Reds Minor League Baseball Blog

The Mudcats didn’t have the best of pitching staffs in 2011 and you have to dig real deep to find any “stars.”  Here’s the best of the best though.

Travis Webb – Webb went 1-7 but his ERA was amongst the team’s best (4.41) and he struck out 89 batters in 69 1/3 innings.  Walks are still a concern and Webb is also well past prospect status because he’ll turn 28 next season.

Brandon Hynick – a pitch to contact pitcher. Hynick spent time in both the rotation and the pen in 2011 and he finished with a 3.67 ERA.  He struck out 34 and walked 20 in 56 1/3 innings.  He struggled when he got sent to Louisville though and he’ll be 27 in March.

Bradley Boxberger – The hard throwing right hander, Boxberger shined at both of his stops. With the Mudcats, he finished with a 1.31 ERA in 34 1/3 innings and he had 57 strikeouts versus only 13 walks.  His batting average against was .139.  This kid has a nice arm and he’s probably going to be throwing for the Reds in 2012.

The Mudcats finished right in the middle of their division in what was a mediocre but not horrible season.  They did have some guys that shined at the plate though.

Neftali Soto – You have to feel sorry for Soto because he’s blocked by not one but two guys in Yonder Alonso and Joey Votto.  Still, he hit a team high 30 home runs for the Mudcats last year and he also led the team in RBIs (76), runs (70) and OPS (.904).  Not too bad for a guy who turns 23 in February.   Walks are a concern (just 25 in 379 at bats) but this kid can rake.

Denis Phipps – Phipps has some nice doubles power and he’s a solid contact hitter and this showed both with his time with the Mudcats and when he got promoted to Louisville.  His 100 hits were right behind Soto’s 103 but he did it in 20 less games.

Cody Puckett – This second baseman was second on the team with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs.  He’s going to be blocked with Brandon Phillips in the fold and it also doesn’t help that Puckett struggled at the Arizona Fall League.

Louisville’s rotation was mostly veterans so while there aren’t a lot of blue chip prospects pitching at this level, there were still some really nice seasons by Bats’ pitchers.

Edinson Volquez – Once one of the Reds brighter stars, Volquez has had a rocky road of late.  He went 4-2 in 13 starts and he struck out 83 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings.  He had a very nice 2.37 ERA.  Of course Volquez couldn’t get it done with the Reds where he 20 starts.

Dontrelle Willis – One of the bigger surprises of 2011, Willis put together a really nice 2011 campaign.  With thirteen starts, he finished 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 67 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 75 1/3 innings.  Willis did struggle when he was brought up with the Reds again so we’ll see if Willis is now a career Four-A guy or if he can recapture his past success.

Brad Boxberger – The Bats had quite a few closers and one of the better ones was Boxberger.  He finished with seven saves and he struck out 36 batters in 27 2/3 innings.  This was after having a very nice run with the Mudcats where he had a 1.31 ERA in 34 1/3 innings.  He’s only 23 but this is a guy who could spend some time in the Reds pen in 2012.

Here’s Baseball America’s Top Ten Reds Prospect list

1)  Devin Mesoraco C
2)  Billy Hamilton  SS
3)  Yonder Alonso 1b/OF
4)  Yasmani Grandal  C
5)  Zach Cozart  SS
6)  Daniel Corcino  RHP
7)  Robert Stephenson  RHP
8)  DiDi Gregorius  SS
9)  Todd Frazier  3b/1b/OF
10)  Brad Boxberger  RHP

Louisville had another nice season and while they didn’t make the playoffs, they had a nice run.  Here were the best hitters on the team in 2011.

Jeremy Hermida – The one time Florida Marlins top prospect, Hermida had a solid season for the Bats in 2011. He was second in home runs with 17 but he led the team in total bases (207) and runs (67).  He hit .319 and his OPS was a very nice .924.  Of course this didn’t translate into a solid major league stint but he got it done when he was with the Bats.

Yonder Alonso – Alonso had a very nice 46/60 walk to strikeout ratio in 91 games for the Bats before his succesful major league run with the Reds.  He hit 12 home runs and while he didn’t lead the team in anything, it was more because he spent such a large chunk of the season with the Reds.

Devin Moscoraco – The former first round pick, Moscoraco is close to becoming the Reds full time catcher.  He’s still only 23 yet he hit .289 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs for the Reds in 2011.  He did get a call up and while he hit just .180, the hope that Mesoraco is the Reds’ catcher of the future.

Louisville Bats – 73-71, fifteen games back of the first place Columbus Clippers
Carolina Mudcats – 30-39 in the second half, twelve games back of first place Chattanooga
Bakersfield Blaze – 31-39, ten games back of first place Modesto
Dayton Dragons – 48-22, first place in the second half in the Midwest League
Billings Mustangs – 24-14, one game back of first place Great Falls
AZL Reds – 31-25, three games back of the first place AZL Dodgers

Bakersfield had a poor showing in their final game of the season as they lost to High Desert 10-0.  Matt Fairel fell to 0-6 on the season with a rough start. He gave up eight runs on thirteen hits with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Carlos Mendez went two for three in the loss.  Devin Lohman went two for four.

The Carolina Mudcats lost their final game of the season with a 4-0 loss to Mississippi.  Curtis Partch gave up four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work.

Kevin Coddington went one for three with a double in the loss.  Didi Gregorious went one for four with a double.

The Bats season came to an end but not without one more win as they took care of Indianapolis 5-2. Chad Reinke improved to 9-7 and he gave up two runs on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts in five innings.  Brad Boxberger walked two in a shutout ninth and he picked up his seventh save of the season.

Neftali Soto went two for three with a home run and three RBIs.  Denis Phipps went three for three with a walk, two runs and two RBIs.

James Avery improved to 6-11 on the season with a solid start in the Mudcats 2-0 win over the Suns.  He gave up five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in seven shutout innings.  Tim Gustafson threw two shutout innings to close out the game and he picked up his third save of the season.

Quintin Berry singled twice, drew a walk and he scored both runs in this one.  Neftali Soto went one for four with an RBI.

Louisville made short work of the Mud Hens tonight in a 12-1 beatdown.  Juan Francisco was one of several hitting stars with a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a double, a home run and five RBIs.  Chris Valaika went three for five with two doubles, an RBI and two runs.

Matt Maloney gave up eight hits and walk in seven innings but he didn’t allow a run.  He improved to 5-1 and he struck out three.

Edinson Volquez got it done for the Bats in their 4-2 win and he improved to 2-0.  He gave up just five hits with nine strikeouts in a complete game win.

Devin Mesoraco went two for three with a double, a run and an RBI.  Chris Valaika singled and he drove in two runs.

Eric Campbell was the hitting star in the Mudcats 12-3 win over Jackson. He went three for five with a pair of home runs and four RBIs in the win.  David Cook went three for five with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

Kyle McCulloch improved to 4-4 with a solid start.  He gave up an unearned run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in seven innings.

It counts as a relief appearance but Matt Klinker threw six shutout innings in relief of Aroldis Chapman in the Mudcats 7-0 win over the Generals.  He gave up three hits and three walks with a strikeout in six innings of work.

Denis Phipps went two for three with a double and a run.  Feliz Perez went two for four with a run and Eric Campbell hit a two run home run.

Josh Smith improved to 6-3 on the season with a really nice start in the Dragons 5-0 win over Lumberkings.  He gave up two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in six innings of work.

Yorman Rodriguez was the hitting star.  He went three for three with two runs.  Juan Duran went two for four with a double, a run and an RBI.

Dontrelle Willis had another nice start and while he didn’t pick up the win, he pitched more then half of the Bats shutout.  He gave up three hits and three walks and he struck out seven.  Jerry Gil improved to 2-3 and he pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings.

Zach Cozart went three for four with two runs and an RBI.  Devin Mesoraco went two for four with two RBIs.

J.C. Sulbaran improved to 3-0 on the season with a nice start in the Blaze’s 1-0 win over the Ports.  He gave up just four hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in six shutout innings.  Doug Salinas struck out one in a shutout ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Didi Gregorious went two for four in the win.  Stephen Hunt drove in the lone run with a solo home run in the sixth inning.

Pedro Villereal improved to 1-0 on the season with a really nice start in the Mudcats 8-0 win over the Suns.  He gave up just five hits and two walks and he struck out five in six shutout innings.  Donnie Joseph struck out two in two innings of shutout relief.

Seven hits came from the top of the order.  Miguel Rojas led the way and he went three for five with two runs and two RBIs.  David Cook went two for four with a walk, a run and an RBI.

This one was ugly.  The Blaze lost 22-2 and two different pitchers gave up nine or more runs in this one.  Pedro Villarreal was pummelled for 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings and Ruben Medina gave up nine runs in just 2/3 of an inning.

Erik Campbell went two for four with a run.  Josh Fellhauer went two for three with a walk.

Matt Maloney improved to 1-0 on the season with a really nice start in the Bats 8-0 win over the Bisons.  He gave up just four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven shutout innings.  Daniel Ray Herrera struck out two in an inning of shutout relief.

Maloney also got it done at the plate.  He went three for three with a run and a double.  Todd Frazier was the hitting star though.  He hit a pair of home runs and he drove in four in the contest.

Alright, the Louisville Bats might not be in first place, but they’re off to a good start and they’re just two games back of the first place Clippers.  16-7 isn’t anything to scoff at and I expect Columbus will come back down to earth at some point.  Dave Sapelt has been very good at the plate as has one time top prospect Jeremy Hermida.  One big surprise has been Dontrelle Willis.  He’s been lights out in four starts and he has a 19-7 strikeout to walk ratio.  Oddly his WHIP and ERA are exactly the same at 1.13,

Unfortunately the Mudcats aren’t doing nearly as well.  They’re 6-17 and they’re in last place.  Cody Puckett is raking the ball and he has 6 home runs and 25 RBIs.  The big problem at this level has been the pitching.  No pitcher with more then two starts has an ERA under 5.00. That’s a little discouraging.

The Blaze are in the middle of the pack at 12-11.  Eric Campbell has been a monster at the plate with a 1.258 OPS and he’s already scored 31 runs.  Andrew Means is hitting .304 and he has 16 stolen bases.  Josh Ravin has been the top pitcher with 30 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA in 21 2/3 innings.

Dayton is off to a nice start at 14-9.  Dominic D’Anna has a .348 batting average and Donald Lutz has five home runs and a .589 slugging.  Josh Smith has been close to unhittable and he has 35 strikeouts and a 0.93 ERA in 29 innings.

Alright, the Reds start their regular season tomorrow but the minor leagues have another week.  Here’s the when and where that each affiliate opens up their season:

Louisville Bats – at home against the Hens on April 7
Carolina Mudcats – at home against Mobile on April 7
Bakersfield Blaze – at Visalia on April 7
Dayton Dragons – at home against Bowling Green on April 7

I’m going to try to make it to at least one Reds affiliate this year, most likely Louisville.  I’m also hoping to get some Reds Tickets and head down for a game.  I like the Red’s chances this year so it should be a good season.

My favorite prospect list came out earlier in the week.  Kevin Goldstein is a guy I like to read and out of all the lists out there, I put the most credence in his.  I’m happy to report the Reds have not only their one five star prospect (guess who), but they also have three four stars.  Topping the list is the phenom himself, Aroldis Chapman.  He’s ready and he’s pitching out of the pen this year.  You just hope he doesn’t pull a Joel Zumaya or even worse, the Reds start dicking with him and we have a Joba Chamberlain case.  Still, the Reds probably can’t do much wrong with him this year and he’ll be a vital cog at the front end of the Reds pen.

Number two is Devin Mescoraco.  The catcher is now major league ready but it looks like he’ll get a full year with Louisville before becoming the team’s catcher next year.  This guy can mash, but he’s been in the system for a while.  Still, he’ll only turn 23 during the season so he’s hardly old, he’s just been with team for a few years now.

Number three is Billy Hamilton.  The infielder put up some nice numbers in his short season but this will be his first full season coming up.  This kid can run.  He won’t hit many over the fence but he has a chance to be a premier leadoff hitter.  Yasmani Grandal (first round pick in 2010, a few years away as a catcher) and Yorman Rodriguez (outfielder, also a few years away) round out the top five.

Baseball America unveiled their list of the Reds top ten prospects and while I’d hardly consider him a prospect anymore, he fits the rule so he gets the top spot.  The hard throwing Aroldis Chapman struck out 19 batters in 13 innings and now everyone is calling him the heir apparent at closer.  I think he’d shine there, but where I’m at, I could see him running into the same problems Joel Zumaya has here in Detroit.  When you dial it up every pitch, it’s could come back to haunt the pitcher where as if he started, he’d have to pace himself better.  Still, for now he’s a stud no matter how the Reds use him.

Billy Hamilton is second on the list and the top position player.   He was very good at Billings mostly as a nineteen year old and he’ll get his first full season in 2011 at Dayton.    Depending on how Brandon Phillips does the next couple of years, Hamilton could be the heir to that spot in a few years.

Devin Mesoraco was the Reds first round pick in 2007 and he’s finally moved up the chain.  He’ll start at Triple A this year but you could see him in a Reds uniform before the end of the year.  Yonder Alonso (blocked by Votto but major league ready) and Yorman Rodriguez (18 years old, nice year with Billings) round out the top five.

The ever changing minor league affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds will get even more complicated in 2012 because the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats, are going to be moving to Pensacola, FL.  It wasn’t too long that the Reds had a minor league affiliate in Sarasota, but when they moved to Arizona for spring training, they also moved their High-A affiliate as well.  Anyway, just to keep things straight, here’s where the Reds Minor League teams are going to be in 2011.

Triple A – Louisville Bats
Double A – Carolina Mudcats (at least for this one year)
High A – Bakersfield Blaze (formerly in Lynchburg)
Low A – Dayton Dragons
Rookie League – Billings Mustangs
Rookie League – Arizona League Reds

A game that was 2-2 through the first nine innings saw both offenses explode for six runs in the tenth inning.  Unfortunately for the Bats, they gave up four of those six runs and only scored two so they took a 6-4 loss to Buffalo.  Juan Francisco went three for five with a two run home run.  Wilkin Castillo went two for five with a double and an RBI.

Jon Adkins took the loss and he fell to 0-1.  He gave up three of those four tenth inning runs.  Travis Wood had a solid start and he gave up two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in six innings.

Four different pitchers gave up runs in Lynchburg’s 11-6 loss to Potomac.  Lance Janke was particularly hit hard and he gave up five runs on five hits and two walks and the loss dropped his record to 0-3.

Devin Mesoraco went one for three with a home run, two walks, three RBIs and two runs.  Neftali Soto went three for five with a double, two runs and an RBI.

Efrain Contreras had just one single but he also had two sac. flies to drive in three runs in the Dragons 6-2 win over Bowling Green.  Kevin Coddington went two for four with two runs while Alex Oliveras drove in two and scored once without picking up a hit.

Josh Ravin improved to 1-1 with a solid start.  He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts in five innings.  Donnie Joseph struck out three in 1 1/3 innings of relief and he picked up his fourth save of the season.

The Hillcats scored eight runs on twelve hits as they took care of Potomac 8-2.  Six of the Hillcats run came in the first inning and after that, they kind of coasted to an easy win.  Carlos Mendez went three for four with a run and an RBI while Justin Reed went two for four with a double, a run and two RBIs.

Matt Fairel gave up two runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings and the win pushed his record to 3-0.  Jordan Hotchkiss also pitched in with two shutout innings of relief.

Chris Denove had a big day at the plate as the Mudcats took care of Mobile 10-3.  He went three for five with a double, five RBIs and a run.  Denis Phipps went two for four with a double,  a walk, two runs and an RBI.

Dallas Buck got plenty of run support but he still pitched a nice game.  He gave up two runs on nine hits with two walks in 5 1/3 innings.  The win improved his record to 2-3 on the season.