SB Nation - Chris Valaika

Reds Have Some Work to Do with the 40-man Roster

Slyde — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:28:28 -0000

Travis Wood (Photo by BubbaFan)

When the season ended, the Reds had a full 40-man roster plus 4 players on the 60-day DL who did not count toward the 40-man roster. In the next couple of weeks those 4 players (Mike Lincoln, Edinson Volquez, Wilkin Castillo, and Danny Richar) will lose their 60-day status and will have to be moved back to the 40-man or put through waivers. As far as I can tell, the only player on the roster who is a straight up free agent at the end of the season is Kip Wells. The only contract option the Reds have to consider this off-season is Ramon Hernandez's $8.5 million option, which one would think will be turned down. So, that opens up 2 roster spots, likely for Edinson Volquez and Mike Lincoln (since the Reds still owe him $2.5 million). Every other player appears to be under contract or under control because of Major League service time So, what do they do with the remaining two players, Castillo and Richar?

Before we figure that out, let's throw another wrench into the mess: The Rule 5 Draft. The Reds have several players in the minors who could be available for the Rule 5 Draft in December if they are not protected on the 40-man roster before the end of November. According to Wikipedia, here are the rules for eligibility:

Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization's forty man roster and:

- were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or

- were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.

Basically, this means that any players that were drafted or signed at the age of 19 or older in 2006 are eligible for the draft, and anyone younger than that must have been signed in 2005 or earlier. Who does that give us?

Well, the list of eligible players in the organization is actually quite long, but not every player is at risk of being drafted because of their skill or performance (remember, rule 5 draftees have to stay on the MLB roster for the entire season). Some of the names though are obvious keepers. Chris Heisey, Chris Valaika, and Travis Wood will likely be protected because of their prospect status. There are a couple of other names that could potentially get drafted if the Reds don't protect them as well. Someone like Daniel Dorn may have enough pop in his bat to sit on a team's bench all year as a left-handed pinch hitter. Enerio Del Rosario moved up 3 levels last year and posted a 1.68 ERA for the season. He's not really a power pitcher, which is typically the type of pitcher that gets drafted in the rule 5, but his control was outstanding last year and that may draw some eyes his way.

The Reds can't protect everyone, so they are going to have to make some choices. There is little doubt for me that they will find spots for Heisey, Valaika, and Wood. The question is, do they hold on to Castillo and Richar? Will they feel it necessary to protect any other minor leaguers such as Dorn or Del Rosario? And who do they drop? I'll put the 40-man roster after the jump. Let's hear who you think should stay and who should clear out some space.

**Reds Current 40-man roster**
Bronson Arroyo Homer Bailey Bill Bray Jared Burton Francisco Cordero Johnny Cueto Carlos Fisher Aaron Harang Daniel Ray Herrera Sam LeCure Justin Lehr	Mike Lincoln Matt Maloney Nick Masset Micah Owings Ramon Ramirez Arthur Rhodes Daryl Thompson Pedro Viola Edinson Volquez Kip Wells# Wilkin Castillo **	Ryan Hanigan Ramon Hernandez # Corky Miller Craig Tatum Yonder Alonso Kevin Barker Juan Francisco Paul Janish Brandon Phillips Danny Richar ** Scott Rolen	Adam Rosales Drew Sutton Joey Votto Wladimir Balentien Jay Bruce Chris Dickerson Jonny Gomes Darnell McDonald Laynce Nix Drew Stubbs Willy Taveras

#-Free Agent; **-60-day DL

Farmer's Only: The Farmies!!!

nycredsfan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:51:39 -0000

The Beckhams love the Farmies!

View full size photo »

It's that time of year again! That's right, time for everyone's favorite minor league awards, the (1st annual) Farmie Awards! We'll be presenting awards for outstanding performances in the Reds minor league system during the 2009 season. We'll present the awards over two days. Today are the smaller awards (think Art Direction and Makeup Design). Tomorrow we'll get into the major prizes. As with any awards show, there will be awkward acceptance speeches, terrible clothes, and controversial winners. That's where you come in. Let me know why my picks are wrong and who the award should've gone to.

Hope you enjoy!

The Chernobyl Award: Most Explosive Power

Juan Francisco

He's averaged 25 homers and 29 doubles a year in his first 3 full pro seasons. His ISO and OPS have gone up each of those 3 seasons as well. And he's only 22 and will keep getting stronger......now about those walks.

Honorable Mention:

Nobody in the Reds system is in his league right now.

The Bizarro Big Donkey Award: Best Outfield Defense

Drew Stubbs

We got to see a taste of his defensive deliciousness over the last month and a half of the season. He was worth 7.7 runs in his short time in Cincy, and he was just continuing the magic he displayed with Louisville this season. TotalZone rated him as worth 33 Runs per 150 games for L'Ville this year. We all know it's an imperfect metric, but that's still ridiculously good. Oh, and he was voted best outfield defense, best outfield arm, and best baserunner in the International League this season. He can flat out defend.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Heisey plays a solid CF and is good on either corner.

Yorman Rodriguez is still very raw, but word is he has a rocket arm and can cover some major ground in CF.

The Maňos Del Oro Award: Best Infield Defense

Zack Cozart

Ignore all of the errors. Cozart is a slick fielder with good range and a strong arm. Some have compared him favorably to Janish, only with (hopefully) a better bat.

Honorable Mention:

Miguel Rojas-Also a good fielding SS, but until he passes Cozart on the depth chart he'll play second fiddle.

The Jeffersons Award: Movin’ On Up Fastest Through the System

Matt Klinker

Klinker, a graduate of Lakota West High School (gooooooo Firebirds!), was drafted in the 15^th round of the 2007 draft out of Furman University. He toiled mostly in Dayton last year as a 23 year old, and his prospect status was marginal. This year, however, after struggling a bit through 9 starts in Sarasota, he was promoted to Carolina where he made just 6 more starts before being promoted again to Louisville where he got 5 starts before suffering a season ending injury. He performed better with each successive promotion, striking out over a batter per inning in AAA, and could potentially be in the #5 starter conversation in the spring. Not bad for a 15^th round pick just 2 years out of college.

Honorable Mention:

23 year old groundball machine Enerio Del Rosario started the year in Sarasota as well, and finished on Louisville’s playoff roster. He has great control and almost 70% of balls in play against him were groundballs. Sounds like a good fit for GABP and our infield defense. He has an outside chance of starting next year in the Reds ‘pen.

Yorman Rodriguez…..a 16 year old in Billings? That’s craaaaaazy. If he even sniffs Dayton next year he’ll be a lock for this award in 2010.

Need to add Logan Ondrusek here. BK pointed out his somewhat meteoric rise through the system this year, earning a spot in the AFL. Plus, dude's gigantic, I'd hate to make him angry.

The WorldCom Award: Greatest Prospect Stock Plummet

Kyle Lotzkar

The Canuck with the Hammer Curve dominated low-A as an 18 year old in 2008, striking out almost 12 batters per nine innings. He was given the honor of being Red Reporter's #7 prospect last year. Doug Gray rated him #8 in the system and said he had #1 starter potential. Due to an elbow fracture that still hasn't fully healed, there are serious questions about whether he'll ever pitch again, let alone be an ace.

Honorable Mention:

Last year at this time some thought Chris Valaika would be in Cincinnati by now, but injuries and a terrible April through July has hindered his progress. He's still got value as a prospect, but given his somewhat limited defensive capabilities and questions with the bat, he's far from a sure bet now.

The Google Award: Greatest Prospect Stock Gain

Travis Wood

Selected in the 2^nd round out of high school in 2005, Wood has always carried the label of "prospect," but his first 4 professional seasons were characterized by allowing too many baserunners. This year, his age 22 season, something clicked. His BB/9 went from 4.78 last year to 2.86 this year. His average against went from .264 last year to .207 this year. This caused his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) to go from 4.66 to 3.28. Last year he didn't make the RR Community Rankings top 15, and Doug Gray listed him as the Reds 28^th best prospect. I'm guessing he'll be on everyone's top 10 list this year.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Heisey was Doug's 23^rd best prospect this year and will probably make all Reds top 10 lists this year. If he hadn't struggled a bit in AAA he would have easily won this award. As it is, he's still got a bit more to show to be considered more than a 4^th OF at the major league level.

Zack Cozart, like Heisey, would've won this award in another year. He showed improved power and plate discipline this year to go with what might be the best SS defense in the minor league system.

Eyewitness Report: Louisville Bats vs. Durham Bulls

BK — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:18 -0000

So last Friday night, Slyde, jsl413 and I ventured down to Louisville to watch the Reds AAA affiliate take on Durham in Game 3 of the first round of the IL playoffs. We had a pretty good time. Slyde got some pretty sweet tickets for $12.50 each. We ended up about halfway up the box seats, one section to the left of home plate. Here's a view from our seats:

That, my friends, is prime real estate. More about the game (and more pics) after the jump.

We were treated to quite the lineup on our trip, and everyone in the Louisville lineup had at least one hit. Sam Lecure started the game for the Bats, and pitched pretty well for the most part.

He was throwing in the 88-91, and has some off speed stuff that is absolutely filthy. He had one rough inning, but the rest of his game wasn't bad.

Yonder Alonso hadn't done much for the Bats since getting called up before the playoffs started. In his first home game in Louisville, he didn't disappoint.

Yonder went 2-for-3 with a solo HR (to the opposite field to left), and a pretty nice diving stab at 1B to save a run on the defensive side.

Similarly, this guy also had a good game.

ROAR! El Nino Destructor also had a decent defensive play, and was 2-for-5 with a RBI.

On the other hand, not everyone had a great game.

That's Todd Frazier, and he struggled at the plate for most of the night. He got badly fooled in one at bat and didn't really hit anything hard all evening. He did end up redeeming himself big time by continuing rallies by hitting infield singles in the 7th and 9th, but I didn't come away impressed. We didn't get much of an opportunity to see some of that vaunted 2B defense, but he did turn a pretty nifty double play to save a run. (The Francisco-Frazier-Alonso DP combo was sick.)

A few other notes from the game:

Louisville Slugger field was pretty good. Cheap tickets, free parking down the street, and a fairly cheap food and beer selection. I got an Amber Bock draft that would have cost me $8.25 at GABP for $4.75.
We met up with xjjeep90 at the park, where he sat in our section for the entirety of the game. Good times. No word on where Rick House was, and we didn't meet Red_Poodle either. What gives, Poodle!?
Chris Valaika didn't look like he's anywhere close to being a major league player. He looked bad for most of the game, and ended up striking out to end the game. Maybe he just had a bad game, but I thought he looked better when I saw him in Spring Training in March.
Out of the 12 total hits, minus the 2 home runs by Chris Denove and Alonso, the rest of the hits were singles. Of those 10 singles, probably 6 were infield hits.
Jeff Kennard is a career minor league journeyman. He pitched two pretty decent innings. If there's room for him, I wouldn't mind seeing him in camp next spring.
Speaking of journeymen, Lew Ford started in RF for the Bats. Let's just say he didn't impress too many people.
I like what I saw from Chris Heisey. He had a hard-hit single, which is more than you can say about most of the other players on the team.
That being said, every position player on the Bats had a hit. It sure didn't seem like it.
Jay Bruce struggled in his rehab start at DH. He looked great on his hit and ran the bases well in his 2nd AB, but kind of jogged to 1B in his first AB when he reached on an error.
The most impressive pitcher on the field wasn't on the Bats. That honor belonged to Durham's Winston Abreu, who closed out the game for them. He threw in the upper 90s, and he struck out the side in the 9th (Heisey, Bruce, and Valaika). Alonso and Francisco both managed to fight in their ABs to get infield hits.
It should also be noted that Valaika batted in front of Alonso, which seemed ridiculous at the time. Even more ridiculous when you figure that Yonder could have been up with the game on the line other than Valaika.
Logan Ondrusek warmed up at some point, and he looked kind of out of place. I didn't realize this, but he's listed at 6'7", and probably was taller than that. It reminded me of any professional basketball team with a token white center from eastern Europe over 7'4".
It was a really exciting game, to be sure. After taking a lead on a home run by Chris Denove, the Bats were down 4-1 after LeCure got roughed up a bit (in a time that seemed like a split second). They then battled back to score a run each in the 6th (Alonso's HR) and 7th (smawl-bawl!).
In that 7th inning, they had a walk, a single to left by Luis Bolivar, and two infield hits by Frazier and Francisco, both of those with 2 outs. Chris Vaiaika killed the rally. At this point, jsl and I decided he should have been batting 7th instead of Alonso.
In the 8th, Yonder led off with a single, and was stranded at 3rd. This would have been a good time to see Danny Dorn pinch hit, but that didn't happen. (Another guy we didn't get to see was Zack Cozart, who didn't play the entire series. Huh?)
Once again in the 9th, Frazier and Francisco started a rally with 2 outs, and were stranded by Valaika. Not his night. Bats lose 4-3.

All in all, it was a good experience, despite the game outcome. I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere there, as the fans were extremely into the game and knew who most of the players were.

I'm already thinking an RR outing in Louisville needs to happen next year too. Takers?

Farmers Only: Quick Hits from the Weekend

BK — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:28 -0000

I'm gonna make this short and sweet. Keeping it light on the scores today, and highlighting the big action in the system, with so many of them.

Louisville clinched the IL West over the weekend. On Friday, Chris Valaika was 4-for-5, Chris Heisey was 3-for-4 with a HR, and Juan Francisco hit two homers and a double. Tom Cochran made his Bats debut. Travis Wood gave up 4 runs in 6 innings on Saturday, and Valaika had two more hits. On Sunday, Todd Frazier went 4-for-5 and Wes Bankston went 4-for-4. Ben Jukich gave up 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings and Enerio Del Rosario picked up his 4th save. Up next: Matt Klinker takes on Columbus at 7:05.
Carolina had a rough weekend. Luis Montano lost his 6th game of the season, although he gave up 2 unearned runs in 6 2/3 innings on Friday. Yonder Alonso went 1-for-4. Jerry Gil had another bad outing on Saturday and Zach Ward pitched 2 shutout innings to get his ERA down to 15.15. Sunday's game was rained out. Up next: Alexander Smit(.com) takes on Montgomery at 7:05.
Sarasota broke a 26-inning scoreless streak with a 4-run 1st inning on Sunday. Travis Webb pitched 6 shutout innings on Friday, but got a no-decision. Lance Janke struck out 6 while giving up 2 ER in 6 innings on Saturday. Neftali Soto went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI on Sunday, and Jason Louwsma and Kyle Day both had two hits and homered. Curtis Partch gave up 2 ER in 7 innings. Up next: Sarasota is off today.
Dayton had a lot of offense going over the weekend. Tony Brown had two hits in Friday's game, and Shea Snowden gave up 2 unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings of relief. Alexis Oliveras was 4-for-5 on Saturday, Kevyn Feiner was 2-for-4 with a HR and 4 RBI, and Cody Puckett had three hits including a HR and 3 RBI. Despite giving up 4 ER, J.C. Sulbaran struck out 9 in 5 1/3 innings of work. Donnie Joseph pitched another perfect inning. Josh Fellhauer had three hits on Sunday, and Ezequiel Infante gave up 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Up next: Jordan Hotchkiss takes the hill against Lansing at 7.
Billings got swept over the weekend. Blair Carson had a quality start on Friday, but still earned the loss. Yorman Rodriguez's average is down to .236 in Billings after two 1-for-4 games and an 0-for-4. Petr Cech was 2-for-2. Oscar Castro gave up 1 run in 6 innings on Sunday. Up next: Luca Panerati takes on Missoula at 9:05.
The GCL Reds only had one game, as they had an off day and a rainout. Juan Silva was 2-for-4, and Dallas Buck and Misael DeJesus both gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL Rays at 10 AM in their final game of the 2009 campaign.

Farmers Only: Power outage edition

BK — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:53:41 -0000

As I alluded to in the thread, my power went out last night so I didn't have a chance to get this up and running.

Roster Moves: As previously mentioned, Todd Frazier is finally in Louisville. A new face and an old one in Carolina, as Kris Negron gets the call from Sarasota and Yonder Alonso returns from the DL.

Here's some highlights over the weekend:

Juan Francisco was 5-for-14 (.357) with 2 RBI.
Chris Valaika was 7-for-12 (.583).
Travis Wood went 7 innings, gave up 2 runs, and struck out 7 in his start.
Joe "The Cycle" Krebs pitched 2 2/3 1-hit innings.
Aguido Gonzalez pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Tony Brown was 5-for-10 (.500).
Jake Wiley and Jason Braun combined for a 7 inning 3-hit shutout.
Yorman Rodriguez was 6-for-15 with a HR (.400).

And now, to Monday's action.

Louisville won 5-0 behind an excellent start by Ben Jukich. Jukich went 7 shutout innings and struck out 9 hitters, and Enerio Del Rosario finished it up with 2 one-hit innings of his own. Todd Frazier was 2-for-3 and Juan Francisco drove in two runs for the good guys. Up next: Louisville takes on Toledo at 6:30
Carolina got pummeled 16-9 in Yonder Alonso's return from the DL. Yonder went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk in his first game back. Zachary Cozart was 3-for-4 for the good guys. The usual suspects got smacked around on the pitching side, as Jerry Gil, Zach Ward, and Chris Kelly combined to give up 13 runs in the first 5 innings of the game. Up next: Camilo Vazquez takes on Tennessee at 7:15.
Sarasota was off. Curt Partch will take on Palm Beach at 6:35.
Dayton's bullpen ruined a good start by J.C. Sulbaran as they lost 7-3 to South Bend. Sulbaran went 6 innings and gave up 3 runs. Humberto Sosa and Alexis Oliveras had two hits each. Up next: Dayton takes on South Bend at 6:30 with Ezequiel Infante on the hill.
Billings was off. They're back in action at 9:05 behind Oscar Castro.
The GCL Reds couldn't get any offense together as they lost to the Twins 5-1. Dallas Buck pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab start, and Harold Johnson pitched 6 solid innings after that. Juan Duran was 1-for-3. Up next: They're off today.

Farmers Only: El Nino Destructor commences his consumption of Louisville children

BK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:27 -0000

Louisville added two insurance runs in the 7th that it turned out they needed, as they barely beat Indianapolis 7-6. Juan Francisco was 2-for-4 with his first homer in AAA. Luis Bolivar homered too and Chris Valaika was 2-for-4 with two doubles. Travis Wood gave up 3 runs in 6 innings of work to get his 3rd win of the year in AAA. Despite one rough start, Wood has a 2.93 so far in 5 starts so far. Up next: Matt Maloney takes on Indy at 7:05.
Luis Montano had one of his better outings, but still earned the decision in Carolina's 5-2 loss to Jacksonville. Shaun Cumberland homered for the Mudcats, but it wasn't nearly enough. Up next: Tom Cochran takes on Jacksonville at 7:05.
Sarasota beat Jupiter 9-2 as the offense finally got going. Neftali Soto was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Dave Sappelt, Denis Phipps, and Jason Louwsma all had two hits each. Travis Webb pitched a good game, going 5 innings of 2-run ball, and Josh Beal and Mark Pawelek each pitched two shutout innings out of the bullpen. Up next: Lance Janke takes on Jupiter at 7.
Dayton only got 3 1/2 innings in before they were rained out. They're winning 4-1, but will finish the game up today, before J.C. Sulbaran takes on Fort Wayne.
Billings beat Idaho Falls 12-5. The offense spread the love around, as Efrain Contreras and all but one starter had a hit. Blair Carson had a good start, going 6 1/3 innings of 3-run ball, and Brian Pearl notched his 4th save of the year. Up next: Leonardo Astorga takes on Idaho Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds finished up a game from another day, and played their regularly scheduled game as well. They won the first one 13-7, with Billy Hamilton having 3 hits. They scratched by in the 7-inning second game 3-1 as well, with Tyler Cline having another good start. Cline gave up 1 run in 5 innings, and Ramon Rodriguez pitched two perfect innings from the bullpen. Up next: Sawx at noon.

Farmers Only: Weekend Recap

BK — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:00:33 -0000

Roster Moves: As previously noted, Juan Francisco is in Louisville now, and Shaun Cumberland has rejoined the outfield mix in Carolina. Kris Negron has joined Sarasota, and Oscar Castro moves from Dayton to Billings, with Hector Santana taking his place. After sitting out for a lot of the year, Misael DeJesus is on the active roster in the GCL.
Louisville had a decent weekend, winning 2 out of 3 against Toledo. They won 4-0 on Friday behind a stellar pitching performance by Matt Klinker. Klinker went 7 1/3 innings of 2-hit ball, and struck out 9 while walking 3. Pedro Viola gave up only one hit in his 1 2/3 to close it out. Drew Stubbs was 2-for-5 with a RBI, and Eric Eymann and Chris Denove had two hits each as well. On Saturday, they won 4-1 behind a decent rehab start by Micah Owings. Micah went 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball, only giving up 3 hits and striking out 3, but issued 5 walks. That's a little concerning. Logan Ondrusek notched his 5th save. In the cleanup spot, El Nino Destructor was 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI in his AAA debug. Wes Bankston was 3-for-4 with a HR, and Corky Miller and Daniel Dorn had two hits each. The Bats lost the weekend-cap 7-2 as Sam LeCure had some trouble. Bankston and Dorn had 3 and 2 hits respectively (again), and Chris Valaika added two hits of his own. Up next: The Bats take on Indy at 7:05. No starter listed, but it should be Travis Wood.
Carolina took two of three from Birmingham over the weekend. On Friday, the Mudcats lost 11-6 behind another terrible outing by Zach Ward. He's started 3 games so far in Carolina and is the proud owner of a 23.14 ERA. That's not very good. Logan Parker drove in 3 runs in the game as well. Camilo Vazquez turned the table on Saturday night, leading the team to a 8-1 win. Vazquez pitched 5 1/3 innings of 1-run ball, and Joe Krebs pitched 2 2/3 no-hit innings of relief before Greg Atencio struck out the side in a perfect 9th. Stephen Chapman led the way with 3 hits for the offense, and Jake Kahaulelio and Korey Feiner drove in 2 runs each. They won on Sunday too, 4-3. Alexander Smit pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 runs. Up next: Luis Montano takes on Jacksonville at 7:05.
Sarasota had a mostly down weekend against Fort Myers. They won 3-1 Friday, lost 3-1 on Saturday, and dropped both games of a Sunday doubleheader 6-3 and 4-3. On Friday, Curtis Partch pitched 7 innings and only gave up 1 unearned run while striking out 6, and Mace Thurman pitched 2 scoreless innings for his 6th save of the year. Jason Louwsma was 2-for-3. Kris Negron was 0-for-3 in his Reds debut on Saturday, but Neftali Soto and Dave Sappelt each had two hits. Matt Fairel had a good start, going 6 innings of 1-run ball, but Josh Beal gave up 2 in the 9th to get the loss. Jeremy Horst earned his 12th loss in game 1 of the doubleheader, and Pedro Villarreal gave up 2 runs in 5 2/3 in the nightcap. Up next: Travis Webb takes on Jupiter at 7.
Dayton lost all three of their games over the weekend, and are now on a 5 game skid. They lost 9-7 to West Michigan on Friday, as Chase Ware got roughed up in his first start. Humberto Sosa and Tony Brown had two hits each and Byron Wiley homered. They lost 7-1 to Fort Wayne on Saturday, as Ezequiel Infante had his first bad start of the year. He gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. Carlos Mendez homered and Josh Fellhauer was 2-for-4. They lost 5-1 on Sunday despite a great start by Jordan Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss only gave up 1 hit in 5 innings, and struck out 6 while walking nobody. Up next: Dayton takes on Fort Wayne at 7:05.
Billings only played 1 game over the weekend, with the game on Saturday being rained out and the doubleheader Sunday being postponed due to wet grounds. The Mustangs lost 7-3 to Casper on Friday, mostly due to a bad outing by Tim Crabbe. The top 3 hitters in the order (Mariekson Gregorius, Yorman Rodriguez, and Yen-Wen Kuo) all had two hits. Up next: Blair Carson takes on Idaho Falls at 9:05.
The GCL Reds only played 1 game too, with their Sunday game being rained out and their off day on Saturday. They lost 6-3 on Friday. Misael DeJesus pitched a scoreless inning for the start, and Jefry Sierra was 3-for-4. Up next: They take on the GCL O's at noon.

Farmers Only: Daryl Thompson roughed up on rehab, and Travis Wood has another great start in AAA

BK — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Louisville won a close game 2-1 as Travis Wood had another good outing. Wood pitched 6 inning of 1-run ball, Ramon Ramirez put up 2 innings of shutout relief, and Enerio Del Rosario closed it out with another perfect relief inning. Darnell McDonald went 4-for-4 with a double to lead the attack, Chris Heisey homered, and Drew Stubbs, Chris Valaika, and Travis Wood all had multi-hit games. Up next: Matt Maloney takes on Lehigh Valley at 7:05.
Carolina were off. They play Birmingham at 7:15.
Sarasota lost to Jupiter 4-3. Alexander Smit gave up 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, while striking out 8. Denis Phipps went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles and Jake Kahaulelio went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Up next: The S-Reds take on Jupiter behind Travis Webb at 7:05.
Oscar Castro got shelled again as Dayton lost to West Michigan 8-4. Castro gave up 6 runs in the 2nd to put the Dragons behind for good. Enrique Rojas and Kevyn Feiner had 2 hits each. Up next: Mark Serrano takes the hill at 7 against West Michigan.
Billings lost to Idaho Falls 6-2. Tyler Stovall and Chris McMurray drove in the Mustangs runs. Up next: The Mustangs take on Idaho Falls at 9:15 behind Ricky Bowen.
The GCL Reds scored 6 runs in the 8th inning to beat the GCL Rays 10-9. Daryl Thompson started the game on rehab, and it wasn't pretty. He managed to get two outs in the first, gave up 2 hits and walked 2, and his final tally was 3 runs allowed, 2 of them earned. Danny Hernandez homered and drove in two runs for the offense, Billy Hamilton was 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot, and Henry Rodriguez and Juan Duran drove in two runs each as well. Up next: The GCL Reds take on the GCL O's at noon.
Roster Moves: Sean Watson joins the Louisville bullpen after Jeff Kennard goes on the DL with an injury. Jordan Wideman takes over full time catching duties in Sarasota as Devin Mesoraco goes on the shelf for the first time this year. 10th round pick Tucker Barnhart joins the GCL Reds, as does Porfirio Martinez from the DSL team.

Farmers Only: Micah's rehab goes reasonably well, and a long night in Dayton

BK — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:18 -0000

Louisville beat Lehigh Valley 4-3. Micah Owings pitched 4 2/3 innings in his rehab start, and gave up 1 run on 5 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. Enerio Del Rosario and Logan Ondrusek were once again perfect, with Ondrusek getting his 4th save of the year. Kevin Barker led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a 3-run HR, and Chris Heisey, Chris Denove, and Chris Valaika also had two hits. Up next: Travis Wood takes on Lehigh Valley at 7:05.
Carolina lost big to West Tenn 7-1 behind a rough outing by Jeremy Horst. Sean Henry drove in the Mudcats only run. Up next: Mudcats are off today.
Sarasota was rained out. Travis Webb takes on Jupiter at 6:35.
Dayton won a pitcher's duel 6-2 in 13 innings. The pitching was the big story, as Ezequiel Infante gave up 2 runs in 5 innings of work, and Justin Walker pitched 5 no-hit innings of relief. Donnie Joseph also didn't give up a hit in his 2 innings, and struck out 5 in the process. Mike Konstanty was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI and Chase Weems had 2 hits as well. Up next: Oscar Castro takes on West Michigan at 7.
Billings lost to Idaho Falls 5-4. Blair Carson pitched a decent game, giving up 2 earned runs in 6 innings of work, and Jason Braun gave up one hit in his 2 innings of relief. Yen-Wen Kuo led the offense, going 3-for-3 with a HR, and Yorman Rodriguez, Efrain Contreras, and Mariekson Gregorius each had two hits. Up next: Leonardo Astorga takes on Idaho Falls at 9:15.
The GCL Reds were off. They'll take on the GCL Rays at noon.

Farmers Only: State of the Farm (8.6)

BK — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:01:27 -0000

We haven't taken an overview of the minors in a while, so with the off day, I figured we'd check in with a mega-column. With 6 teams playing now, there's a lot to cover. Let's get started by looking at the teams.

LOUISVILLE BATS (AAA) - The Bats are 63-47 and are commanding the IL West right now, with a 9.5 game lead over Toledo. Kevin Barker is currently 2nd in the IL in OPS at .929, 2nd in HR with 20, and is 4th in OBP at .377. Drew Stubbs leads the league in stolen bases with 42, only being caught 9 times. On the pitching side, Homer Bailey and Matt Maloney are currently 6th and 7th in ERA at 2.71 and 2.72, and shutout specialist Justin Lehr is 9th with a 3.31 ERA while leading the league in wins with 13. Maloney's 97 strikeouts are good for 6th in the league so far, and Lehr's 1.06 WHIP has him 4th in the league. As a team, Louisville's pitching staff is 3rd in the league in ERA and 4th in strikeouts.
CAROLINA MUDCATS (AA) - After going 37-32 in the first half, finishing 2nd (1 game back), the Mudcats are 15-25 so far in the second half, 7 games back from Chattanooga and tied for 4th place. Despite promotions, Carolina still has the top players in AVG, SLG, and OPS on the offensive side (Chris Heisey, .347/.426/.572/.998) and the league leader in ERA by more than a run (Travis Wood, 9-3 with a 1.21 ERA; second in the league is 2.99). After his night last night, Juan Francisco now leads the SL in home runs with 22 and RBI with 71. Wood also still leads the league in strikeouts with 103, despite being in AAA for the last two weeks.
SARASOTA REDS (A+) - After finishing dead last in the FSL South in the first half at 28-40, their 17-22 record in the second half so far is 4 games back and good for 4th in the 6 team division. This is normally where I'd list the S-Reds who are among the league leaders in offensive categories, but Sarasota doesn't have any. Jeremy Horst is 8th in the league in ERA at 3.25. Their .234 team average is good for worst in the league, and their OPS is an abysmal .623. Their 315 team RBI is almost 40 behind the second to last place team.
DAYTON DRAGONS (A) - Dayton finished 4th in the MWL East in the first half with a 28-42 record, and are currently 18-20 in the second half, which is good for 4th place in the division despite being 11.5 games back from a white-hot Fort Wayne team. Byron Wiley is 4th in the league in OPS at .883, 7th in OBP at .388, and 3rd in SLG at .495. Cody Puckett is 5th in that category at .481, and Dave Sappelt is 9th in SB with 26 despite getting promoted. Puckett's also 4th in the league in HR with 16. Matt Fairel is 9th in ERA at 2.93 and 4th in strikeouts with 107.
BILLINGS MUSTANGS (R) - Despite being a short-season team, Billings' season is split in two as well. They were last place at 12-26 in the first half, and have kicked off the second half 1-2. Mariekson Gregorius is 10th in the league in hitting at .342 and 10th in OBP at .408. Shea Snowden and Leonardo Astorga are 10th and 11th in ERA at 4.17 and 4.53, although there are only 26 pitchers with enough innings to qualify. Billings is similiar to Dayton in that they can't hit, with a .251/.322/.350/.672 line as a team so far this year. Their 4.81 team ERA is second to last in the league.
GCL REDS (R) - The G-Reds are 16-18 and 4 games back in the GCL South. Henry Rodriguez is leading the league in hitting at .355, and leadoff hitter Theodis Bowe is hitting .313, which is good for 10th. Bowe is also 3rd in SB with 14. Jacob Wiley is tied for 3rd in saves with 6.

A closer look at the players after the jump.

Red Reporter Top 15

Before the season, you guys came up with a list of the top 15 prospects in the Reds system. Here's an update on how they're doing.

Yonder Alonso 1B (Carolina)
After starting the season on a tear in Sarasota, Yonder made it to Carolina before breaking the hamate bone in his hand. In 16 games in AA, Yonder hit .246/.309/.466. He's on a rehab stint with the GCL team right now, so I'd expect him to finish the season in Carolina when he's ready to go.
Neftali Soto 3B (Sarasota)
Soto's having a disappointing season so far for the S-Reds. His OBP is still only .284 and his plate discipline has been lacking. After a strong May, he had a disappointing June and July, only hitting .204/.237/.301 in July, but has started August right, so hopefully that gets him going.
Todd Frazier 2B (Carolina)
Todd's having a great season in AA, and should earn a promotion soon. He recently made the switch to 2B after playing 3B and LF for most of the year. Why he hasn't been called up to Louisville yet is beyond me.
Drew Stubbs CF (Louisville)
Speaking of guys who should be called up, Stubbs' OBP is at .368 and he has 42 stolen bases to lead his league. That wouldn't look good in the leadoff spot, Dusty?
Chris Valaika SS (Louisville)
An injury plagued season has Valaika dropping past Zack Cozart on prospect boards at his position. Chris is currently at .197/.237/.299 in 244 AB.
Juan Francisco 3B (Carolina)
El Nino Destructor is raking lately, but still has the same problems that have plagued him his whole career. Mainly, his errors at 3B and his lack of plate discipline (88 K to 19 BB this year).
Daryl Thompson RHSP (Louisville)
Thompson's been on the shelf since the end of June, his 3rd DL trip this year. His 6.59 ERA could be better, and I expect it to be next year, but this year's a lost cause for Daryl.
Kyle Lotzkar LHSP
Lotzkar has been on the DL all year with a broken elbow, and doesn't look to be coming back soon. Hopefully he'll pitch this year, but I'm not optimistic.
Chris Dickerson OF (Cincinnati)
He's batting .259 in 85 games for the Reds. I still don't remember why he's on this list.
Josh Roenicke RHRP (Toronto)
Sigh. He got traded in the Rolen deal.
Devin Mesoraco C (Sarasota)
He's at .225/.309/.379 right now, but all reports coming out of Sarasota say that he's improving behind the plate. Hopefully that bat will come around, but he's still young.
Daniel Dorn OF (Louisville)
He's having a solid year, at .256/.323/.426. Are we still calling him overrated? I don't see him cracking this outfield any time soon.
Yorman Rodriguez OF (Billings)
Stormin' Yorman is killin' Billings so far, to the tune of a .884 OPS. He's still only 16.
Zach Stewart RHSP (Toronto)
God fucking dammit. Moving on.
Juan Duran DH (GCL)
Duran's year has been really disappointing, with a line of .180/.235/.270.

Top 15 Pitchers

The way we're going to do this, is look at 10 pitchers from full season ball, and look at the top 5 from short season. We're looking at guys with a minimum of 45 IP from full season teams and 10 IP from short season. The stats provided here are combined from every level through the 2009 season.

Logan Ondrusek RHRP (Sarasota, Carolina, Louisville) - 4-1, 1.28 ERA, 38 K, 20 BB
Travis Wood LHSP (Carolina, Louisville) - 10-4, 1.44 ERA, 116 K, 46 BB
Enerio Del Rosario RHRP (Sarasota, Carolina, Louisville) - 2-1, 1.96 ERA, 43 K, 6 BB
Joseph Krebs LHRP (Carolina, Sarasota) - 3-2, 2.19 ERA, 44 K, 20 BB
Mace Thurman LHRP (Sarasota, Dayton) - 3-0, 2.10 ERA, 73 K, 21 BB
Jeff Kennard RHRP (Louisville) - 3-1, 2.42 ERA, 48 K, 18 BB
Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette LHRP (Carolina, Sarasota) - 2-2, 2.51 ERA, 45 K, 25 BB
Steven Otterness LHRP (Sarasota, Dayton) - 3-0, 2.76 ERA, 34 K, 25 BB
Matt Maloney LHSP (Louisville) - 7-8, 2.72 ERA, 97 K, 16 BB
Jordan Hotchkiss RHRP (Dayton) - 1-4, 2.75 ERA, 47 K, 15 BB

Harold Johnson RHSP (GCL) - 0-1, 1.06 ERA, 16 K, 8 BB
Ezequiel Infante LHSP (Dayton, Billings) - 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 31 K, 4 BB
Tyler Cline RHSP (GCL) - 2-0, 1.73 ERA, 26 K, 9 BB
Donnie Joseph LHRP (Dayton, Billings) - 2-1, 1.89 ERA, 20 K, 5 BB
Mark Serrano RHSP (Dayton, Billings) - 1-0, 1.85 ERA, 28 K, 7 BB

Top 15 Hitters

We'll do the same thing here. Minimum of 200 AB for full season, 50 for short season.

Kevin Barker 1B (Louisville) - .929 OPS, .284/.377/.552, 20 HR, 58 RBI, 1 SB
Chris Heisey CF (Louisville, Carolina) - .927 OPS, .331/.395/.534, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 16 SB
Darnell McDonald RF (Louisville) - .883 OPS, .317/.349/.534, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 6 SB
Byron Wiley RF (Dayton) - .883 OPS, .275/.388/.495, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 5 SB
Todd Frazier 2B (Carolina) - .860 OPS, .307/.362/.499, 12 HR, 58 RBI, 7 SB
Yonder Alonso 1B (Carolina, Sarasota, GCL) - .823 OPS, .284/.357/.466, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 1 SB
Juan Francisco 3B (Carolina) - .809 OPS, .273/.310/.499, 22 HR, 71 RBI, 6 SB
Cody Puckett 2B (Sarasota, Dayton) - .793 OPS, .263/.333/.461, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 14 SB
Zack Cozart SS (Carolina) - .785 OPS, .270/.366/.419, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 9 SB
Chris Denove C (Louisville, Carolina) - .779 OPS, .265/.349/.430, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB

Josh Fellhauer OF (Dayton) - .926 OPS, .310/.379/.548, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 4 SB
Henry Rodriguez 3B (GCL) - .803 OPS, .355/.384/.419, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 7 SB
Thomas Nurre 1B (Billings) - .783 OPS, .286/.338/.444, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Theodis Bowe LF (GCL) - .775 OPS, .313/.387/.388, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 16 SB
Alexis Oliveras OF (Dayton, Billings) - .753 OPS, .292/.337/.416, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 10 SB

20 More Prospects To Watch

Ben Jukich LHSP (Louisville) - 3-0, 1.62 ERA in 5 starts in July
Matt Klinker RHSP (Louisville) - 2.95 ERA in AA, now in AAA after starting in Sarasota
Sam LeCure RHSP (Louisville) - 7-0, 2.38 ERA in last 9 starts
Tom Cochran LHSP (Carolina) - 2.77 ERA in 5 starts in July
Jeremy Horst LHSP (Carolina) - 3.25 ERA in Sarasota, now in AA
Josh Beal RHRP (Sarasota) - 1.72 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in July
J.C. Sulbaran RHSP (Dayton) - 3.56 ERA in last 4 starts, 10.0 K/9 this season
Tzu-Kai Chiu LHRP (Billings) - 0.95 ERA in 19 innings in the GCL before moving to Billings
Matteo Pizziconi LHRP (GCL) - 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings
Nathan Driessen LHRP (GCL) - 2.25 ERA in 24 innings
Danny Dorn OF (Louisville) - 1.024 OPS in June. .896 since the All-Star Break
Wes Bankston 1B (Louisville) - 1.045 OPS in August so far
Kyle Day DH (Sarasota) - .333/.400/.481 in July
Dave Sappelt OF (Sarasota) - 38 total SB this season
Yen-Wen Kuo 2B (Dayton) - .375 AVG in August so far
Kevin Coddington C (Dayton) - .303/.344/.371 in July
Mariekson Gregorius SS (Billings) - .342/.408/.378 since being moved to Billings (27 games)
Yorman Rodriguez CF (Billings) - .268/.348/.537 so far in Billings, is only 16 years old
Sean Conner RF (Billings) - 4 RBI in 5 August games
Danny Vicioso C (GCL) - .341/.372/.561 in 17 games

So what do you guys think? Anybody here catch your eye?