High A roster is out now, leaving just the Bats left for the Reds to go. Here are the guys starting out in Sarasota:
Pitchers
Misael DeJesus- Ramon Geronimo
- Daniel Guerrero
- Kevin Gunter
- Robert Manuel
- Ruben Medina
- Alexander Smit
- Jordan Smith
- Lee Tabor
- Camilo Vazquez
- Sean Watson
- Travis Wood
Catchers
- Chris Denove
- Eddy Rodriguez
Infielders
Michael DeJesus- Juan Francisco
- Jason Louwsma
- Justin Tordi
- Justin Turner
- Chris Valaika
Outfielder
- Chris Heisey
- Sean Henry
- Carson Kainer
- Luis Soto
- Drew Stubbs
Roster Make up
It has its share of expected guys, but notably missing are Rafael Gonzalez and Travis Webb. Looks like Chris Valaika is heading back over to SS after playing 2B in Hawaii. Several high draft picks on the team led by Drew Stubbs. Sean Watson and Travis Wood are both 2nd round picks, while Chris Valaika was a 3rd rounder. It will be interesting to see who gets the playing time in the outfield. Lots of competition out there for now.
Players to watch
Pitcher - Travis Wood
Coming off an arm injury last year he has been pitching very well in spring and is feeling healthy this year. He has been working on a slider as well as his curveball. He could earn a quick promotion if he shows success in Sarasota early on. Health is a concern, but all reports indicate he is feeling great. Easily the best pitching prospect on the team.
Hitter - Drew Stubbs
It was tough to not go with Francisco here, who needs to work on some big parts of his plate approach but Stubbs is the guy I went with. The FSL is known for eating hitters alive at times and Stubbs has gotten his share of flack for his professional career so far (although not from me). Last year he turned it on in the second half as he hit .303/.394/.517 over his final 250 PA. Couple that with his turf toe surgery this offseason that has him healthy for the first time in two years and I really think Stubbs could have a breakout year this season.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
I was wondering are there anyplayers coming to the mainland from DSL or VSL because I would like to see more talent from latin america
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
I don’t think we will find out until the GCL/Billings seasons begin. It doesn’t look like anyone is coming over to start in Dayton like we had last year with Pedro Viola and Ramon Geronimo.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
It just seems like players are dissapearing on me. You mentioned Travis Webb and Rafael Gonzalez. I was also curious about where Logan Parker and Logan Ondrusek went to. I figured Parker would be starting at first and Ondrusek in this or the AA rotation. Im also surprised to see Vasquez and Henry knocked down a level. It seems odd that Szymanski and Strait were promoted after lackluster showings in Sarasota but Henry was atleast decent in Chattanooga yet got demoted.
Im getting the impression that the injury bug was biting hard in minor league camp.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
parker will be at 1st base hopfully by the middel of april he is now taking live bp and is recovering nicely he has been taking infield in intersquad games says he feels really good
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
What kind of injury did he have? Is something wrong with Rafael Gonzalez’s arm?
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Where’s Cozart?
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Like previously noted, Parker is still coming back from an injury. He tore his labrum last year in the playoffs for Dayton and had it operated on after trying to rehab it in December. He shouldn’t be out too much longer.
As for Gonzalez, I have no idea.
Cozart was hit by a pitch in ST and is on the DL. He isn’t expected to be out very long and will likely end up in Dayton…. where he plays isn’t known to me at this point though.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Oh, forgot about these….
Sean Henry wasn’t too good in his short stint in AA last year (673 OPS). I expect the Reds just want to get a good look at him this year. He hit pretty well in the FSL last year and the Reds outfield is crowded in AA/AAA and I think they likely want him to play every day and he wouldn’t have gotten that chance in AA. In Sarasota, one of the outfielders can DH so they can still get their at bats.
The Vazquez move tells me that he either is going to move to the bullpen or the Reds are maybe instituting him as an organizational soldier.
I don’t know where Ondrusek is, I wonder if he has an injury… I will see if I can find anything on that.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Do you think that Carson Kainer is going to do the bulk of the DHing?
I am surprised to see Michael DeJesus back in Sarasota. I though he did well enough to move up the ladder.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
I think there will likely be a rotation of corner outfielders and the DH position, while Stubbs stays in CF as long as he is in Sarasota.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Very nice outfield. If Heisey continues his performance, he will be under the radar no longer. I think he could possibly slide into the top 10 prospects if he progresses this year. I think his power will increase and he already runs well.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
I was amused by Brantley’s being startled when he first saw Stubbs motoring around the bases in a brief spring appearance.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Chris Heisey reminds me a lot of Denorfia and Brady Clark for some reason.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
I like Heisey quite a bit. He will be fun to follow this year, hopefully he can stay healthy all year.
Tuesday, 1. April 2008
Can he play a good center field? If not he will probably get stuck as a tweener or 4th outfielder. which i suppose would still be good bang for your buck considering where he was drafted.
Thursday, 17. July 2008
Heisey can definitely play a solid center field. I played with him in college and though he obviously wasn’t facing the big-time competition the guy is a legit player. GREAT speed, solid arm, and very instinctive. Could play any one of the outfield positions, even 3B if needed.