds.

Collection Additions

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows what he added to his sports memorabilia collection.

Reds Recap 2015

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2015 season of the Cincinnati Reds.

2016 Cincinnati Reds Bobbleheads Predictions Part 1

Since that the 2015 season has come to a close for my beloved Cincinnati Reds, I think that now would be an appropriate time for some 2016 predictions. I am not predicting how the Reds will do next season but rather what bobbleheads I think the team will give out to fans. There will be two parts to this post. First will be the bobbleheads that I believe the team will give out, and second will be the bobbleheads that I believe the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will give during the regular season.

After promoting a total of nine bobbleheads for the 2015 season, the number was later altered to eight after the final bobblehead was changed to a figurine. While eight is still a lot and the most that the Reds have ever given away in a season, the choice in players could have been better as a lot of them were repeats. With the team undergoing a youth movement and period of reconstruction, it is possible that the 2016 line will feature fresh faces as bobbleheads. I think that Reds will reduce the number from eight and go back to five bobblehead giveaways, and with that in mind, let’s begin with bobblehead number one.

The biggest event for the Reds in 2015 was the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as they were the host team for the game and its activities. Todd Frazier and Arolids Chapman both made the team, and Frazier won a dramatic Home Run Derby in front of an electric Cincinnati crowd. Therefore, bobblehead number one of the 2016 season will be a special Todd Frazier bobblehead in which is he decked out in the All-Star game uniform while holding the Home Run Derby trophy.

Bobblehead number two will be of Rasiel Iglesias. The undoubtedly 2015 Rookie of the Year for the Reds was the best pitcher in a young rotation. He flirted with a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves before giving up a hit in the 6^th inning, and he recorded over 30 strikeouts through three straight games. He is the future ace of this team, and I believe the Reds will capitalize on that by giving out a bobblehead of him.

The third bobblehead will feature Aaron Boone. Boone was one of the most popular players for the Reds during his time with the team, and with 2016 being an induction year for the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, I believe that Boone will be on the ballot and inducted. The Reds always feature a bobblehead of a Reds Hall of Fame inductee, and I believe that Boone will be the one chosen to be immortalized as a nodder.

Fourth is Zack Cozart. He was having the best season of his career in 2015 before an ugly knee injury ended his otherwise All-Star worthy campaign. He has been with the team since 2011 and the starting shortstop since 2012, and I believe it is time for him to be honored with a bobblehead.

The fifth and final nodder of the 2016 season will be Joey Votto, who had an incredible second half of the 2015 season. While I am not thrilled that this will be the final bobblehead, the Reds just do not have enough young stars on the roster that deserve a bobblehead, and based on what he did in 2015, I think the team will go to the “Votto well” once again.

Those are my predictions of the bobbleheads that the Reds will give out in 2016. While there is the potential for a lot of the new young players to be featured as bobbleheads, the fact of the matter is that those guys are not as popular with the fans as some of the older and more established players on the Reds, and when it comes down to who will be featured as a nodder, the main influence is whose bobblehead will result in the most ticket sales. If my predictions are correct, then I plan on going to the Iglesias game, the Boone game, and the Cozart game, as those are players who have never been featured as Reds stadium giveaway bobbleheads. I will go to the Frazier game only if he is in the All-Star uniform, and I will pass on the Votto game. Hopefully the Reds decide to go with players who have never been featured as bobbleheads so I can go to all of the bobblehead games!

Stay tuned for part two!

The Reds Tweeted a Picture of Me!

The Reds posted this picture on their Twitter account featuring Raisel Iglesias and me! In case you can't tell, I'm the one getting the baseball back from Iglesias.