This minor league outfielder turned a triple play after catching a ball off his head:

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The Reds drafted 18-year old righthander Robert Stephnson with the No. 27 overall pick in this week's MLB Amateur Draft. Here's what some are saying about them:

"With most of the high-profile college pitchers already selected, the Reds went with a young right-hander with some serious upside. Best known for throwing back-to-back no-hitters this season, Stephenson sits in the low-to-mid 90s with his heater and throws a promising curveball. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, there’s still some projection left." - DJ Short, HardballTalk.com

"Stephenson, a Washington commitment, touched 97 mph with his fastball this spring and had more consistent velocity on his heater than Ross, sitting 93-95 at times. He's also got a power curveball, and his package was good enough for the Reds to pop despite their recent preference for college picks. Stephenson is the first prep pitcher the Reds have drafted in the first round since Homer Bailey in 2004." - John Manuel, Baseball America

"Stephenson also hit .324 with 14 RBIs and played right field when he wasn't on the mound. His calling card, though, was a fastball that could hit 98 mph, a sharp curveball that often proved unhittable and poise on the mound." - Ben Enos, Contra Costa Times

DRAFT TRACKER (MLB.com)

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The top prospects in the Reds' system according to BaseballProspectus.com:

Five-Star Prospects
1. Aroldis Chapman, LHP

Four-Star Prospects
2. Devin Mesoraco, C
3. Billy Hamilton, 2B/SS
4. Yasmani Grandal, C

Three-Star Prospects
5. Yorman Rodriguez, OF
6. Yonder Alonso, 1B
7. Zack Cozart, SS

Two-Star Prospects
8. Juan Francisco, 3B/1B
9. Kyle Lotzkar, RHP
10. Ismael Guillon, LHP
11. Junior Arias, SS

COMPLETE BREAKDOWN

Minor Leagues, MLB cincinnati reds, top prospects, minor league rankings, aroldis chapman, devin mesoraco, billy hamilton, yasmani grandal, yorman rodriguez, yonder alonso, zack cozart, juan francisco, kyle lotzkar, ismael guillon, junior arias

In the spirit of summer's annual blitz at the box office, the Cincinnati Reds' Minor Leaguers this season have performed like a typical movie sequel.  "Ocean's Thirteen" or "Alien 4: The Resurrection" come to mind; you come in with high hopes after the previous few shows and leave wondering if you wasted your time or not.  There were some great scenes, but overall... ?

The Reds have graduated a lot of their Minor League talent to the Major Leagues over the past three years.  They have passed along more talent than the previous dozen years combined.  Just this year Mike Leake, Jordan Smith, Chris Heisey, and Logan Ondrusek have exited the Minors and they leave nice talent gaps that are hard to replace.  Some players have stepped up and some are fading faster than Molly Ringwald's film career.

The following is a listing of the midseason ranking of the Reds' Minor Leaguers based upon statistics, numerous scouting reports, first hand observation, age, position, and the catchall- research. 

Travis Wood and Matt Maloney are included in the rankings because, as unfair as it seems, the guess here is that both will be sent back down to the Minors shortly with the returns of Aaron Harang and Edinson Volquez.

First, the GetSportsInfo Preseason Rankings for a comparison:

1.  Aroldis Chapman, SP
2.  Yonder Alonso, 1B/ LF
3.  Todd Frazier, 2B/ 3B/ OF
4.  Mike Leake, SP
5.  Travis Wood, SP
6.  Chris Heisy, OF
7.  Yorman Rodriguez, OF
8.  Juan Francisco, 3B
9.  Zach Cozart, SS
10.  Matt Maloney, SP
11.  Bradley Boxberger, SP
12.  Chris Valaika, 2B
13.  Donnie Joseph, RP
14.  Juan Duran, OF
15.  Didi Gregorius, SS
16.  Billy Hamilton, SS
17.  Phillippe Valiquette, SP
18.  Enerio Del Rosario, RP
19.  Ezequiel Infante, SP
20.  Sam LeCure, SP

QUICK COMMENTS:  No Devin Mesoraco.  We missed on that one, but so did everyone else in the universe.  Enerio Del Rosario was promoted to Cincinnati, drank a few cups of coffee, showed some promise and headed back to Louisville for polish.  It is rare to rank a reliever on a Prospects List- they are so easy to come by.  Neftali Soto was left off after he ate his way out of shortstop AND third base and is now left to hit his way to the Majors over at first base.  Daryl Thompson is a long lost name that may resurface as he recovers from arm trouble in Double- A.

And now, the GSI Midseason Rankings and comments:

1.  Chapman:  temporarily being converted to a reliever to help an awful Major League bullpen.  His control issues are real and not improving much.  He seems to think that his stuff (i.e. 100 m.p.h. fastball) will carry him to success.  He still has a lot to learn.

2.  Wood:  His showing in the Majors so far has been impressive, but let's wait until the league sees him a second time around before anointing him Tom Browning.  He could be a solid #3 starting pitcher.

***3.  Yasmani Grandal, C:  The Reds' 2010 number one draft pick debuts here as soon as he commits to a contract.  That is not a great sign for the rest of the list and others.  Grandal will be an average fielding catcher who can hit somewhere between #2 and #6 in the lineup depending on how much he develops.

4.  Alonso:  The biggest trade chip the Reds have because 1.) He plays a position that is blocked by the Reds' best player and 2.) He is hotter than Catherine Zeta- Jones in "Ocean's Twelve" right now.  Over the past week, he has hit .387/.441/.742 (12-for-31), 3 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 3 SB.

5.  Mesoraco:  He is hardly slowing down after his promotion from High- A Lynchburg (.335/ .414/ .620 in 158 at bats) to Double- A Carolina (.286/ .339/ .610 in 105 at bats).  He should have been in the Futures Game, but there are still a lot of non- believers out there because the former #1 draft pick has not done anything like this since he has been a pro.

6.  Rodriguez:  The toolsy Venezuelan with the record signing bonus continues to progress.  In just 40 at bats (small sample!!!) for the Billings Mustangs (Short Season Rookie Ball), he is hitting .375/ .366/ .525.  He still needs to work on the typical problem with young players- plate disciple (no walks, eight strikeouts).

7.  Frazier:  He is struggling mightily in Triple-A (.239/ .301/ .434 in 297 at bats).  The good news is that these numbers have come up lately.  Still, he does not look to help the big club until late 2011 at the earliest.

8.  Ryan Lamarre:  The 2010 second round draft pick should never have lasted until the #62 pick overall.  He only did so because of an early season injury at the University of Michigan.  He is a five tool talent who should be in the top five in these rankings in a year.  So far, in 92 at bats at Low- A Dayton, he is hitting .272/ .380/ .359 with 12 steals in 13 attempts.

9.  Boxberger:  2009's supplemental pick is having a decent year at High- A (1.24 WHIP, 3.19 E.R.A. and 70 strikeout and 20 walks in 62 innings).  He gets very little press for some reason.

10.  Maloney:  He probably deserves to spend more time in Cincinnati, but he is squeezed out by money and returning veterans.  He could carve out an up and down career as a 4th or 5th (probably) starter.

11.  Joseph:  He is the only reliever in the present rankings so he must be good.  Last year's third- round pick has 76 strikeouts while walking 13 in 43.33 innings this year in High and Low- A ball.  He is a future closer.

12.  Cozart:  Scouts say he does not have the arm of Paul Janish, but he has better range and can hit better than him.  In particular, he takes more walks and hits for more power.  Both Cozart and Janish are better options than Orlando Cabrera right now.

13.  Gregorius:  Scouts love his glove and arm.  It is just a matter of his bat.  So far, the Dutch import has hit .271/ .325/ .385 in 340 at bats at Dayton.  He has some speed:  10 steals in 14 attempts.  There is no shortage of fantastic glove men at shortstop in this organization.

14.  Hamilton:  The Mississippi native is possibly the best athlete in the system.  He is only 19 years old and is as raw as you can imagine.

15.  Kyle Lotzkar:  After serious arm surgery that also included elbow ligament surgery (two for the price of one), Lotzkar is slowly coming back.  He just recent started to throw again for the Arizona Rookie team.  He is a huge question mark and many think the odds are against him.

16.  Francisco:  The raw power attracts scouts.  They rave about the possibilities of 30 homer seasons.  He reminds us of Wily Mo Pena because though he may have power, he has no plate disciple, no speed, and no ability to play defense.  Pawn him off to another organization before they clue in.

17.  Duran:  Continues to show absolutely nothing (.192/ .289/ .329) at the plate, but he is only 18 and still filling out his massive frame.  Scouts say all of the physical tools are there and that he just needs to play a ton.  If Hamilton is a rare steak, Duran is still mooing on the grill.

18.  Dave Sappelt:  We are doing a lot of reaching since reaching #15 on this list.  Sappelt is not a guy who many have heard of- maybe its because he is listed as 5'9" in the media book and may be only 5'7" in real life.  But he continues to put up solid numbers (combined High- A and Double- A numbers of .325/ .372/ .467 in 302 at bats) while showing good physical tools in center field.  He needs to work on his base running as he is only 20 for 33 in stolen base attempts.

19.  Valiquette:  The Canadian can light up the radar gun so he made the Futures Game and is a candidate for the back of the rotation or as a lefty set- up man.

20.  Valaika:  After a miserable 2009 season (.235/ .271/ .344), he has rebounded nicely with the average (.290), but nothing else ( .322 OBP and  .379 SLG).  This makes him a fringe prospect at best.  The 2010 third- round pick, Devin Lohman, will be passing him and many others between #15 and #19 very shortly.

21.  Devin Lohman, SS
22.  Miguel Rojas, SS
23.  Daryl Thompson, SP
24.  Ezequiel Infante, SP
25.  Sam LeCure, SP

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On Thursday night I made my first-ever trip to Louisville Slugger Field to watch the Reds’ AAA affiliate, the Louisville Bats, battle the Gwinnett Braves.

The main attraction was the Reds’ phenom left-hander Aroldis Champman, who was making his second start since getting promoted from AA.

After being sidelined for a week by a blister on his throwing hand, Chapman was worth the price of admission.

Chapman lit up the radar gun right out of the gate with his first six pitches being measured at 99, 99, 101, 100, 98 and 103 MPH. I never saw 103 before, not even back in the day when using Nolan Ryan on Nintendo’s RBI Baseball.

Control, which has plagued him since his time in Cuba, once again surfaced but he still overwhelmed nearly every batter he faced. The final line was impressive as he yielded three hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings.  In total, 57 of his 90 pitches went for strikes as he struck out two batters in three innings.

His two wild pitches brought back flashes of Ebby Calvin LaLoosh from the movie Bull Durham, but it did bring fear to the opposing hitters.

I hope the Reds take their time with Chapman, but count me as a believer as the sky is the limit.

Also in action was former first-round pick Yonder Alonso. He raised his average to. 267 by going 1-for-3 and scored a run.

After getting some looks in the outfield, he started at first base.  He was hit hard in the knee by a pitch in the bottom of the 8th innings, but managed to stay in the game.

Other observations:
--Louisville Slugger Field is super nice and an amazing place to catch a game. Tickets ranged from $7 to $11 and there is not a bad seat in the house. 

--Concessions were slightly less than what I was used to at Great American Ballpark and there were plenty of options. I didn’t have the courage to try the Fried Bologna though.

--I really enjoyed the beer garden in dead center field, which was extra busy as Thursdays are $1 beer night. There are also some nice family areas with playgrounds and even a full sized Carousel that lit up the outfield.

--Former Reds’ great Eric Davis was in the house and in a Reds’ uniform in the dugout. He was very active in instructing the young players one-on-one throughout the game. He stayed behind afterwards and signed autographs for fans.

Minor Leagues, MLB cincinnati reds, aroldis champman, yonder alonso, louisville bats, eric davis

You've probably heard about the Yankees' minor league switch pitcher, but have you seen this?

Just For Fun, Minor Leagues, MLB new york yankees, swtich pitcher, pat venditte, switch pitcher vs switch hitter

The rumors, whispers, and contract feelers are in full motion for the MLB Draft tonight and one particular report caught my eye.  As a result, I want a mulligan on one of my draft hopefuls, Alex White, for the Reds at #8 overall.  A recent report from Baseball Prospectus questions White's desire to compete and, after watching the Cincinnati Bengals for the past 18 years, that is good enough reason to remove him from my list.  In his place goes:

My pick: Mike Leake, RHP, ASU:  Leake reminds me a lot of Tim Lincecum in that his size scares people off and yet, he still dominates.  Leake actually has a better E.R.A. than Stephen Strasburg (1.23 to 1.32) while playing against better competition.  He could help any major league team by 2011.

Probable pick:  Aaron Crow, RHP, Independent League:  The Reds drafted some high-risk high school players with big ceilings in the middle of this decade, but have settled on experienced college players the past few years under the leadership of Scouting Director Chris Buckley.  That trend will continue today as they take a safe pick in Crow, who will be an above average major league pitcher.

Minor Leagues, MLB reds, mlb draft, alex white, mike leake, aaron crow

Pat Venditte, 23, is Major League Baseball's only ambidextrous pitcher. The righty/lefty is more than just a Youtube star though... He is getting people out. At one point in April, the pitcher's ERA was 0.00 in 6 1/3 innings and hadn't blown a save in five games.

Venditte had 23 saves last year for the Staten Island Yankees, with a 0.83 ERA. 

The possibilities with Pat make him very intriguing. It takes all the strategy away from the other team as far as whether to use a right-handed or left-handed pinch-hitter. It also takes pitch counts out of the equation, because he can pitch darn near every day. 

Venditte is literally two different pitchers on the mound. From the right side, Venditte brings a 90 MPH fastball, a curve and a nice change. However from the left side, Venditte throws sidearm with a nasty slider and a change. He's a five pitch pitcher.

Venditte says that he knows he would never have made it this far without his special talent, but thanks to his parents encouraging the use of both hands at an early age he is closing in on his dream of playing in "the show." 

Here's an article from Rick Reilly about Venditte.

How do you beat a guy who throws righty and lefty? You don't.

And who can forget this ESPN clip of the cat-and-mouse game between Venditte and a Switch-Hitter.

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from the Louisville Courier-Journal...

Homer Bailey gave fans 15 reasons to believe he's busted his early-season slump.

Bailey tied a team mark with 15 strikeouts in the Louisville Bats' 10-3 win over the Toledo Mud Hens before 5,551 fans.

The right-hander lost a battle with Micah Owings to become the Cincinnati Reds' fifth starter out of spring training and gave up eight earned runs in the Bats' season opener.

After getting no more than five strikeouts in his first three starts, Bailey matched the Louisville franchise record set by Ken Hill on May 10, 1990, against Indianapolis and also set a Fifth Third Field mark.

Bailey, the Reds' top prospect before breaking into the majors in 2007, worked 61/3 innings, getting all but four of his outs with strikeouts. He gave up four hits, two walks and two runs, though one of the runs scored after Bailey gave way to Ben Jukich in the seventh.

COMPLETE ARTILCE

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A quick take before the list.  On Wednesday, Dusty Baker was asked about Aaron Harang's arm injury and if he thought it resulted from the long relief outing in San Diego that he threw on short rest and the resulting starting assignment three days later.  Baker's response, as printed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, was, "No, it goes back before that."  What!!!!  Does that alarm anyone else?  That means he knew about Harang's arm injury and still threw him in long relief on short rest and then subsequently started him on short rest.  The man is a menace- eat his contract. 

On to better news...

Four times a year, I publish an updated rankings of the Reds Prospects.  Usually, I only list the top ten, but I had requests to expand it.  So today, we expand to twenty plus two extra (for reasons explained below).  The system has definitely fallen to the middle of the pack with the graduation of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto to the Majors.  The Reds now have a lot of mid- level talent in the minors-  the type of guys who could have three or four productive years or may just be role players.  This could change- some players like Kyle Lotzkar and Neftali Soto have the potential to be better than productive.  There is a big drop in talent after #6 on the list and an even bigger drop after #10.  So here we go:

1.  Yonder Alonso *, 1B, unsigned:  The 2008 number one draft pick is, by far, their number one prospect when he signs.  He has a higher ceiling and a better potential for longetivity than anyone else.  Even though I would have preferred Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham, this is Reds Senior Director of Scouting Chris Buckley's best pick in his three year stint with the club.

2.  Daryl Thompson, SP, AAA:  Not quite ready for prime time, but may be by 2009.  He is conquering Triple- A.

3.  Homer Bailey*, SP, AAA:  He is losing prospect status because he will no longer be a rookie after this season and because he is being called up again by the Reds to fill in for Harang.  In the meantime, his fastball has no movement, he cannot get his breaking stuff over the plate and his character is being questioned.  He now projects as a #3 starter at best.

4.  Todd Frazier, IF/ OF, High- A:  The 2007 second round draft pick has already been moved off of shortstop and is being auditioned on all corners of the diamond.  His bat (.289/ .357/ .442 in 197 at bats at Sarasota) will have to carry him to Cincinnati and it should.

5.  Chris Valaika, SS, AA:  Valaika will probably not make the Majors as a shortshop, but could as a second baseman or third baseman.  His bat (.293/ .353/ .457 in 232 at at bats at Chattanooga) will be above average at second, but only average for a third sacker.

6.  Josh Roenicke, RP, AAA:  Rarely do you see relief pitchers ranked highly on lists like this.  Roenicke deserves it- he throws his fastball in the mid to upper 90s and throws a cutter about 10 mph slower.  He is already 25 years old so he should be in Cincinnati by the end of the year.

7.  Neftali Soto, IF, Low-A:  Here is another player who is going to be moved off of shortstop.  In the meantime, the Reds will wait patiently for the 19- year old to mature into a power hitter.  Keep in mind that he broke Juan Gonzalez' youth home run record in Puerto Rico.

8.  Kyle Lotzkar, SP, Low-A:  The Canadian has stuck out 38 batters in just 26 innings at Dayton to go along with a 3.86 ERA and an opponents' average of .213 against him.  This is pretty impressive considering he was facing high school hitters just 14 months ago.  Many considered him a steal when the Reds got him with the 53rd pick overall in last year's draft.

9.  Drew Stubbs, OF, AA:  Stubbs will make the Majors due to his glove, arm and legs, all of which are plus tools for the 23- year old.  He probably will not be much of a hitter due to his lack of contact at the plate.  The drafting of Stubbs over Tim Lincecum in 2006 is the worst mistake that former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky made.

10.  Zach Stewart, RP, Low-A:  The Reds 2008 third round pick will not be in Dayton much longer:  0.73 ERA in 12.33 innings with nine strikeouts and an opponents average of .119.

11.  Juan Francisco, 3B, High-A:  There are many others who are much higher on Francisco and his power potential that I am.  He has cut his strikeout rate, but his low .287 on base percentage tells me that he is still making far too many poor decisions at the plate.  This has been the knock on him since he signed so there has been no progress there.

12.  Devin Mesoraco, C, Low-A:  Buckley's first rounders in 2006 (Stubbs) and 2007 (Mesoraco) are losing their luster.  Mesoraco is not putting up great numbers (.251/ .305/ .368 in 171 at bats at Dayton) and he is not impressing scouts:  http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7773

13.  Brandon Waring, 3B, Low-A:  His 97 strikeouts in 273 at bats puts Adam Dunn to shame.  The seventh- round pick from last year is driving the ball into the gaps and over the walls- he has 15 home runs and a .495 slugging percentage.

14.  Matt Maloney, SP, AAA:  His ceiling is not as high as some pitchers listed below, but he has proven more and done it at a higher level.  He will make it to Bigs by the end of this year.

15.  Sean Henry, LF, AA:  Anyone that plays left field needs to hit.  Henry, who came over from the Mets in exchange for Jeff Conine, has done just that:  .324/ .400/ .506 in  247 at bats in Double- A.  He has been compared to ex- Red Cody Ross- not bad considering the season Ross is having with the Marlins.

16.  Ramon Geronimo, RP, High- A:  He is putting up some eye- popping numbers in Sarasota:  in 38.33 innings, he has a 0.70 ERA, 44 Ks, 10 BBs, and an opponents average of .154.  He is definitely someone to watch.  The only downside is his age- he is about to turn 25.  (He needs to be promoted... pronto.)

17.  Sam LeCure, SP, AA:  He has a lot of upside.  He could be a #3 starter as opposed to Maloney, Jukich and Watson who are all #4s at best. 

18.  Ben Jukich, SP, AA:  He is having a solid season thanks to increased control and keeping the ball down.  He has given up only five home runs in 111.66 innings.

19.  Sean Watson, SP, AA:  He is struggling since his promotion to Chattanooga:  in 14.33 innings, he has a WHIP of 1.95, an ERA of 9.42 and 14 walks.  He does have 18 strikeouts though.

20.  Paul Janish, SS, AAA:  Janish showed his excellent glovework in his brief stint with the Reds last month.  He can field at the major league level.  His bat may hold him back.

*= Since Alonso is unsigned and Bailey is about to be promoted to Cincinnati, here are two more...

21.  Adam Rosales, IF, AAA:  His make- up is off the charts.  He could be a professional coach one day.

22.  Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette, RP, High- A:  This lefthander is striking out over a batter an inning so far this season between Low- A and High- A.

OVERRATED

1.  Travis Wood, SP, AA:  not a prospect at all... cannot miss enough bats or get enough outs and he has already peaked.

2.  Pedro Viola, RP, AA:  I, along with many others, have missed on him.  He has followed up a breakthrough 2007 with a miserable 2008.

3.  Chris Dickerson, OF, AAA:  athletic, but never puts up good numbers.

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