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Post by The Duke on Apr 5, 2017 9:58:03 GMT -5
Reds High A affiliate Daytona Tortugas take on the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University team tonight in a tune up before their season opener against the Florida Fire Frogs (new Braves A+ affiliate in the FSL) tomorrow night.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 6, 2017 7:41:25 GMT -5
Minor league opening day!
Here are the opening day rosters and my projected lineup for each full season affiliate. The Wahoos is a guess since for whatever reason, they still haven't released their roster yet. I suppose we'll see who's playing tonight anyway.
Low A Dayton Dragons
1. TJ Friedl, CF 2. Michael Beltre, LF 3. Taylor Trammell, RF 4. James Vasquez, 1B 5. Tyler Stephenson, C 6. Brantley Bell, 2B 7. Jose Siri, DH 8. John Sansone, 3B 9. Hector Vargas, SS
BN: Cassidy Brown, C BN: Luis Gonzalez, MIF BN: Avain Rachal, Util
1. Tony Santillan 2. Scott Moss 3. Wennington Romero 4. Ryan Olson 5. Andrew Jordan
LR: Andy Cox MR: Aaron Fossas MR: Jesse Adams MR: Patrick Riehl MR: Lucas Benenati SU: Joel Huhnel CL: Ryan Hendrix
Notes: • All 4 of the Dragons OF (Trammell, Friedl, Beltre, and Siri) are good defenders who can all play CF. Dayton should have ridiculously good OF defense with all of them playing all over and getting days off at DH as well. • Ryan Hendrix has topped out at 100 mph, I'm a little surprised he is back in Dayton even as a 2016 draftee since he spent some time there last year with some success. His curveball is a swing and miss pitch as well. • Scott Moss is a breakout candidate for methis year. He was a big time recruit at Florida, but Tommy John surgery derailed the better part of his college career. In the super regional last year though he threw 6 shutout innings and got an important start over AJ Puk. He sat 91-93 last year, but routinely touched 95-96 and is now another year back from TJ • Don't sleep on Cassidy Brown, a 12th rd pick last year, but produced a .322/.426/.383 line in Billings last year in 176 plate appearances. He has raw power that may translate a little better this year with more wood bat experience. T Stephenson is the better prospect (who looks like an NFL linebacker now at 6'4" 230 lbs), but Brown is a solid defender as well. Brown could emerge as a valuable backup in the future.
High A Daytona Tortugas
1. Daniel Sweet, RF 2. Shed Long, 2B 3. Nick Senzel, 3B 4. Gavin Lavalley, 1B 5. Chris Okey, C 6. Narciso Crook, CF 7. Blake Butler, DH 8. Reydel Medina, LF 9. Alfredo Rodriguez, SS
BN: Mitch Piantik, OF BN: Josciel Veras, Util Inf BN: Garrett Boulware, C/1B
1. Vladimir Gutierrez 2. Jonathan Crawford 3. Wendolyn Bautista 4. Jose Lopez 5. Ty Boyles
LR: Jesus Reyes LR: Austin Orweiler MR: Jake Paulson MR: Braulio Ortiz MR: Geoff Broussard MR: Robert Stock SU: Sandy Lugo CL: Tanner Rainey
Notes: • After Vlad Gutierrez, the rest of the pitching staff is a bit of a mish mash. Jonathan Crawford is finally healthy, but who knows if he remains that way. Ty Boyles has been very inconsistent. Mark Armstrong is on the DL and has had an extensive injury history the past two seasons. We could see starts from Reyes, Orweiler, and Paulson as well. • Vlad Gutierrez looked very good in spring training sitting 93-95 and touching 96-97 with a nasty curve. The changeup needs development, but it shows promise. He got $4.75 million signing from Cuba in the offseason. • Shed Long had a breakout season at the plate a year ago and showed surprising pop in his bat for a smaller player with 30 2B, 5 3B, and 15 HR playing in two pitcher friendly leagues last year in Dayton and Daytona. He's a candidate for a midseason promotion. • Nick Senzel is the organizations top prospect and showed good power potential last year and this spring training. It was discussed starting him in AA with his advanced approach and all around game, but there is no reason to have him up with the big club before May 2018 to control service time with the Reds being non-competitive as of yet, and this is a good way to help ensure that. I'll be surprised if he isn't in AA by midseason. • I'm a little surprised Gavin Lavalley is back in Daytona after a solid 2nd half last year, but it's not a terrible thing and it'd be good to see more consistent in game power.
AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
1. Blake Trahan, SS 2. Alex Blandino, 2B 3. Aristides Aquino, RF 4. Angelo Gumbs, LF 5. Taylor Sparks, 3B 6. Eric Jagielo, 1B 7. Brian O'Grady, CF 8. Gabby Guerrero, DH 9. Joe Hudson, C
BN: Adrien Nieto, C BN: Josh VanMeter, Util BN: Leon Landry, OF
1. Luis Castillo 2. Tyler Mahle 3. Keury Mella 4. Ismael Guillon 5. Deck McGuire
LR: Domingo Tapia MR: Alex Powers MR: Carlos Portuondo MR: Austin Ross MR: Brennan Bernardino MR: Jack Ehret SU: Ariel Hernandez CL: Jimmy Herget
Notes: • With Nick Travieso on the DL, I expect Ismael Guillon will be used like he was last year, starting as needed, and then in the bullpen if there are enough starting arms to go • Aristides Aquino showed major power last year in the FSL to go along with plus OF defense in RF. If he can continue the improvements in plate discipline he showed last year and handle the jump to AA, he could start shooting up prospect lists. • Luis Castillo was impressive in spring training after acquiring him in the Dan Straily trade. A bulldog mentality on the mound, better than advertised control, a fastball sitting 95-97 (touching 99) with a decent slider and good changeup. • They finally updated their roster, I've edited to correct • Calten Daal has shown some promise at SS and as a contact hitter, but injuries have really held him back the last couple years. EDIT::Still on the DL apparently • This team will get a big infusion of talent throughout the year as I expect at some point Nick Senzel, Shed Long, Gavin Lavalley, and Chris Okey to all get promoted. Maybe Vlad Gutierrez as well.
AAA Louisville Bats
1. Phillip Ervin, RF 2. Dilson Herrera, 2B 3. Jesse Winker, LF 4. Brandon Dixon, 1B 5. Sebastian Elizalde, DH 6. Seth Mejias-Brean, 3B 7. Zach Vincej, SS 8. Beau Amaral, CF 9. Rob Brantley, C
BN: Juan Perez, Inf BN: Chad Wallach, C/1B BN: Tony Renda, Util BN: Tyler Goeddell, OF
1. Sal Romano 2. Jackson Stephens 3. Lisalverto Bonilla 4. Tim Adleman 5. Rob Wooten
LR: Kevin Shackelford MR: Lucas Luetge MR: Nick Routt MR: Louis Coleman MR: Kyle McMyne SU: Evan Mitchell CL: Alejandro Chacin
Notes: • Expect Phillip Ervin to play all 3 OF spots quite a bit. Amaral is the best defensive CF on the roster, but Ervin and Goeddell will both see time there as well. Elizalde will be the top backup to both corner OF spots and get plenty of PT as well. • Zack Weiss is still hurt. He showed a ton of promise, but he's missed a lot of time now. • Every year Alejandro Chacin starts off as a middle reliever and every year he ends up closing sooner rather than later and doing well. His stuff is average which is why he's had to prove himself at every level, but the kid just knows how to pitch. He had 30 saves last year in AA despite not being the closer initially. He may get a shot with the big club this year. • Brandon Dixon will be moved all around this year. Expect to see him at 1B, 3B, 2B, and potentially even in the corner OF spots. He could be a future RH power bench option for the Reds and is at least average defensively at several spots.
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Post by kinsm on Apr 6, 2017 13:57:17 GMT -5
Renda will probably be the regular 3bman in Louisville, Mejias/Dixon/Elizalde/Wallach all manning 1B.
If Mejias doesn't come out hitting like lightning he may get his release during the season.
And Goeddel will likely be the everyday CF'er, he's on the 40 man.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 6, 2017 14:08:51 GMT -5
Opening day starters: AAA: Sal Romano AA: Tyler Mahle A+: Jonathan Crawford A-: Tony Santillan
EDIT: Jonathan Crawford starts for Daytona tonight. A former first round pick, he was supposed to be the main part of the Alfredo Simon trade, not Suarez.
On a side note, with so many pitchers with innings limitations and injury histories, Daytona is going with a 6 man rotation for now. Crawford, Vlad Gutierrez, Jose Lopez, Wendolyn Bautista, Jesus Reyes, and Ty Boyles.
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Post by redskoolaiddrinker on Apr 6, 2017 21:30:13 GMT -5
Opening day starters: AAA: Sal Romano AA: Tyler Mahle A+: Jonathan Crawford A-: Tony Santillan EDIT: Jonathan Crawford starts for Daytona tonight. A former first round pick, he was supposed to be the main part of the Alfredo Simon trade, not Suarez. On a side note, with so many pitchers with innings limitations and injury histories, Daytona is going with a 6 man rotation for now. Crawford, Vlad Gutierrez, Jose Lopez, Wendolyn Bautista, Jesus Reyes, and Ty Boyles. So then for opening day you wouldn't have a bullpen day would you? Anyone not surprised that Crawford is a starter at this point and if so are you not surprised he's set for opening day?
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Post by The Duke on Apr 7, 2017 7:21:54 GMT -5
The Bats lost their opener 3-2 in 13 innings
Sal Romano 6 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 ER, 84 pitches (53 strikes), 7 GO vs 3 FO Evan Mitchell 2 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 3 K Jesse Winker 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K Phillip Ervin 1-5, BB, 3 K, had an error and an outfield assist Dilson Herrera did not play Sebastian Elizalde 2-4, HR, BB, K Beau Amaral 2-6. Is a plus defensive CF. If he can hit a little bit, could be an interesting 4th-5th OF. Hit leadoff.
Pensacola won 4-1
Tyler Mahle 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 6 K, 86 pitches (55 strikes), 8 GO vs 1 FO, got the Win 1-0, had a pickoff, and also had a successful sac bunt Ismael Guillon 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 4 K. Got 4 K in only 13 strikes thrown in 25 pitches. Came in with 2 on in the 6th and got a big K. Ariel Hernandez 1 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 K Jimmy Herget 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K, got the save (1) Blake Trahan 1-3, BB, R, SB, showed off some good range at SS Devin Mesoraco 1-3 on his rehab assignment Aristides Aquino 1-4, RBI, 2 K Eric Jagielo 2-3, HR, BB, his HR went 426 feet to RC OUT OF THE STADIUM. There's video of it on twitter, just absolutely crushed off of former Reds prospect Dan Corcino Taylor Sparks 1-3, HR, BB, 2 R, K Alex Blandino 1-2, sac bunt
Daytona won 4-1
Jonathan Crawford 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 R, 6 K, 87 pitches (48 strikes), 5 GO vs 1 FO Nick Senzel 2-4, R, K Gavin Lavalley 2-4, R Chris Okey 0-3, BB, K Alfredo Rodriguez 1-4, RBI, R, 2 K, Ben Badler from BA was there and was very impressed with the defense at SS Narciso Crook 2-4, 2B, R, 2 K Reydel Medina 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K Luiz Gohara of the rumored Cozart deadline deal that didn't happen was very impressive for Florida, 5 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K, 75 pitches (51 strikes)
Dayton was suspended in the 4th, the rest of the game will be made up today with the full 9 innings and the second game will be 7 innings. Dayton was down 3-1 in the top of the 4th when rain suspended play.
Tony Santillan 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 1 K, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 66 pitches (38 strikes). Not the control we'd like to see. Taylor Trammell 1-2, HR. His first at bat in full season ball was a HR to CF Tyler Stephenson 1-1, 2B Taylor Trammell
Thoughts: • The bullpen combo of Guillon, Hernandez, and Herget can be very very good for Pensacola. A lot of swing and miss stuff with those 3. • I'd like to see more K's from Romano, but the ground ball ratio was good and he limited damage. Not a bad first AAA start at all. • Very nice start from Tyler Mahle. He may not be the flashiest, but he just looks like a guy who will eventually give us 200 IP of 3.80-4.00 ERA seasons. • I'll be driving the Taylor Trammell bandwagon this year. Get on board. • Gohara looking that good in his first start stings, but I swear the guy has gained even more weight. He's listed at 6'3" and 210 lbs, but more than likely he's closer to 310 as minor league height/weights are notoriously wrong (Juan Francisco was 240+ lbs and listed at 180 for years). I'm 6'2" and 240 lbs and he looks significantly heavier than me.
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Post by redsfanman on Apr 7, 2017 8:43:39 GMT -5
Nice to see Jonathan Crawford on the mound. In one outing he's thrown nearly 10% as many innings as he had the past two years combined.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 7, 2017 15:25:17 GMT -5
Dilson Herrera is in the AAA lineup for tonight and is playing 2B, so hopefully that means the shoulder is good to go.
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Post by redsfanman on Apr 7, 2017 15:49:37 GMT -5
Just because he's playing 2b doesn't mean he intends to throw!
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Post by The Duke on Apr 11, 2017 21:51:37 GMT -5
Notables on 4/11
Sal Romano had a nice second start, but got a no decision as the Bats got shut out on 10 hits. 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 5 K, 80 pitches (55 strikes), 7 GO vs 7 FO. Both of his starts this year have been quality starts.
Sebastian Elizalde went 3 for 4 and is hitting .462 so far in AAA. Can play both corner OF spots and 1B. Might be a solid bench bat given how putrid the Reds bench is.
Evan Mitchell still sporting a 0.00 ERA through 5.1 IP so far this year.
Pensacola had the night off
Daytona won 2-1 in 15 innings. The pitching staff had 21 K vs 7 H and 3 BB in the 15 IP.
Tanner Rainey went 2 IP with 5 K. Has 10 K in 4 IP so far and has yet to allow a base runner. He may not be in High A long. He's been very good in the bullpen after scuffling as a starter last year. The turnaround happened pretty much immediately once he moved to the pen. He can hit 99 with his fastball.
Nick Senzel went 1 for 6 with a BB and a SB
Alfredo Rodriguez went 2 for 7 with a SB
Daniel Sweet went 2 for 4 with 2 BB and an RBI
Chris Okey went 2 for 6 with a 2B and caught all 15 innings, Caught 1 of 2 base steal attempts
Austin Orweiler went 3 perfect innings with 5 K. He pitched in the Dayton rotation last year. Might be an interesting guy in the bullpen if his fastball can play up a little more. Gets a ton of ground balls.
Dayton won 3-2
Tony Sanitllan went 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 R, 6 K, 81 pitches (57 strikes), 2 GO vs 7 FO. Solid start.
Ryan Hendrix went 2 IP giving up 2 H, 0 BB, 0 R, and 3 K. He's another one who can flirt with 100 mph. I'm a little surprised he is back in Dayton, he is likely ready for Daytona. Maybe there is something they want him to work on with Dayton's pitching coach specifically.
TJ Friedl went 0-3 with a sac fly RBI
Tyler Stephenson went 1-4 with a 2B, RBI
Jose Siri went 1-3 with a sac fly RBI
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Post by vtreds22 on Apr 11, 2017 22:12:48 GMT -5
You'd have to think Romano will be up by May if he continues to pitch this well.
Duke - does Rainey have a secondary pitch worth anything? Seems like he could be in AA by June. My guess is that they'll fast track him now that he's in the pen full time.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 11, 2017 22:18:07 GMT -5
You'd have to think Romano will be up by May if he continues to pitch this well. Duke - does Rainey have a secondary pitch worth anything? Seems like he could be in AA by June. My guess is that they'll fast track him now that he's in the pen full time. Rainey's slider is a swing and miss pitch when it's on. His problem as a starter was he had trouble maintaining it. It's been a lot more reliable in shorter stints since he moved to the bullpen. Considering Romano is on the same schedule as Rookie Davis, Rookie better get his Fecal Matter together and get more pitch efficient.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 13, 2017 8:46:37 GMT -5
Tyler Mahle was dominant in his second start of the year last night 7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 6 K, 86 pitches (55 strikes), 6 GO vs 8 FO. Through 2 starts he is 2-0. 0.71 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 12 K, 3 BB
Jimmy Herget has 3 saves for AA Pensacola in the first 6 games of the season. His line last week is ridiculous, 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 8 K. I could see him as the most likely candidate to replace Storen in the Reds bullpen in 2018.
Alex Blandino had a nice game last night. 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, SB. He's also got 3 BB vs 2 K in his first 14 plate appearances. .364/.500/.545. I still think he might make a very good utility infielder for the Reds. He played 3B in college, plays 2B now, can hold down SS in short stints or the occasional start if needed, and has some experience in the past at 1B.
Sebastian Elizalde with another 3 hits last night in AAA. The OF/1B is destroying the ball to start the year .484/.485/.742 in 32 plate appearances so far with a HR, 2 3B, and a 2B. Only 1 BB on the year vs 4 K, but that's allowed when you are hitting nearly .500. A sac fly is why his OBP is able to be just 1 point higher than his average.
Phillip Ervin had his first AAA home run. Between Ervin and Blandino, if they can hit enough to be good bench/role players, those 2 guys could cover as backups for every spot on the field except P and C.
Tyler Stephenson hit his 2nd HR of the year along with 4 RBI's (one of his RBI was on a ground out). He's hitting .263/.391/.632 in his first 23 plate appearances
TJ Friedl hit his first home run of the year and has started out hot for the Dragons hitting .333/.346/.667. The walks will come for him, he has excellent plate discipline. He already has 2 3B as well.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 19, 2017 8:04:25 GMT -5
I was at the Dragons game last night, albeit I had to leave in the 7th (school night for the kids). Here are my thoughts:
Scott Moss overall looked pretty good, but his velo has been higher in the past from what I've seen on TV and read about. The stadium gun was a little wonky last night and didn't read every pitch, but for the most part his fastball was coming in around 90-92, and I believe he was throwing some 2 seamers as well at around 88-90. He showed multiple off speed pitches with his slider in the low 80's and what looked like a curveball in the high 70's. I was in the grass down the LF line, so my angle wasn't the best. His changeup was right around that 79-81 range as well. His control on the night was a little spotty (as evidenced by 38 balls vs 52 strikes) but when he missed, he wasn't missing over the plate and was able to only issue 1 walk. It did run his pitch count up though. I thought his "wild pitch" was more of a passed ball imo. Stephenson had to reach up for it and got a glove on it, and while it was a tough pitch to get, he should have got it. Overall I was fairly impressed by Moss, he's got clean mechanics that he repeated well, I think the control will continue to improve with IP after pitching so few innings over the past 3 years because of his TJ surgery. I also think there is more velo in there as he matures as he has shown it in the past.
That one wild pitch/passed ball aside, Tyler Stephenson looked good behind the plate, and very good in his at bats. His swing plane looked good with very good bat speed, and he seemed in control at the plate. His one strikeout was very questionable as that ball was solidly below his knees for strike three on what should have been ball 4. He hit the ball with authority up the middle and down the line making hard contact that just wasn't elevated. I saw him play twice last year, and he looks much more comfortable at the plate this year.
Taylor Trammell showed the bat speed, and foot speed I expected, but he needs to settle down a little at the plate. His at bats reminded me a lot of Stephenson last year in that he's looking to crush a hit rather than stay controlled through the zone and trust his bat speed. All the raw tools are there though, and I think he'll settle down with more AB's. He's 19 and he looked 19 at the plate last night. I never really saw him tested in LF, but everything looked fine out there.
Michael Beltre had a great all around game. Running balls down in RF, showing good arm strength, his at bats were patient but he attacked balls in the zone. Athletically, he is a lot like Trammell, but you can just tell he is a couple years older. I wouldn't be shocked to see him promoted to Daytona at some point this year, while Trammell likely spends the entire year in Dayton.
Friedl looked good as well, like both Trammell and Beltre he just has that easy speed. His double would have been a triple had the ball not gotten lost in the Lansing bullpen down the RF line. The crowd thought he was going to get an inside the park home run before the ump called him back with the RF just throwing his hands up in the air.
Hector Vargas looked better defensively at SS than he did at the plate, his 2 hits aside. Showed good range on the night and a solid arm. He's no Luis Gonzalez, but he's a more than capable SS.
Brantley Bell had a great game both at the plate and he looked good at 2B. I'm a little surprised he is off to as slow of a start as he is, because he looked in control at the plate. He wasn't chasing bad pitches and hit the ball well. One of his hits was soft contact but it was a slow chopper that Lansing didn't really have a chance on. If he continues to look like he did last night, his average will rise quickly.
John Sansone had a nice 2 RBI double, but overall I wasn't overly impressed by him at the plate. He was definitely up there to swing and if I were pitching to him, I'd make him chase balls of the plate until he proved he could lay off of them. His defense was solid at 3B.
Not a Dragon, but Vlad Guerrero Jr looks exactly like his dad, and his bat speed was on another level from everyone else in that ball park. He's going to be a stud sooner rather than later. His inexperience and youth showed a bit defensively, but all the raw tools are there for him to be a good 3B with work, I think he easily sticks in the dirt which is contrary to some of the stuff I've read about him. Plenty of arm and athleticism.
Bo Bichette had a better game at the plate, but he still needs to grow into power, and he won't be a SS for long I think. He's plenty athletic, but he just doesn't have the range and instincts of a SS imo. He'll either move over to 2B (not a chance he's moving Vlad Jr off of 3B) or end up in a corner OF spot. If I were a betting man, I think he ends up a LF unless he shows dramatic improvement over the next couple of years. Solid hitter overall though.
All in all a very fun night to be at a Dragons game with an 11-2 win. Sounds like I didn't miss much in the 8th and 9th, and the weather was absolutely perfect.
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Post by The Duke on Apr 23, 2017 1:16:33 GMT -5
Tyler Mahle threw a perfect game in only 89 pitches for AA Pensacola Saturday night in a 1-0 win. He had 8 K's. He's still just 22 years old and is now 4-0 on the year with a 0.68 ERA and a 0.45 WHIP on the year. 26.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 27 K stat line so far this year.
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