Cincinnati Reds

Press Clippings

February 16, 2016

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY

1934-Reds pitcher Eppa Rixey announces his retirement. Rixey will end his 13 years with the Reds, with a 179-148 record, a 3.33

ERA, 180 complete games, 23 shut outs, 2890.2 innings pitched and 660 strike outs

MLB.COM Prospects to watch at Spring Training

By Jamal Collier / MLB.com | February 15th, 2016 + 2 COMMENTS

A number of rookies played an important role to their team's success last season. The Rookie of the Year in each league helped snap

streaks of losing seasons for each of their respective clubs and a plethora of other prospects made their impacts in 2015.

So perhaps it has never been more essential to keep an eye on the top prospects as Spring Training opens. Below are some of the top

young players to keep tabs on in 2016.

American League

ANGELS

C Taylor Ward, LHP Nate Smith, OF Todd Cunningham, RHP Victor Alcantara, LHP Greg Mahle

ASTROS

SS Alex Bregman, RHP Michael Feliz, IF/OF Tony Kemp, 3B Colin Moran, RHP Joe Musgrove, 1b A.J. Reed, IF Tyler White

ATHLETICS

LHP Sean Manaea, SS Franklin Barreto, 2B Joey Wendle, 1B/OF Matt Olson, 3B Matt Chapman, SS Chad Pinder

BLUE JAYS

OF Anthony Alford, C Max Pentecost, RHP Connor Greene, 1B Rowdy Tellez

INDIANS

RHP Shawn Armstrong, 1B Bobby Bradley, RHP Mike Clevinger, OF Clint Frazier, OF Tyler Naquin, RHP Adam Plutko, OF Brad

Zimmer

MARINERS

RHP Tony Zych, OF Boog Powell, SS Tyler Smith, RHP Jonathan Aro, LHP Paul Fry, OF Dario Pizzano, LHP Danny Hultzen

ORIOLES

RHP Dylan Bundy, RHP Hunter Harvey, 1B Christian Walker, RHP Mychal Givens, RHP Tyler Wilson, RHP, Mike Wright

RANGERS

3B Joey Gallo, OF Lewis Brinson, OF Nomar Mazara, OF Patrick Kivlehan, LHP Andrew Faulkner, RHP Myles Jaye

RAYS

LHP Blake Snell, 3B/1B/OF Richie Shaffer, OF Mikie Mahtook, C Justin O'Connor, SS Daniel Robertson, RHP Taylor Guerrieri,

2B Ryan Brett

RED SOX

LHP Brian Johnson, RHP Pat Light, SS Deven Marrero, LHP Henry Owens, RHP Noe Ramirez, 1B Sam Travis

ROYALS

SS Raul Mondesi, RHP Kyle Zimmer, RHP Miguel Almonte, OF Bubba Starling

TIGERS

RHP Michael Fulmer, RHP Joe Jimenez, SS Dixon Machado, OF Steven Moya, INF JaCoby Jones, RHP Drew VerHagen, LHP

Kevin Ziomek

TWINS

CF Byron Buxton, RHP Jose Berrios, OF Max Kepler, LHP Tyler Jay, SS Nick Gordon, INF Jorge Polanco

WHITE SOX

RHP Carson Fulmer, SS Tim Anderson, RHP Spencer Adams, OF Adam Engel, OF Jacob May, RHP Tyler Danish, 3B Trey

Michalczewski, OF Courtney Hawkins, 1B Corey Zangari, LHP Jace Fry, OF Micker Adolfo

YANKEES

OF Aaron Judge, RHP James Kaprielian, LHP Jacob Lindgren, SS Jorge Mateo, RHP Bryan Mitchell, 2B Rob Refsnyder, C Gary

Sanchez

National League

BRAVES

SS Dansby Swanson, LHP Sean Newcomb, SS Ozhaino Albies, RHP Aaron Blair, OF Mallex Smith, RHP Tyrell Jenkins, LHP

Manny Banuelos, RHP Lucas Sims, RHP Chris Ellis, 3B Rio Ruiz, OF Braxton Davidson

BREWERS

SS Orlando Arcia, RHP Jorge Lopez, RHP Zach Davies, OF Rymer Liriano, 3B Garin Cecchini, INF Yadiel Rivera, OF Brett

Phillips, LHP Josh Hader, C Jacob Nottingham, SS Isan Diaz, 2B Javier Betancourt

CARDINALS

LHP Marco Gonzales, OF Charlie Tilson, RHP Luke Weaver, SS Aledmys Diaz, C Carson Kelly

CUBS

RHP Carl Edwards Jr., OF Albert Almora, 3B Jeimer Candelario, RHP Duane Underwood, RHP Pierce Johnson, C Willson

Contreras

D-BACKS

RHP Archie Bradley, RHP Braden Shipley, OF Socrates Brito, INF Brandon Drury, RHP Yoan Lopez, C Peter O'Brien, RHP Tyler

Wagner, RHP Jake Barrett, RHP Enrique Burgos

DODGERS

SS Corey Seager, LHP Julio Urias, RHP Jose De Leon, INF Micah Johnson, C Austin Barnes, OF Trayce Thompson, RHP Ross

Stripling, RHP Jharel Cotton, RHP Frankie Montas

GIANTS

INF Christian Arroyo, RHP Ray Black, RHP Clayton Blackburn, OF Jarrett Parker, OF Mac Williamson

MARLINS

LHP Jarlin Garcia, RHP Kendrys Flores, C Tomas Telis, RHP Nick Wittgren, INF J.T. Riddle, RHP Austin Brice, RHP Brian

Ellington, RHP Nefi Ogando

METS

LHP Steven Matz, OF Brandon Nimmo, SS Gavin Cecchini, 1B Dominic Smith, SS Matt Reynolds

NATIONALS

RHP Lucas Giolito, SS Trea Turner, INF Wilmer Difo, LHP Nick Lee, OF Victor Robles, C Pedro Severino, INF Chris Bostick

PADRES

OF Manuel Margot, OF Hunter Renfroe, SS Javier Guerra, RHP Colin Rea

PHILLIES

RHP Mark Appel, RHP Jimmy Cordero, RHP Zach Eflin, RHP Jake Thompson, C Jorge Alfaro, C Andrew Knapp, SS J.P.

Crawford, OF Roman Quinn, OF Nick Williams

PIRATES

RHP Tyler Glasnow, 1B Josh Bell, RHP Jameson Taillon, C Reese McGuire, C Elias Diaz, 2B Alen Hanson, LHP Steven Brault,

RHP Chad Kuhl, RHP Trevor Williams, OF Willy Garcia, INF Max Moroff, OF Harold Ramirez

REDS

OF Jesse Winker, RHP Robert Stephenson, LHP Cody Reed, LHP Amir Garrett, 2B Jose Peraza, RHP Nick Travieso, OF

Phillip Ervin

ROCKIES

INF Cristhian Adames, RHP Miguel Castro, OF David Dahl, RHP Jairo Diaz, RHP Carlos Estevez, LHP Kyle Freeland, RHP Jon

Gray, RHP Jeff Hoffman, 3B Ryan McMahon, RHP German Marquez, LHP Sam Moll, C Tom Murphy, OF Jordan Patterson, RHP

Antonio Senzatela, C Dom Nunez, SS Trevor Story, OF Raimel Tapia

Hot spots: Positions up in air as camps begin

After a busy offseason that saw several familiar faces find new homes, teams are heading to Florida and Arizona as Spring

Training is here

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | 12:10 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS

With the first group of pitchers and catchers set to report to camp tomorrow, there isn't a single Major League roster that's entirely

set.

Position battles are a staple of Spring Training, and every single team has at least one roster spot to be settled -- some a bit more

high-profile than others.

With that in mind, MLB.com beat reporters for all 30 clubs analyzed the biggest battles for their respective teams. Here's a

breakdown:

AL EAST

Blue Jays: The top four rotation spots in Toronto appear to be locked in, but the fifth spot is completely up for grabs, with five

potential contenders. Aaron Sanchez, Jesse Chavez, Drew Hutchison, Gavin Floyd and Roberto Hernandez all have a shot, with the

23-year-old Sanchez offering the highest upside -- but also the least experience.

Orioles: The O's rotation posted a 4.53 ERA last season, which ranked 25th in the Majors, and serious questions remain entering

2016. Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Miguel Gonzalez figure to occupy the first four spots. Currently, Tyler

Wilson, Mike Wright and Vance Worley will be fighting for the fifth spot, but if Baltimore inks Yovani Gallardo, that could shake

things up.

Rays: Tampa Bay acquired Logan Morrison, Corey Dickerson and Steve Pearce in the offseason -- each of whom brings a unique

skill set to the table. They'll join Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook, Kevin Kiermaier, Desmond Jennings and Steven Souza Jr. in a

very crowded battle for the three starting outfield jobs -- and possibly the DH spot as well.

Red Sox: At this point, Blake Swihart -- who batted .303/.353/.452 in the second half last season -- is the front-runner to start at

catcher for Boston on Opening Day. But if Christian Vazquez is fully healthy, he could make a push to reclaim the job that was once

his before he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery last April.

Yankees: The Yanks' roster seems relatively set entering camp, specifically the starting nine. In fact, there might not be a team with

a clearer picture of its starting lineup than New York. But there are still questions for manager Joe Girardi to answer, specifically

who joins the fearsome bullpen trio of Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.

NL EAST

Braves: Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler and Bud Norris will likely comprise the top three spots in Atlanta's rotation, but things are wide

open after that. Kyle Kendrick and Jhoulys Chacin signed Minor League deals this offseason and figure to be given a shot, but the

Braves could also choose to give those jobs to any of their slew of prospects.

Marlins: In A.J. Ramos and Carter Capps, Miami boasts two of the Majors' most unheralded relievers. With Steve Cishek out of the

equation, that pair figures to compete for the closer role. Regardless of who wins, the Marlins should have a formidable back end of

the bullpen, as long as Capps can stay healthy. (He missed the final two months of the 2015 season with an elbow strain.)

Mets: The Mets might own the most stable roster in the Majors with both their rotation and their lineup seemingly settled. But there

are questions at the back of their bullpen, where only four relievers are certainties on the roster: Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed,

Antonio Bastardo and Jerry Blevins.

Nationals: There's little doubt as to whether the Nats view Trea Turner as their shortstop of the future. But is he their shortstop of

the present? New manager Dusty Baker will have to answer that question, as Washington has a three-man race for their starting

shortstop job between Turner, Stephen Drew and Danny Espinosa.

Phillies: The Phils acquired Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton in the offseason, while sophomores Aaron Nola and Jerad

Eickhoff will likely join them in the rotation. That leaves one rotation spot up for grabs, and it figures to come down to a pair of

former Astros -- Vincent Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer -- each of whom came to Philadelphia in the Ken Giles trade.

AL CENTRAL

Indians: The Tribe's most important position battle in camp arose out of necessity when Michael Brantley required surgery on his

right shoulder in November. His comeback will linger into the opening months of the season, meaning there's an outfield spot to fill

-- with Rajai Davis as the early favorite to do so. Collin Cowgill, who came over in a trade with the Angels, is also an option.

Royals: Ben Zobrist's departure leaves the Royals with the same conundrum they had at last year's Deadline: What to do at second

base? Omar Infante still has $17.75 million remaining on a deal that runs through 2017, and he's the obvious favorite. But he

struggled last season, and World Series hero Christian Colon could challenge Infante for the starting role.

Tigers: With J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton set to man the outfield corners in Detroit for several years to come, the only spot up for

grabs is center field. Cameron Maybin, who returns to the organization that drafted him, appears to be the early front-runner, but

Anthony Gose is also in the mix.

Twins: After Kyle Gibson, Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes, there are two open spots in Minnesota's rotation -- and at least five

pitchers who could fill them. Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May and highly touted prospect Jose Berrios all

enter 2016 with a chance to win one of those two remaining jobs.

White Sox: For the first time since 2008, the White Sox will open the season with someone other than Alexei Ramirez at shortstop.

Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez will compete for the job this spring, though Saladino's defense and his familiarity with the

position make him the early favorite.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: Having jumped headfirst into a rebuild, the Brewers have position battles all over the place, including a fierce one in

center field, where newcomers Keon Broxton, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Rymer Liriano and Eric Young Jr. are all options. Milwaukee also

must decide whether to move Ryan Braun back to left to clear right field for strong-armed Domingo Santana.

Cardinals: There aren't many true position battles in Cards camp, but the first-base job could be cause for some spring competition.

Brandon Moss, who is now more than a full year removed from right hip surgery, is expected to re-emerge as a power threat, and he

figures to be the front-runner. But Matt Adams could win the job back with an impressive spring after a disappointing and injury-

riddled 2015.

Cubs: Hector Rondon will close for the Cubs, but aside from that, the roles in the bullpen are still entirely up for grabs. Chicago

added Adam Warren, Rex Brothers and C.J. Riefenhauser to a corps that already included six or seven viable relievers -- including a

trio of former starters (Travis Wood, Clayton Richard and Trevor Cahill), who converted to relief roles last season to great success.

Pirates: When Jung Ho Kang returns, he'll man third base, and Josh Harrison will play second. But until that happens -- potentially

in late April -- the infield is somewhat up in the air. Sean Rodriguez is the favorite to slide into Kang's spot, but prospect Alen

Hanson or non-roster invite Cole Figueroa could also earn playing time.

Reds: If Homer Bailey were healthy, Cincinnati's rotation would still be full of question marks. As it stands, however, Bailey

likely won't return from Tommy John surgery until May, leaving Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias as the only locks.

Nine pitchers -- all at different stages of their development -- will compete for the final three spots.

AL WEST

A's: Sonny Gray is Oakland's ace; no one denies that. Rich Hill is probably also ticketed for a rotation spot, after the A's signed him

to a $6 million deal in November. Who joins those two? Well, there appear to be five starters in the mix for three spots, as Jesse

Hahn, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt, Aaron Brooks and Felix Doubront will all get a look in Spring Training.

Angels: The Angels opted to hang onto all eight of their big league-caliber starting pitchers this offseason, meaning a fierce battle

for the rotation final rotation spot(s) should take place this spring. Garrett Richards, Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson appear to be

locks, and Andrew Heaney is coming off a very impressive rookie campaign. That could leave Hector Santiago (the early favorite),

Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano and Matt Shoemaker competing for the No. 5 starter role.

Astros: Houston will bring 61 players to camp this year, but there aren't many starting jobs up for grabs. The lone free-for-all comes

at first base, where Jon Singleton, A.J. Reed, Tyler White and Matt Duffy will all fight for playing time -- with an external candidate

still a possibility.

Mariners: In November, Seattle had five quality starting-pitching options, and the rotation seemed set. Then Hisashi Iwakuma re-

signed. His decision to return to the Mariners leaves three youngsters -- Nathan Karns, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton -- vying

for the final two slots in the rotation.

Rangers: Texas' roster appears awfully settled entering camp this season -- especially compared with its makeup last spring. Still,

there's a wide-open race for the Rangers' fifth-starter spot -- though only as a place holder until Yu Darvish returns. There figures to

be some intense competition for the final bullpen spots as well.

NL WEST

D-backs: The acquisition of Jean Segura from Milwaukee added another piece to an already intriguing middle-infield puzzle in

Arizona. Five players -- Segura, Nick Ahmed, Chris Owings, Phil Gosselin and Brandon Drury -- will each have a chance to win an

infield spot in camp -- either as a starter or a backup.

Dodgers: Eight players started in left for the Dodgers in 2015, and most of those players return, so it's no surprise that left field will

be the most intriguing battle entering camp. Andre Ethier's bounceback '15 campaign would appear to give him the early edge in

playing time, but Carl Crawford -- who started the most games in left field of any Dodger last season -- is also in the mix. So, too,

are Alex Guerrero and Scott Van Slyke.

Giants: San Francisco acquired Denard Span to play center field and hit leadoff. Angel Pagan might have other ideas, however.

Pagan, who is still projected as the Giants' starting left fielder, could make a case to remain in center -- or, if he gets hot at the plate

during spring, bat leadoff.

Padres: There's no shortage of Spring Training questions facing San Diego -- including within its rotation and its bullpen. But the

most intriguing battle entering camp might be for the Padres' two outfield spots alongside right fielder Matt Kemp. Jon Jay, who

came over in a trade with St. Louis, and Melvin Upton Jr. appear to be the early favorites, but Travis Jankowski, Jabari Blash and

Alex Dickerson all provide intriguing, young options.

Rockies: You can ink Jorge De La Rosa and Chad Bettis into Colorado's starting rotation, and Jordan Lyles will probably join them

as well. But the back end of the rotation figures to be one of the focal points at Rockies camp this spring. Tyler Chatwood and Jon

Gray could be the early favorites for the final two spots, but they are by no means shoo-ins.

Makeup of rotation far from certain

Bailey out until May; DeSclafani, Iglesias appear to be locks

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 15th, 2016 + 30 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- More than ever, Major League teams can only go as far as their starting pitching takes them. For a still-developing

group of pitchers entering this season, that will mean the Reds demanding a lot from several young players. How far they can go is

certainly a question without an answer, but it would not be realistic at this point to think it's a playoff-caliber group just yet.

Following the July 2015 trades of Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, rookies started a Major League record 64 straight games to end

the season. The team went 20-44 during that stretch.

"I think we realized, obviously last year, that we transitioned from a veteran bunch of starting pitchers we had in years prior to a

much younger group," manager Bryan Price said. "Unfortunately, it didn't go real well."

With Spring Training set to open on Thursday, the makeup of the Reds' rotation is far from a sure thing.

Based on their often strong showings during their rookie seasons, Anthony DeSclafani (9-13, 4.05 ERA) and Raisel Iglesias (3-7,

4.15 ERA) seem like locks for two spots. Veteran Homer Bailey will be the longest-tenured member of the rotation, but he won't

return from Tommy John surgery until sometime in May.

That leaves three spots in the Opening Day rotation, with up to nine pitchers set to compete -- each with varied stages remaining in

their development.

Michael Lorenzen, John Lamb, Jon Moscot, Keyvius Sampson and Brandon Finnegan all got some Major League exposure last

season. From this group, Lorenzen led the way with 21 starts in the big leagues, which included nice outings and a lengthy stretch of

struggles. He went 4-9 with a 5.40 ERA as a starter.

Lamb (1-5, 5.80 ERA), acquired from the Royals in the Cueto trade, made 10 starts, but he underwent back surgery in December

that puts his readiness into question. Moscot posted a 1-1 record with a 4.63 ERA in three starts and seemed headed in the right

direction until a diving tag mishap in June left him with a separated non-throwing left shoulder that required season-ending surgery.

Sampson (2-6, 6.66 ERA) was roughed up in most of his 12 starts, while Finnegan transitioned from being a reliever to a starter

after being part of the Cueto trade. He went 2-2 with a 4.18 ERA in six games (four starts).

A bolder play would be to elevate any of the following three prospects: Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed or Rookie Davis.

Stephenson, ranked the No. 35 prospect by MLBPipeline, was the 27th pick in the 2011 Draft. He went 8-11 with a 3.83 ERA

betweeb Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville. Reed, ranked as the No. 66 prospect, was the third piece in the Cueto trade.

A left-handed power arm, Reed moved up to Double-A in 2015, going 8-4 with a 2.64 ERA. Davis, who came over from the

Yankees in the Aroldis Chapman trade, split last year between High A and Double-A (8-7, 3.86 ERA) and seems to be a longshot.

The only other veteran -- besides Bailey -- in the mix to join the Reds' rotation is lefty Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez, a non-roster

invitee, is far from a sure thing considering he hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2013.

Even if some of these pitchers don't make the rotation, their chances of breaking camp on the 25-man roster are not sunk. There are

multiple open spots in the bullpen.

Pitchers and catchers report

Thursday

Full squad reports

Feb. 23

First Spring Training game

Away vs. Indians, March 1 at 3:05 p.m. ET

Opening Day

Home vs. Phillies, April 4 at 4:10 p.m. ET

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Doc: PSA on snow driving, Bronson Arroyo deal

THE MORNING LINE

Paul Daugherty, pdaugherty@enquirer.com 9:49 a.m. EST February 15, 2016

As a public service to one and all, a few tips on how to drive in the snow, so you will not become an unwilling member of what Bob

Huggins used to call The Dumb M-----Hall of Fame:

When driving up a hill – say the Kenwood cut on I-71 North or Loveland-Miamiville Road near my house -- do not slow down. If

you are going 10 miles an hour, do not trim it to 5 miles an hour. This does not make you safer. It makes you dumber. Your wheels

will begin to spin and most surely you will end up sideways, same as the rear-wheel drive Mustang I saw at 71 and Red Bank

Sunday at about 6. Momentum is your friend, K?

Do not, in fact, attempt to operate a rear-wheel drive vehicle in the snow at all. It is like paddling a canoe in the middle of a

typhoon.

When driving down a hill – say Glenway Avenue between Elder High School and the viaduct – do not use your brake pedal like the

bass drum in a Led Zeppelin tune such as When The Levee Breaks. This will cause your vehicle to fish-tail and hit another vehicle

whose driver also thinks he’s John Bonham. Downshift, K?

Please come to the party with a workable set of windshield wipers and an operable defroster, lest your vehicle resemble a small

rolling glacier. Seeing is always important while driving in the snow, and often while driving generally.

There is no need to use your emergency flashers unless you are stopped and out of the traffic flow. It’s redundant and makes you

look like more of an amateur that you are already.

And so on.

I attended Bernie Stowe’s visitation Sunday afternoon, at Elder’s Schaeper Center. Elder is precisely 30 miles from my house, down

71, across the 8th Street Viaduct, up the hill to Glenway. Bingo, bango, bongo.

I left my place at 3:15, just as it started to snow. I got to Schaeper at 4:10. Not terrible, but a portent of things to come. I returned to

my car at 5, in the midst of a winter disasterland.

Got home at 7:15. Had a semi right ahead of me in the Kenwood Cut start rolling backward. It stopped right before it would have

crumpled my front bumper. Had a guy driving down Glenway like he was racing a turtle and losing. Had the guy in front of me on

Loveland-Miamiville driving as fast as Ahab walked. Had to follow the dude all the way into my neighborhood, whereupon I rolled

down my window and asked him if he’d mind STAYING THE HELL OFF THE ROAD next time he sees a flake.

Bad move, Doc.

Yeah, it really was. But also a public service.

I’m not holding myself up as some AAA manual-example of great snow-driving. But I don’t do any of the nonsense described

above. Do yourself a favor. Do everyone a favor. Keep up your speed, don’t pound the brakes, don’t drive a glacier and keep that

cute, little, rear-wheel zip-around in the garage. We’ll all be happy you did.

Thank you.

Now, then. . .

SAW BRONSON ARROYO AT BERNIE’S VISITATION. . . He wanted me to know how much he wanted to return to the Reds

this year, and how dumbfounded he was at their offer: Laden with incentives “I’d have to be Cy Young to reach’’ is how he put it.

Arroyo said he was willing to take half as much money as what the Nationals offered, but the Reds wouldn’t go that high.

He has a chance to make $8 mil with Washington, reunite with DBaker and pitch for a good team. Here. He’d have maxed out at

about half that here and pitched for a team that will not be good. Not a tough choice.

Rick Stowe, one of Bernie’s sons and his heir in the Reds clubhouse, told me that Hal Morris, Barry Larkin and Scott Williamson

all flew in for Bernie’s sake. Quite a tribute to a guy who richly deserved it. I also saw former Reds trainer Larry Starr.

HERE’S WHY GETTING EXCITED ABOUT PROSPECTS IS A FOOL’S ERRAND. . . CT Rosecrans had a story over the

weekend, on Baseball America’s ratings of the Reds aspirants.

The good news is, the Reds have six kids ranked in the Top 100, as many as they’ve ever had, even if their best prospect is R.

Stephenson at No. 32. And Stephenson was 23 last year, and 19 the year before that.

The bad news is this:

In 2000, the last time the Reds had six players in Baseball America’s Top 100, Gookie Dawkins led the list of Reds players as the

No. 21 overall prospect. That list also included Drew Henson (24), Ed Yarnall (55), Adam Dunn (56), Rob Bell (59) and Jackson

Melian (72). In 1993, Willie Greene was rated the No. 24 prospect, followed by John Roper (36), Pokey Reese (48), Chad Mottola

(71), Steve Gibralter (79) and Dan Wilson (91).

Dunn panned out, Greene couldn’t hit a curveball, Reese and Wilson had OK careers. But the other guys? Ladies and gentlemen. . .

Ed Yarnall!

To be fair, The Club did strike gold in 2008: Jay Bruce (1), Homer Bailey (9), Johnny Cueto (34), Joey Votto (44), Drew Stubbs

(100). The point isn’t to diminish the whiffs. It’s to suggest that being a good prospect means very little. It’s the sports version of all

those turtle hatchlings, trying to reach adulthood. About the same odds.

USAT Sports projects 100+ losses for Reds

Patrick Brennan, pbrennan@enquirer.com 2:29 p.m. EST February 15, 2016

It might be another long summer at Great American Ball Park.

On Monday, USA Today Sports released its win-loss projections for the 2016 season, and the Reds didn't fare so well.

USA Today projects the Reds will not only finish in distant last-place in the National League Central Division, but that they'll flirt

with 100 losses, as they did last year.

The Reds are joined at the bottom of USA Today's win projections with the woeful Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams are projected

to go 61-101 this year.

The Colorado Rockies are only marginally better off than Cincy and Philly. They're projected to go 62-100.

On the other end of the spectrum, USA Today is projecting an MLB-best 101-61 record for the Chicago Cubs.

FANGRAPHS.COM KATOH’s Farm System Rankings

by Chris Mitchell - February 15, 2016

‘Tis the season for prospect rankings. With little else going on in the baseball world, prospect writers typically spend the month of

February releasing and discussing ordered lists of prospects and farm systems. Even within the past hour at this very site, our own

Jeff Zimmerman published a farm-system ranking derived from the scouting grades produced by Baseball America.

This year, I showed up to the party a little early by putting out KATOH’s top 100 list last month. I still have more to give, however.

And here I present you with KATOH’s organizational rankings.

My methodology for compiling this ranking was pretty straightforward: I simply aggregated all of the KATOH forecasts by team.

Still, there a few caveats worth mentioning.

To be considered in this exercise, a player must have recorded at least 200 plate appearances or batters faced in 2015. KATOH

derives its forecasts from minor league stats, so it can’t really formulate an opinion on players who didn’t play much in 2015. As a

result, many of the players who were drafted in 2015 are omitted.

This exercise only considers players projected for at least 1.0 WAR over their first six years in the big leagues. Ideally, I’d consider

all prospects, but that would involve verifying the teams for thousands of mostly nondescript minor leaguers. That obviously taken

some time. This one-win threshold cuts pretty deep into a team’s farm system. The average team has 18 players above this cutoff,

while none have fewer than 10. That feels like more than enough for these purposes.

KATOH tends to favor hitters over pitchers, especially on the high end. So this analysis likely favors organizations with farm

systems that are hitter-heavy over those that rely more on pitchers. This is likely because a pitcher’s stats capture a smaller portion

of his future potential relative to hitters. Factors like velocity also very important when it comes to projecting pitchers.

And as always, stats don’t tell the full story. This is the output from a flawed statistical model that fails to take into account many of

the factors that go into evaluating a prospect. If an organization has a lot of raw, toolsy prospects, it’s likely to be underrated here.

KATOH’s Farm System Ranking Rank Team Cumulative KATOH WAR

1 Brewers 86

2 Astros 77

3 Dodgers 70

4 Rangers 66

5 Yankees 65

6 Twins 65

7 Rockies 64

8 Rays 64

9 Phillies 62

10 Pirates 60

11 Padres 58

12 Reds 55

13 Braves 54

14 Indians 48

15 Cardinals 48

16 Nationals 46

17 Cubs 45

18 Red Sox 42

19 Athletics 36

20 Royals 35

21 Diamondbacks 35

22 Orioles 35

23 Mets 34

24 Mariners 33

25 Tigers 28

26 Giants 26

27 White Sox 22

28 Blue Jays 22

29 Angels 19

30 Marlins 14

Here’s that same list in the form of a graph.

And here’s that same chart with each bar broken up into three parts: WAR from players projected for 3.5+ WAR, WAR from 2.0-

3.5 WAR players and WAR from 1.0-2.0 WAR players. This will hopefully help you visualize the distribution of talent in each

system.

And here’s that same graph, but split by hitters and pitchers.

Both Baseball America Keith Law also put out their organizational rankings in the last week. Here’s a look at how KATOH

compares to those rankings. KATOH favors the teams above the trendlines, such as the Padres, Yankees, Brewers and Rays.

KATOH’s down on the teams below the trendlines, such as the Braves, Red Sox, Mets and Giants.

First Mr. Law:

And now Baseball America:

MLB Farm Systems Ranked by Surplus WAR

by Jeff Zimmerman - February 15, 2016

You smell that? It’s baseball’s prospect-list season. The fresh top-100 lists — populated by new names as well as old ones — seem

to be popping up each day. With the individual rankings coming out, some organization rankings are becoming available, as well. I

have always regarded the organizational rankings as subjective — and, as a result, not 100% useful. Utilizing the methodology I

introduced in my article on prospect evaluation from this year’s Hardball Times Annual, however, it’s possible to calculate a total

value for every team’s farm system and remove the biases of subjectivity. In what follows, I’ve used that same process to rank all 30

of baseball’s farm systems by the surplus WAR they should generate.

I provide a detailed explanation of my methodology in the Annual article. To summarize it briefly, however, what I’ve done is to

identify WAR equivalencies for the scouting grades produced by Baseball America in their annual Prospect Handbook. The grade-

to-WAR conversion appears as follows.

Prospect Grade to WAR Conversion Prospect Grade Total WAR Surplus WAR

80 25.0 18.5

75 18.0 13.0

70 11.0 9.0

65 8.5 6.0

60 4.7 3.0

55 2.5 1.5

50 1.1 0.5

45 0.4 0.0

To create the overall totals for this post, I used each team’s top-30 rankings per the most recent edition of Baseball America’

Prospect Handbook. Also accounting for those trades which have occurred since the BA rankings were locked down, I counted the

number of 50 or higher-graded prospects (i.e. the sort which provide surplus value) in each system. The results follows.

2016 Farm System Surplus WAR Team 70 65 60 55 50 Surplus WAR Surplus WAR Rank BA Rank

Boston 2 2 1 2 13 42.5 1 4

Los Angles Dodgers 2

3 3 11 37.0 2 1

Texas 1 1 5 1 8 35.5 3 7

Houston

2 3 6 9 34.5 4 2

Atlanta

1 5 5 11 34.0 5 3

Colorado

1 5 4 13 33.5 6 6

Washington 1 1 3 2 13 33.5 6 5

Minnesota 1

4 3 10 30.5 8 10

Milwaukee

1 2 8 10 29.0 9 9

New York Mets

1 1 8 12 27.0 10 15

Pittsburgh

1 3 4 11 26.5 11 11

St. Louis 1

7 13 26.0 12 14

Cincinnati

1 3 2 15 25.5 13 12

Philadelphia

1 2 6 9 25.5 13 8

Tampa Bay

1 2 5 12 25.5 13 13

Cleveland

1 3 2 14 25.0 16 17

Kansas City

1 1 6 14 25.0 16 21

New York Yankees

5 2 11 23.5 18 16

Chicago Cubs

1 9 11 22.0 19 20

Toronto

2 5 10 18.5 20 24

San Francisco

1 5 13 16.5 21 19

Oakland

1 6 9 17.0 21 18

Seattle

1 3 16 15.5 23 28

Chicago White Sox

2 2 11 14.5 24 23

Arizona

4 14 13.0 25 22

San Diego

7 5 13.0 25 25

Detroit

1 4 7 12.5 27 26

Baltimore

2 2 6 12.0 28 27

Miami

1 2 10 11.0 29 29

Los Angles Angels

1 8 5.5 30 30

Total 8 16 63 126 329 710.5

USA TODAY MLB win totals: How we see the 2016 season unfolding

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports 1:22 a.m. EST February 16, 2016

From April through October, 30 major league teams will contest 2,430 games and pay out some $3.7 billion in player salaries in the

hope they win a few more than they lose, catch a fortuitous bounce or two and – should everything break just right – find their way

into the playoffs.

Projecting just how those games turn out is a foolhardy endeavor, certainly, but much of the joy in baseball is the anticipation,

visualizing the months ahead and then reveling in how right – or so very wrong – February’s conventional wisdom turned out to be.

With that, USA TODAY Sports presents its 2016 projected win totals for every team, an exercise intended to provide a road map to

the season ahead, with equal doses of probability, pragmatism and passion.

Unlike Las Vegas, our win totals are based on exactly how many games we think each team will win – with no need to make

adjustments for the betting public’s anticipated reaction. And unlike the many excellent projection models out there, we are not

beholden to formulas capable of producing strikingly accurate statistical projections, but lack an occasionally necessary human

element.

We’ll take the liberty of adding a dash of what we’ll call Projected Unforeseen Events, those little miracles or disasters that provide

the subtext of every season. Come October, we’ll see how it turned out.

And while it’s true that, as they say, you can’t predict ball, there’s no harm in trying.

Our major league standings, and division-by-division explainers:

AL East

The David Price acquisition and slick bullpen remodel is reason enough to love a renaissance for the Red Sox (88 wins). There’s

also significant upside all over the roster, from bounce-back candidates in Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Clay Buchholz and

Rick Porcello to the potential MVP ceiling of Mookie Betts. Their enviable depth in the outfield and starting pitching in the upper

minor leagues allows for adversity. That doesn’t mean we hate the defending champion Blue Jays (86 wins). It’s just that there’s no

more firepower to swing a Price-like deal come July, and six of the most important members of their major league-best offense are

between 30 and 35.

The Rays (84 wins) will never surprise anyone again; now, they’re baseball’s mystery meat, an amalgam of quality depth that makes

you wonder if they’ll win 75 or 95 games. We like ‘em in the middle, thanks to a rotation that may roll nine-deep in great arms over

the course of the year. There’s nothing to dislike about the Yankees (83 wins). So why deduct four wins from 2015? They got 52

homers from Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran, who turn 41 and 39 this year, and there’s too many ticking time bombs in the

rotation. The Orioles (77 wins) got the max out of their best player– Manny Machado played in 162 games, hit 35 homers and had

an .861 OPS. That got them a .500 record, and there’s potential regression all over the roster. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez’s

career Fielding Independent Pitching is an abysmal 5.01; even the signing of Yovani Gallardo wouldn’t bump him out of a shaky

rotation.

AL Central

Welcome to hell – both for prognosticators and five teams with legitimate playoff hopes. This is baseball’s deepest division, with

five teams capable of winning it – and almost as many that could finish last. We feel random things happening, so hello, White Sox

(90 wins). Everyone loves their Todd Frazier acquisition, and the ball should jump off his bat at U.S. Cellular Field. We prefer the

possibly unparalleled 1-2 rotation punch of Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, backed by a full season of Carlos Rodon, who struck out

139 batters in 139 1/3 innings as a rookie. Our fetish for Pale Hose should not be seen as a diss toward the Royals (84 wins). It’s just

really hard to repeat, particularly as a mid-market team lacking depth. We’d be thrilled if they proved us wrong.

One of these years, it will all come together for the Indians (83 wins) – most likely in 2018, when an imposing crop of prospects

coalesces. In 2016? It feels like they’re one bat short of greatness. The Tigers (82 wins) got that big bat in Justin Upton; it’s the

questionable Nos. 3-5 starters (Anibal Sanchez, Daniel Norris, Mike Pelfrey) and thin organizational depth that’s worrisome. And

our apologies to the Twins (80 wins), who wouldn’t surprise us if they produce an MVP (Miguel Sano) and Rookie of the Year

(Jose Berrios).

AL West

If you’re assuming 90 wins for the Astros is an endorsement of Carlos Correa’s talents unleashed over a full 162 games, you’d be

assuming correctly. The rotation feels sketchy near the back, but the best pitcher in the AL takes the ball at the front. Speaking of

aces, the 85 wins for the Rangers could be bumped up if Yu Darvish is his old self sooner rather than later. Until then, the dropoff

from Cole Hamels and Derek Holland is too severe. Fiscal discipline wasn’t a great look for the Angels (83 wins), who remade the

left side of their infield (Andrelton Simmons, Yunel Escobar) but have far too many holes. Their season hinges on quality outings

from C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver. So.

New GM Jerry Dipoto took some nice steps forward this winter, but the purge in Seattle is not yet complete. So the Mariners (77

wins) take some lumps. Meanwhile, the Athletics (66 wins) are counting on Rich Hill, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt and others

pitching well enough to make it worth keeping Sonny Gray around long-term.

NL East

Plenty of drama in D.C. this year, and we wonder what’s more likely: President Obama gets a Supreme Court nominee past a

stonewalling Senate, or Stephen Strasburg wins a Cy Young Award before skipping town. We say it all comes together for

Strasburg just in time for free agency, Anthony Rendon stays healthy, Dusty Baker keeps everyone sane and the Nationals (89 wins)

fulfill their destiny a year later than imagined. So where does that leave the Mets (87 wins)? Their pennant was no fluke, but

suddenly their lineup is getting older (six regulars on the wrong side of 30) while their sublime starting pitching is still subject to

youthful volatility. A 50% leap in innings for Noah Syndergaard is concerning. Steven Matz has never eclipsed 140 innings. At 43,

Bartolo Colon will be a meme machine, but a sub-optimal fifth starter.

Meanwhile, in no-man’s land, the Marlins (78) stare up at two juggernauts and down at two teams retrenching in a hurry, while Jose

Fernandez racks up a fourth year of service time with a horrid farm system backing him. The mayors of Philadelphia and Atlanta

should place a wager on who finishes fourth. We like the Braves (66 wins) by a biscuit, thanks largely to the track record of their

position players. The Phillies (61 wins) deserve better than a 100-loss season after their deft rebuilding moves to date. Alas, the

pitching shortcomings deep in their staff are too severe.

NL Central

It may become trendy to knock the Cubs (101 wins) down a peg, but there’s just too much going on here. Beyond the obvious, we

see a bullpen well-equipped to deal with back-end rotation shortcomings. And when they add one more starter in July, see you later.

That’s not to say the Cardinals (97 wins) should pack it in. Absurdly deep, they will platoon and pitch almost everybody into

submission – and hope things go differently at Wrigley Field in October.

Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs are probably baseball's most complete team in 2016.

Has the window closed for the Pirates (88 wins)? No, but this may be a “gap year” between three straight playoff clubs and a future

brightened by a group of nearly-ready prospects. Top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow could be crucial, as veteran acquisitions

Ryan Vogelsong and Jonathan Niese will test the miracle-working power of pitching coach Ray Searage. The division’s big three

need punching bags, and that’s where the Brewers (64 wins) and Reds (61 wins) come in. Milwaukee’s pitching is even worse upon

closer inspection, and the exporting of proven big leaguers will continue as the season goes on. The Reds acquired enough useful

parts and have enough proven holdovers to think a not-so-bad 75-win season could emerge. But a bullpen anchored by

Jumbo Diaz will give back a lot of wins.

NL West

Sometimes, it’s not a trick question. The Giants (90 wins) are the most stable, sound organization in baseball, reflected by these win

totals since 2009: 88, 92, 86, 94, 76, 88, 84. It may seem like an SF-LA coin flip to determine this division, but it shouldn’t be that

close. Cohesion matters. Defense matters. Pitching matters. We like all of it better up north. Don’t weep for the Dodgers (88 wins),

however. Sure, they’d be better off if the rules allowed a 35-man roster. But they still have Clayton Kershaw, and all that depth will

pay off – perhaps even in October.

The Diamondbacks (86 wins) are fearless and don’t care what anyone thinks – and their admirably brazen approach almost works

this year. Whether Zack Greinke is pitching for a playoff spot or merely messing with the Giants and Dodgers, he’ll be a blast to

watch in September. If you’re the Padres (73 wins) or Rockies (62 wins), this is your reality: 57 games against the Giants, Dodgers

and Diamondbacks, with a former All-Star penciled in to start 42 of them.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted: 11:34 a.m. Monday, Feb. 15, 2016

Many roles to fill as overhauled Reds open spring training

By JOE KAY

The Associated Press

CINCINNATI — Reds manager Bryan Price was driving to Goodyear, Arizona, for the start of spring training and thinking about

all of the decisions ahead.

He's got many more than usual because of Cincinnati's near-total makeover.

The Reds continued their full-scale rebuilding in the offseason, trading popular third baseman Todd Frazier and closer Aroldis

Chapman for prospects. What's left is enough veterans to fill out most of an everyday lineup, a starting rotation with little

experience, and a bullpen that has to be totally reconfigured.

And the bench? That's a whole other story.

"We'll have a lot of competition in camp," the third-year manager said during a phone interview as he headed for Cincinnati's spring

training complex.

The Reds lost 98 games last season as they launched into an overhaul that will take several years. Most of the prospects they

acquired aren't quite ready for the majors. The Reds are hoping to add some veterans to the roster before the start of the season,

giving them a few more reliable options off the bench and out of the bullpen.

The everyday lineup is set at six spots: Joey Votto at first; Brandon Phillips at second after blocking trades; Zack Cozart back at

shortstop; Billy Hamilton in center field; Jay Bruce in right and Devin Mesoraco behind the plate. Eugenio Suarez, who filled in at

shortstop after Cozart tore knee ligaments, will move to third initially and fill Frazier's spot. Left field is likely to be a platoon role

with several players competing.

The pitching staff is anybody's guess.

Some things to watch:

CHAPMAN'S REPLACEMENT

There's no heir apparent to Chapman and his 100 mph fastball. He was 33 of 36 in save chances last season, with nobody else

getting more than one save. J.J. Hoover had a solid season in the set-up role, but was only 1 of 7 in save chances. Jumbo Diaz was 1

of 5.

"That's probably out biggest challenge, without question — trying to define bullpen roles," Price said. "We're still going to look and

see if there's an opportunity to acquire somebody before opening day."

MESORACO & COZART

Mesoraco had hip surgery on June 29. Cozart tore the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments and the biceps tendon in his

right knee on June 6. Price said both are on schedule for returning to a full-time role by opening day. He'll ease them in during

spring training games.

BAILEY'S RETURN

Starter Homer Bailey had Tommy John surgery on May 8 and is on schedule to return in early May. Price said he threw 15 pitches

off a bullpen mound last week without problem. As the only member of the rotation with significant experience, the Reds are

counting on Bailey to help the youngsters come along.

"It's essential," Price said. "It's important to have a veteran guy with the players in the clubhouse."

ROTATION

Anthony DeScalfani (9-13, 4.05 ERA) and Raisel Iglesias (3-7, 4.15 ERA) pitched well enough to be considered part of the 2016

rotation. There's a long list of young pitchers who will be looking to fill out the last three spots for the start of the season. Cincinnati

went with an all-rookie rotation after Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake were traded in July, and most of them struggled.

LEFT FIELD

It's been the big hole in the lineup for years. The Reds finally got a full-time starter by trading for Marlon Byrd before the 2015

season, but he also was dealt as part of the midseason overhaul. A half-dozen players could get considered for a platoon at the spot.

TRANSACTIONS 02/15/16

Washington Nationals signed free agent CF Tony Campana to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster RHP Austin Voth to spring training.

Seattle Mariners invited non-roster LF Dario Pizzano to spring training.

Seattle Mariners invited non-roster C Marcus Littlewood to spring training.

Seattle Mariners invited non-roster LHP Paul Fry to spring training.

Texas Rangers signed free agent 1B Ike Davis to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster RHP Michael Brady to spring training.

Seattle Mariners invited non-roster RHP Adrian Sampson to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster 3B Matt Skole to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster 3B Jason Martinson to spring training.

Seattle Mariners invited non-roster SS Tyler Smith to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster RHP Wander Suero to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster RHP Lucas Giolito to spring training.

Washington Nationals invited non-roster RHP Paolo Espino to spring training.