Posts Tagged ‘Cincinnati Reds’

Cincinnati Reds Acquire Latos From Padres

Posted by Todd Lammi on December 19th, 2011

The Cincinnati Reds made a big move to upgrade the front of their rotation by acquiring starting pitcher Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres for first basemen Yonder Alonso, starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, minor league relief pitcher Brad Boxberger and minor league catcher Yasmani Grandal. The Reds picked up a proven starter for extra pieces that the team could afford to move because of the depth it had built up.

Alonso was blocked by Joey Votto in Cincinnati and now is the favorite to start the year at first base in San Diego. Alonso becomes a nice late round sleeper pick in mixed league formats now that he finally has a full-time job. Alonso should be in the .280 range with 17-20 home runs on the season in 2012. The move causes a ripple effect in San Diego as first base prospect Anthony Rizzo now could be on the trade block with the arrival of Alonso.

For Volquez, there is not going to be much change in his value with the move to PETCO Park unless he is able to fix his control issues. Since his breakout season in 2008, Volquez has posted a walk rate of 5.8, 5.0 and 5.4 per nine innings over the last three seasons.

Boxberger gives the Padres a possible closer candidate in the wake of losing Heath Bell via free agency. Boxberger tallied 11 saves across two minor league levels in 2011 while striking out 93 hitters in 62 innings. Grandal will likely start the season at AA or AAA for the Padres. He played at two minor league levels in 2011 and for his minor league career of 402 at bats, he has a .303 batting average with 14 home runs and 69 RBI.

For the Padres, they need Volquez to pitch closer to his 2008 level and they need to be able to flip Rizzo for another solid piece in order for them to break even or come out ahead on this trade. For the Reds, they were dealing from a position of strength with the depth of their farm system and they upgraded their major league staff so for now, I think the Reds got the better end of the deal.

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The Minor League Report – Chapman Debuts

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 11th, 2010

Aroldis Chapman made his debut in the minor leagues Sunday afternoon for the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Pitching against the Toledo Mud Hens, the minor league team of the Detroit Tigers, Chapman heated up the radar guns in his 4 2/3 innings of work, hitting 101 mph several times. He finished the day throwing 85 pitches, allowing no earned runs on five singles and one walk while striking out nine.

Throwing 55 of his 85 pitches for strikes, Chapman reached back and hit 99 mph or more ten times in the game. He also worked in some sliders and change ups but was able to dominate for the most part on the basis of his fastball. Despite walking only one batter, he still needs to tighten up his control as major league hitters won’t be flailing at some of those pitches out of the strike zone like a few of the minor league hitters were.

With the performance by Cincinnati Reds 5th starter Mike Leake on Sunday, there is no need to rush Chapman to the major leagues, unless Reds manager Dusty Baker blows Leake’s arm out by then as Leake threw 106 pitches in his first major league start.

From a fantasy baseball perspective, Chapman’s ascent to the major leagues could follow a similar pattern to that of Stephen Strasburg from the Washington Nationals. While the Reds have not set a timetable or innings limit on Chapman as of yet, there is really no need to promote him before June 1, unless an injury occurs to one of the current Reds starters. It will also give Chapman some time in the minor leagues to work on improving his mechanics and control so he is ready when he arrives in the big leagues.

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The Minor League Report – Cincinnati Reds Triple-A Roster

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 10th, 2010

Here is the minor league report for the 2010 Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds.

The key name to note on the roster is pitcher Aroldis Chapman. He fell behind in the 5th stater battle in training camp with back issues and was sent down to Triple-A. As long as he continues to improve his command, he should be up in the major leagues sometime this summer.

Another name to keep an eye on is Todd Frazier. He has started off 2010 in left field, although in the past years he has also played shortstop, second base and first base. He has a .296 career minor league batting average with 15-20 home run power and the potential to steal 10 plus bases a season.

Outfielder Chris Heisey looks like he might be getting lost in the shuffle with Frazier now moved to the outfield. I guess it is a good problem for the Reds to have with so many young position players pushing for jobs. Heisey has been dismissed by scouts for his lack of  any standout tools, but all he has done is hit at every level. With Jay Bruce firmly entrenched in the big leagues, it looks like Heisey might have to wait for a trade to get his opportunity in the major leagues.

Travis Wood was also in the mix for the fifth starter job before he was sent to Triple-A. He is more of a finesse lefty that has a 3.35 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in the minor leagues with 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. In his first start of 2010, he struck out nine in four innings with seven hits allowed and one walk.

How they rank:

Baseball America: Frazier (1), Heisey (4), Wood (7), Cozart (10)
Keith Law: Chapman (1), Frazier (2), Heisey (5), Wood (6)
John Sickels: Frazier (2), Valaika (3)

Here is a look at 2010 Louisville Bats roster by position:

Catchers:

Wilkin Castro
Corky Miller

Infielders:

1B Daniel Dorn
2B Chris Valaika
SS Zack Cozart
3B Drew Sutton
Chris Burke
Michael Griffin

Outfielders:

CF Josh Anderson
LF Todd Frazier
RF Chris Heisey
Luis Terrero

Starting Pitchers:

Aroldis Chapman
Sam LeCure
Justin Lehr
Matt Maloney
Travis Wood

Relief Pitchers:

Jon Adkins
Jose Arredondo
Federico Baez
Bill Bray
Jared Burton
Enerio Del Rosario
Carlos Fisher
Chad Reineke
Lee Tabor
Pedro Viola

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2010 Cincinnati Reds Team Preview

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 20th, 2010

This is the fourth part our series of 2010 fantasy baseball team previews looking at the National League Central. The team previews will include the projected batting order, projected rotation, rookies that could make an impact in 2010 as well as each players current ADP for a 15 team mixed fantasy baseball league.

2010 Cincinnati Reds Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Drew Stubbs (ADP 277)
2.  SS Orlando Cabrera  (ADP 182)
3.  1B Joey Votto (ADP 26)
4.  2B Brandon Phillips (ADP 37)
5.  3B Scott Rolen (ADP 341)
6.  RF Jay Bruce (ADP 114)
7.  LF Jonny Gomes (ADP ND)
8.  C Ramon Hernandez (ADP 267)

2010 Cincinnati Reds Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  Aaron Harang (ADP 235)
2.  Bronson Arroyo (ADP 310)
3.  Homer Bailey (ADP 263)
4.  Johnny Cueto (ADP 227)
5.  Aroldis Chapman / Matt Maloney (ADP 242 / ND)

Closer – Francisco Cordero (ADP 107)
Handcuff – Jared Burton

2010 Cincinnati Reds prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Aroldis Chapman – SP
2.  Mike Leake – SP
3.  Chris Heisey – LF


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