After a week of the season in the books I sat down today and got the first podcast of the season done. Its my first one ever, so its bound to be a little rough. It is 30 minutes long and 14.5 MB in size.
Topics discussed include:
Pitching prospects Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, Daryl Thompson, Travis Wood and more.
Hitters Todd Frazier, Brandon Waring, Juan Francisco, Chris Valaika, Adam Rosales, Jay Bruce and more.
Have the Reds been too cautious with the placement of their prospects?
The Enquirer ran a whole bunch of short articles on prospects so there is a lot of articles, but not a lot to most of them.
John Fay wrote one on the Young Arms. He touches on the recent history of the Reds pitching prospects.
John also wrote about the 4 young third basemen in the system. He has a few notes on Todd Frazier, Juan Francisco, Adam Rosales and Brandon Waring. Terry Reynolds provides the small blurbs on each player.
John Fay also has an article about stockpiling young talent in the system. Terry Reynolds has one of my favorite sayings about the draft in this article.
“You try to pick out who you think has the highest ceiling based on the tools. When you try to draft for need, you get in trouble.”
Jeff Brantley wrote ’scouting reports’ on Cueto, Volquez and Bailey. He actaully has scouting reports on Cueto (Photo: Tim Evearitt/The Chattanoogan) and Volquez but like I have noticed, he seems to have something against Homer Bailey. For the other two, he lists pitches they throw and how they throw them. For Bailey he doesn’t list any pitches, talks about his fastball, dogs his curveball for not being a short breaking one (despite the fact that he has gotten plenty of good hitters swinging and missing or standing there looking at it all spring) and doesn’t mention his changeup that has looked promising this spring or his slider or cutter that he has been working on this spring.
Shannon Russell wrote an article on the Young Bats in the system. It talks about batting average way too much as a way to determine a good hitter for my liking but talks about the impact Votto and Bruce could have on the team.
David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press has an article up on Drew Stubbs(Photo: MWLGuide.com). Here are some of the highlights from the article:
“I’ve had a pretty good spring, and if I can keep up the things I’ve been doing and build off that, I think I’ll be there before too long,” Stubbs said. “Being consistent in all phases of the game is the main thing. Rather than being great a few days of the week, I need to be good every day. That’s my goal.”
“I’ve played a couple of intrasquad games against him, and he looked pretty good,” new Lookouts manager Mike Goff said. “He’s very talented physically, and he’s a guy I’m hoping before the year is over that we’ll see in Chattanooga.”
Jim Molony of Milb.com wrote an article on 5 NL Rookies aiming for the top. Coming in at #4 was Johnny Cueto. Here is what the article said about Cueto:
4. Johnny Cueto, RHP, Reds: No pitcher caused more of a buzz in the Grapefruit League than Cueto, who wowed both scouts and opposing teams. Cueto’s chances of making the rotation were already good through his first four games (13 IP, 12 K, 4 BB, 2.08 ERA), and they improved when manager Dusty Baker decided last week to keep Jeremy Affeldt in the bullpen.
“That’s one of the best-looking young pitchers I’ve seen all spring,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said after watching Cueto pitch against Detroit. “That’s some of the best crude stuff I’ve seen all spring. I don’t know anything about him, but he’s got talent. He’s good. He’s very impressive.”
Dayton Roster
DaytonDragons.com gives us a little insight to the potential roster and even into the crowded SS situation through the system. Here are some of the highlights from the article:
There were four catchers with the Dragons on Tuesday. Joining Esquer were Jake Long, who played in seven games with the Dragons in 2007; Jason Bour, who joined the Reds organization out of George Mason University last summer and batted .287 at Billings in his professional debut; and Devin Mesoraco, the Reds top draft pick last June and the youngest of the group at age 18. Two or three of the four catchers will be with the Dragons when they arrive in Dayton this weekend.
Including the four catchers, there were 17 position players working out with the Dragons Tuesday as camp nears completion. The others were first basemen Mike McKennon and Kyle Maunus; middle infielders Zach Cozart, Brett Bartles, Angel Cabrera, Jake Kahaulelio, and Todd Frazier, third baseman Brandon Waring; and outfielders Brandon Menchaca, Justin Reed, Denis Phipps, Michael Jones, and Keltavious Jones. Cozart left the game Tuesday after being hit by a pitch on the wrist or forearm area. Traditionally, 13-14 of the 25 players on the opening day roster are position players, so the Reds will have some decisions to make in the next few days in terms of finalizing the Dragons roster.
The deepest position in the Reds organization is shortstop and the Dragons will have one of the best of the bunch in 2008 in Todd Frazier. With former Dragon Paul Janish in Triple-A, highly-regarded Jose Castro in Double-A, and Dragons’ ’07 starter Chris Valaika apparently headed to Sarasota, the road ahead of Frazier is crowded. Additionally, Zach Cozart, who is coming back from an injury and may not be ready for opening day, was drafted as a shortstop by the Reds last June after being selected by Baseball America as the top defensive infielder in all of college baseball in 2007. And the youngest of the Reds shortstop prospects, 19-year-old Neftali Soto, was a third round draft pick last June.
Starting with the catcher situation, I can’t imagine the Reds don’t start Mesoraco in Dayton (who is actually 19, and will be 20 in late June despite the article claiming he is 18). Looking toward the SS position, unless the article is incorrect (which it could be of course), it looks like Valaika is back to SS for now and that Cozart may begin the season on the DL for a short period of time. I am interested in seeing if Soto starts off the season in Dayton or in extended spring training. He started off the year pretty hot last year before suffering an injury and cooling off before being put on the DL.
Chattanooga Roster
David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press gave some insight into possible guys heading to AA in an article today. Below are some of the highlights:
Second baseman Drew Anderson played a team-high 128 games last season under then-manager Jayhawk Owens, and pitcher James Avery made a team-high 27 starts for coach Grant Jackson. Anderson and Avery have been penciled to return to Chattanooga, but it’s already a different atmosphere.
Four of the five spots have been set with Avery, Carlos Fisher, Sam Lecure and Justin Mallett. That quartet combined for 77 starts last year, with Mallett making an additional 36 appearances as a reliever.
Craig Tatum is returning at catcher, Anderson and first baseman Tonys Gutierrez are scheduled to return to the infield and Cody Strait and Sean Henry are expected back in the outfield.
Of Baseball America’s top 10 Reds organizational prospects, only reliever Josh Roenicke (No. 9) will start out with the Lookouts.
Where to start on this one….. lets start with the rotation. Word trickled down that Carlos Fisher was headed to the bullpen earlier in the offseason but now is listed in the rotation. It could be a side effect of Cueto making the Reds rotation and causing a lack of starters that is thrusting him back into that role. Sam Lecure pitched well enough last year that I thought he warranted a shot in Louisville.
Then there is Josh Roenicke heading back to Chattanooga. His time in Chattanooga was only 19 innings long, they were 19 dominant innings and he pitched really well in spring training with the Reds. I also figured he was heading to Louisville.
The one name missing from the article that I thought I might see would be Danny Dorn, who only spent a month in Chattanooga last year. That month however was incredible as he hit .311/.422/.667 with 15 extra-base hits in 109 at bats. I figure he starts in Chattanooga’s outfield though given Bruce, Dickerson and Gil should be headlining the Louisville grass.
Johnny Cueto did not have a very good game today, perhaps the worst of his professional career. Cueto generally throws strikes and a whole lot of them. Today, that was not the case as the Dominican Sensation threw 18 strikes and 23 balls during the first inning that he didn’t even make it out of.
Two-thirds of an inning, 3 hits allowed including a 3-run HR, 5 walks and no strikeouts led to a first inning exit for Cueto. Every year pitchers go through a ‘dead arm’ period in spring training as they try to get their pitch counts up and generally it happens a little sooner than now, but I hope that is what is going on with Cueto. That type of game is nothing close to what we have seen from Cueto in his career as a minor leaguer.
It does open up the question of ‘Does this re-open competition for the rotation’? You have to assume that Harang-Arroyo-Fogg-Volquez are in there. That leaves up Cueto, Bailey and Belisle shooting for that final spot. Belisle and Bailey have had their share of struggles in spring while Cueto has been lights out up until today, but today was really ugly.
I think the spot is still Cueto’s to lose and he will get another start before the season begins to show that this was just a blip on the radar. If he struggles again though, I would not be surprised to see Belisle or even Bailey (if he has another good outing) take that final spot of the rotation and have Cueto head to Louisville. That said, I figure its just a blip on the radar and Cueto comes out next time and puts it to rest and locks up that spot in the rotation, wherever he ends up at 3-5.
Spring Training Game Review 3/7/08 Game 1
Johnny Cueto dazzled today against the Pirates ( Photo by Al Behrman AP)
Johnny Cueto is the story from the first game against the Pirates on Friday. The 22 year old started for the first time this spring (has come in from the pen in prior outings) and showed why he is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Cueto went 3 innings, allowed just 1 hit, no walks and he struck out 4 batters.
Chris Dickerson went 1-2 with a run and an RBI.
Drew Anderson (OF) went 0-2.
Paul Janish went 0-2.
Adam Rosales went 0-2.
Ryan Hanigan went 0-3 with a run scored.
Craig Tatum went 0-1 with an RBI.
Richie Gardner allowed 5 hits and 2 walks in 0.1 innings that led to 7 earned runs. Not his best day.
Brad Salmon allowed 2 hits in 2 innings and struck out 4.
More on Johnny Cueto’s day
Here are some of the things Cueto said about his performance via C Trent:
“I feel good, I felt comfortable,” Cueto said after Friday’s performance. “I trust my stuff, I don’t do anything specific to impress anybody. I throw the way I’m used to throwing and challenge the hitters.”
When asked if he should start in the big leagues.
“Yes,” Cueto said through interpreter and catcher Javier Valentin as if he’d been asked nothing more if he wanted a bottle of water after pitching three innings and striking out four Pirate batters, while surrendering a single hit. “That’s why I’m here. I’m throwing the ball good, if I’ve got a chance to start the season in the big leagues, I’ll be happy.”
Here are quotes from other Reds about his day:
“He throws easy, he throws strikes, he mixes up his pitches well,” Baker said following the 13-8 Pirates win. “He threw the ball well, he looks nice and relaxed. He’s coming fast. He looked good.”
“Sometimes those guys have no chance — no chance at all,” Bruce said. “I asked him how he was throwing, he said, ‘maybe 98.’ I believe him. He’s ridiculous. He’s going to be good for a long, long time.”
“If you have that kind of changeup, welcome to the big leagues,” Valentin said. “Everyone says the next Pedro Martinez, and hopefully that’s what we’ve got here, the next Pedro Martinez.”
John Fay also picked up some other things from other guys:
“That kid’s got some (stuff),” Ken Griffey Jr. said. “Some other guys are going to turn it up, especially somebody wearing No. 34. Competition is a good thing.”
Homer Bailey is No. 34.
It sounds like Griffey is suggesting that Bailey is going to turn his game up a little bit.
What have you learned from Francisco Cordero and Mario Soto?
“I’m working low, strike zone low, and that’s what Mario and Cordero talk to me
about.”Did you reach your pitch limit today?
“No. I stayed short.”
Fay notes that Cueto threw another 15 pitches in the bullpen to get his full days work in.
Spring Training Game Review 3/6/08
Chris Dickerson went 0-1 officially, but in the bottom of the 9th after the game was officially over, the teams continued to play to get everyone the time they were scheduled to get. In that inning Dickerson hit a 3 run HR.
Paul Janish went 0-1 with a run.
Drew Anderson went 1-2 with an RBI.
Joey Votto went 0-2 with 2 walks and a run
Ryan Hanigan went 0-1
Adam Rosales went 0-1
Matt Maloney had another rough go of it. He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk in an inning pitched, including a home run.
Alexander Smit also allowed 4 runs in 1 inning, on 2 hits, 2 walks and a home run.
Marcus McBeth pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.
Edinson Volquez and Mario Soto on Juan Duran
This is from John Fay:
Edinson Volquez has seen Juan Duran play. He watched the 16-year-old outfielder the Reds signed in a tournament the Dominican.
“I saw him hit two two home runs in two at-bats,” Volquez said. “I saw him throw from the outfield. Unbelievable. I’ve never seen someone like that. He’s a little skinny right now. But he’s going to be really good.”
Duran is 6-foot-6, 190 pounds.
Mario Soto has not seen Duran play but he heard all about him.
“In my country, they said he was asking for $5 million,” Soto said.
Sounds like Volquez is sold on the kid big time after seeing him play.
Other notes
Jay Bruce will play tomorrow night against the Pirates for the first time since Saturday.
Johnny Cueto will make a start tomorrow afternoon against the Pirates (the Reds and Pirates play two games Friday, one at 1:05 and one at 7:05).
The guys over at Redlegnation.com have up their most recent podcast and one of their writers sat down with Matt Klinker (attended Lakota West HS here in the Cincinnati area and was a 2007 draft pick out of Furman College) and talked about all kinds of stuff. Its nearly 40 minutes long, but well worth listening to, so go check it out.
Mixing the past and the present
C. Trent Rosecrans has a piece up right now on his blog about some of the past players stopping by and talking with todays young guns. Talks about Homer Bailey talking with Jim Maloney and Jay Bruce asking questions of George Foster.
Baseballanalysts.com ran an article today reviewing the ‘Young Guns: NL Central’ and take a look at Bailey, Bruce, Votto and Cueto. Nothing too earth shattering there and they also think handing over these kids to Dusty Baker is ‘a train wreck waiting to happen’.
And how about a picture from spring training:
Joey Votto asking Dusty Baker if he will get any playing time with the Reds (Photo by Al Behrman/AP)
I am just going to combine the two days lines, so the stats will be for the two games combined.
(Photo: Keith Srakocic/AP)
Game Reviews
Chris Dickerson - 2-5 with a 2 run HR, triple, 2 runs, walk and 2 RBI
Adam Rosales - 2-5 with 3 runs
Jay Bruce - 2-4 with a double, a run scored, a stolen base and 2 RBI
Drew Anderson (OF) - 2-3 with 2 RBI and a triple
Craig Tatum - 1-3 with a double, run and RBI
Joey Votto - 1-2 with a run and a double
Drew Anderson (IF) - 0-1
Ryan Hanigan - 0-4
Paul Janish - 0-2
Matt Maloney - 1ip, 2 hits, 3 walks and 4 earned runs
Tyler Pelland - 1ip, 1 hit, 1 walk
Josh Roenicke - 1ip and 2 strikeouts
Johnny Cueto - 2ip, 4 hits, 1 run and 2 strikeouts
Game Notes
Jay Bruce left todays game with a slightly strained quad. He is day-to-day.
Johnny Cueto is recovering from the flu and wasn’t likely 100% today.
Spring Training Game Review
Chris Dickerson went 1-2
Jerry Gil went 1-2
Adam Rosales went 1-1 with a solo HR (Photo by Keith Srakocic/AP)
Joey Votto went 0-2
Jay Bruce went 1-2
Paul Janish went 0-1
Craig Tatum went 0-1
Brad Salmon went 1 inning, allowed a hit and a walk.
Baker says the young pitchers could start in the bullpen
From John Fay:
There’s no question that Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Homer Baiely have three of the best arms in camp. They’re being prepared as starters. So, if they don’t make the rotation, do they start the year in the minors?
“Not necessarily,” Dusty Baker said. “I come from the Dodger way. With young guys, the next best thing is long relief. It’s in between starting and relieving. It’s probably the less pressure on the staff because most of the time you’re coming in when you’re behind. We did it with Dave Burba in San Francisco, and he ended up winning nine, 10 games.
“Throw up zeros, so the offense can come back. You can’t let add on or trade runs. That’s where that guy is really important. If you’re not going to come back (and win games), you’re not going to win the pennant or the wild card. You need a guy who allows you to come back.”
Nolan Ryan, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Don Gullett and Roy Oswalt are among the dominant starters who began their careers in the bullpen.
“A lot of young guys start out in long relief,” Baker said. “If a guy’s not going to start, that’s the next best thing.”
This will make for interesting decisions at the end. The Reds owe Mike Stanton and Todd Coffey a lot of money. They’re going to have to pay them regardless of whether they’re on the team or not. Sounds like Baker would like to go with 11 or 12 best arms.
Now of course we have to realize that Nolan Ryan had extreme control problems for almost his entire career, so starting him in the bullpen was a way to lessen the damage that was going to do. Johan Santana was also hidden away in the bullpen because he was a 20 year old with no experience above A ball just taken in the Rule V draft. That said, I don’t think it would be a horrible idea for one of them to start the year in the bullpen, but more than that and I think its a bad idea. You can only have one ‘long guy’ out of the bullpen and I think its counter productive to have a starting pitcher on the ‘Joba Chamberlain’ bullpen ride if you truly want them to be a starting pitcher.
Lisa Wintson has her 2008 Cincinnati Reds Milb Preview up
There is a TON of great information in this article, so be sure to go to the link and read the entire thing, but here is some of the highlights from it.
Devin Mesoraco, C
The Reds’ top pick in 2007 out of high school in Punxsutawney, Pa. may not be able to tell you if there will be six more weeks of winter in February, but he should be calling much bigger things before long as one of the rare five-tool catching prospects in the game.Just 19, he is a good-hitting catcher whose arm seems fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2006. He hit just .219 in 137 at-bats in the Gulf Coast League in his debut but the Reds feel confident that that was not indicative of his talent.
“He was pretty beat up and I’ve got to give him credit, he just hung in there and played hurt the whole season,” Reynolds said. “He went home, rested and had a great instructional league. He has great makeup and all the tools for the position.”
It is something that people often overlook when they see a players numbers and they aren’t the best looking. In this case, Mesoraco was playing with two hurt thumbs almost all season and just think about how difficult it would be to hit like that.
Drew Stubbs, OF
The Reds’ top pick in 2006 out of Texas was slowed in his first full season by a nagging case of turf toe that ultimately required surgery this past winter. Considered perhaps the best defensive outfielder in the system, the injury hampered his plus speed.A 23-year-old with College World Series experience, Stubbs could move up quickly if he remains healthy. He has plus power and a strong arm that was good for 15 outfield assists at Dayton in ‘07, where he hit .270 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs. Despite the injury, his 23 steals were third most in the Reds organization.
Just like with Mesoraco, Stubbs was playing injured for the entire season, although his injury led to surgery in the offseason. Stubbs is one of the guys that I really want to see play healthy this year.
Carlos Fisher, RHP
Keep an eye on this Lewis-Clark State product this year as he moves from the rotation to the bullpen. He began the ‘07 campaign at Sarasota, going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA in seven starts before moving up to Chattanooga, where he was 5-9 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 games.His bread-and-butter pitch, a heavy sinker, should be more effective in the late innings and that’s where the 2005 11th-rounder should see the most time, either at Chattanooga or Louisville.
“He’s a good guy with good makeup and good stuff and we feel he’s gotten the innings he needed as a young pitcher, so now is the time for the move to the pen,” said Reynolds. “With his stuff he could be a real good relief pitcher.”
Looks like this move is one we should really follow. Fisher has a fastball that has gotten up to 94 MPH in the past although it generally is in the low 90’s. With him moving to the bullpen, I would love to see if he can dial it up just a little more knowing he is only going to be throwing 15-20 pitches a game instead of 90-100.
Daryl Thompson, RHP
Originally taken out of high school in Maryland by the Expos in the eighth round of the 2003 Draft, Thompson missed half of 2005 and most of 2006 with a torn labrum but was still a key cog in a multi-player deal with the Reds last summer. He made his Reds debut in 2007, and though still not yet 100 percent as the season began, he put up fine numbers.The 22-year-old Thompson combined to go 14-5 with a 3.18 ERA at Dayton (5-0, 0.96 in five starts) and Sarasota (9-5, 3.77). His fastball is not back to its pre-surgery blaze, but it was still sitting in the low 90s and helping him lead the Reds organization in wins, finish second in ERA and fifth in strikeouts.
Another injury type guy who should be fully healthy this year, Thompson could start in AA and could be another guy who just steps forward a little bit thanks to being fully healthy.
That is just a few of the great things from the article. Seriously, go give it a read.
Paul Daugherty has a nice article on Jay Bruce and Joey Votto and their relationship with one another and what they hope for in the future.
Intrasquad Scrimmage
Johnny Cueto pitched an inning and recorded a groundout from Edwin Encarnacion and struck out David Ross and Chris Dickerson. Video of that is below. Jay Bruce went 1-3 with two ground outs and a single. Joey Votto had a rough day as he went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. Matt Maloney allowed a hit to Jerry Gil (stolen base and went 2-2 with a double) and an unearned run while recording a strikeout. Richie Gardner allowed a walk and had a strikeout. Alexander Smit pitched an inning, allowed a single, walk and had a strikeout. Ryan Hanigan went 1-1 with a single and a stolen base. Josh Roenicke pitched an inning and allowed a double and an unearned run to go with a hit by pitch and a strikeout. Daryl Thompson allowed 3 singles and a double (Gil lost it in the sun, likely shouldn’t have been a double). Chris Dickerson went 1-3 with a double and a stolen base. Paul Janish made several very good plays defensively at SS and drew a walk. Ramon Ramirez allowed a single and had a strikeout in an inning of work. Tyler Pelland worked a 1-2-3 inning. Sergio Valenzuela was roughed up big time as he allowed a 3 run HR and 6 runs total in 2/3rds of an inning.
Video of Johnny Cueto taken by C. Trent Rosecrans of the game
He looked pretty good there, can’t wait to see him throw some more.Prospect articles and newsJohn Fay has this up on his blog where Dusty Baker talks about possibly putting the young starters into the bullpen role.
There’s no question that Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Homer Bailey have three of the best arms in camp. They’re being prepared as starters. So, if they don’t make the rotation, do they start the year in the minors?
“Not necessarily,” Dusty Baker said. “I come from the Dodger way. With young guys, the next best thing is long relief. It’s in between starting and relieving. It’s probably the less pressure on the staff because most of the time you’re coming in when you’re behind. We did it with Dave Burba in San Francisco, and he ended up winning nine, 10 games.
“Throw up zeros, so the offense can come back. You can’t let add on or trade runs. That’s where that guy is really important. If you’re not going to come back (and win games), you’re not going to win the pennant or the wild card. You need a guy who allows you to come back.”
Nolan Ryan, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Don Gullett and Roy Oswalt are among the dominant starters who began their careers in the bullpen.
“A lot of young guys start out in long relief,” Baker said. “If a guy’s not going to start, that’s the next best thing.”
This will make for interesting decisions at the end. The Reds owe Mike Stanton and Todd Coffey a lot of money. They’re going to have to pay them regardless of whether they’re on the team or not. Sounds like Baker would like to go with 11 or 12 best arms.
Hal McCoy has an article up on Matt Maloney in the Dayton Daily News. Here are some of the better excerpts from it:
“He not only has good breaking stuff, he has deception and late movement on his fastball,” Baker said. “He has control and he is not afraid to throw the ball inside on right-handers, which is one of the toughest things to teach a left-handed pitcher. A lot of them don’t like to try that because the ball tends to creep back over the heart of the plate.
“Most of the left-handers I didn’t like facing were guys who could throw their fastballs inside,” Baker added.
Baker didn’t put Maloney into the same category as Jerry Koosman and Frank Tanana, “Left-handers who were nasty on everybody,” but said Maloney appears to be trying to do what they did.
Matt Maloney throws during the intrasquad game (Photo: Jeff Swinger)
Mark Sheldon has a piece up on Richie Gardner on reds.com. Here are some of the better excerpts from that article.
Pained and discouraged by the long, slow slog that is shoulder surgery rehab, pitcher Richie Gardner once considered chucking his big league dream, packing his bag and going home to California.
What stopped him? His wife, Heather.
“My wife is what kept me going,” Gardner said. “I wanted to quit. Well, I didn’t want to quit, but at times it got so rough that I felt like, ‘Why am I doing this?’ She was on me and told me to give it two years. If it’s not back after two years, I could shut it down. It took about a year and a half.”
“It was terrible. It really was,” Gardner said. “It’s probably the worst thing a player can go through.”
In 2004, Gardner won the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award as the Reds’ Minor League Player of the Year as he led the farm system with a 2.53 ERA. In 2005, USA Today named Gardner the Reds’ best pitching prospect.
The surgery forced Gardner to start over. In 2006, he was with the Gulf Coast League and Class A Sarasota and made nine starts. Last year, he got back on track.
“I couldn’t even throw from the windup last Spring Training,” Gardner said. “When the season started, [Sarasota pitching coach] Tom Brown helped me. He kind of got my motion and rhythm back. Everything was good from there.”
“It’s a remarkable story,” Reds Minor League director Terry Reynolds said. “A year ago, he was stuck in rehab wondering if he could pitch again. His attitude was great. He knows how to pitch. I don’t know if he’s back to where he was, but he’s close. He’s kind of right back on schedule.”
The Reds added Gardner to their 40-man roster in November, which brought him to big league camp this spring.
“It’s a great reward for the work he put in,” Reynolds said.
The right-handed Gardner said his velocity is back up to the high 80s and 90 mph.
“It’s exciting. I can’t say that I can’t sleep because I’m tired,” Gardner said. “But I’m excited every time I wake up. Two years ago and last year, I was basically on the rack. I had no idea if I was going to play well again like I was capable of.
“My arm strength is different. I don’t get as tired. I feel like I can extend better. It’s just easier to pitch.”
I really hope Gardner gets his chance in the majors. He is a great story and from everything I have read, a real good guy.
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