Infield 

I think that we can all assume that the starting 5 will be David Ross, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Alex Gonzalez and Edwin Encarnacion in 2008. Ross is on contract through 2008 and has an option for 2009. Alex Gonzalez is on contract through the 2009 season. Phillips is under control through 2010 and Edwin is ours through 2012.

Our infield looks pretty good with everyone able to be retained for the next two seasons if they pick up the option on Ross.  When 2010 rolls around the Reds will be looking for a catcher and a shortstop. Right now the best bet for a catcher in 2010 would likely be Craig Tatum from the current system. At shortstop, there is always the possibility of Jeff Keppinger stepping in as a stop gap type until a true shortstop is ready to go. The Reds have a lot of guys who play shortstop currently, but there aren’t many true shortstops in the system. One guy that I would like to keep an on though is Jose Castro, who the Reds received in the Jeff Conine trade. As a 20 year old in the FSL last year he did hit .318, although he doesn’t walk much and doesn’t have any power to speak of.

Outfield

Currently lets assume Jay Bruce starts in the minor leagues, but spend more than half a season in Cincinnati. The Reds only have Griffey and Dunn through 2008, although they do hold an option on Griffey for 2009 although its unlikely that they use it. They also have Freel through 2009 and Hopper through 2012, but I hope they don’t have it in the plans to have them as every day starters. The outfield situation for 2009 looks like Bruce and a whole lot of question marks. The Reds could use nice years out of Chris Dickerson and Danny Dorn in 2008 if Dunn and Griffey aren’t going to be here in 2009. Dorn however has not shown any ability to hit left handed pitching, so he would likely need a platoon partner. Another option that has gone through my head would be to move Votto to left field and play Adam Rosales at first base if the Reds are short on outfielders that can hit. There is also the 26 million dollars from Griffey and Dunn that could go toward an outfielder (some of it goes to the raises for Harang and Arroyo).

Well, not yet. But seems like it’s all but done.

Expect the deal to partner Ohio’s two teams in Goodyear, Arizona.

This is pretty big news considering that it seemed like the Reds truly wanted to stay in Sarasota. Here is what John Allen said about the possibilities:

“The stadium will be ready in 2009 when the Cleveland Indians move in, but to build six training fields, the clubhouse and administrative offices is what takes all the time,” Allen said. “In Sarasota our lease expires in 2008. We have three one-year club options that we have to exercise by Aug. 1 the previous year.”

It looks like the Reds would actually make the move in 2010 according to C. Trent, meaning the Reds would use one option year on the current deal with Sarasota. If the deal with Goodyear goes through, the Reds will have plenty of time to figure out a deal with a city to be the home for their High A affiliate that currently plays in Sarasota.

“This kid could probably start right now and play,” Freel said. “He’s one of a kind … and he’s going to be a treat to watch on the field.”

Anyways, give the article a read, its pretty good.

Reds.com also has up two nice things on our prospects. First is an interview with Jay Bruce about the Rookie Development Program. Second is an article on the ‘Big 4′ prospects and how they could emerge onto the scene next year and give the Reds a push toward their goal of making the playoffs.

Right now I am trying to get everything ready to go for the new website so its fully functional by the first of the month. I have a lot on my table right now though between building the new site, working on a Top 100 Prospect list with another website and keeping this site updated with good stuff (which I will admit hasn’t happened as much as I would like lately). I plan on having stuff here every day until I officially move over to the new site.

C. Trent Rosecrans is still covering the Reds on his blog and is reporting that the Goodyear, Arizona city council will be voting on Monday to consider entering an exclusive 90 day agreement with the Reds where the Reds couldn’t look elsewhere for a ST home and the city of Goodyear couldn’t entertain another option to share the facility with the Indians. That would be an interesting development.

Also, Jim Callis ranked his #1 prospects from each organization against each other to produce a list of 30. Jay Bruce rolled in at #1. One team has two prospects in the top 10 as the #10 overall prospect by Callis is not listed. My best guess is that its either Homer Bailey or David Price of the Devil Rays.

Go to www.reds.com and in the flash menu that scrolls different stories is the Beisbol Dominicano: Training at the Academy story and gives you a chance to watch all 5 parts. Each part is four to five minutes long and its really a great piece that gives you an insight into things that you may not have known before.

Things that they hit on:

• Overview of the Reds farm system.
• Thoughts on Bruce, Bailey, Votto, Cueto, Mesoraco and Maloney.
• Gives his opinions on Edinson Volquez and the trade of Hamilton.

Its worth listening to if you have a little bit of spare time on your hands.

College - 15

High School - 7

International FA - 3

Trade - 3

Rule V - 2

The Reds rank near the top in college players, trailing just 5 other teams in baseball in acquiring their prospects from the college ranks. Our Redlegs are middle of the pack in high school talent as they rank 13th overall. Internationally is where they really take a hit with just 3 players (my guess is Johnny Cueto, Juan Francisco and Pedro Viola) acquired via International Free Agency. Eight other teams have more than twice as many international guys brought up through their system and just seven teams with fewer than the Reds. However the Reds do have the most Rule V guys, with Jared Burton and Sergio Valenzuela making the top 30 (how Jared Burton still qualifies is beyond me, but apparently he does).

The Billings Gazette has a story on Garcia and the other coaches.  Here are some of the highlights of what they say:

Garcia, 47, spent the last two years as the Latin American field coordinator for the Chicago Cubs. In 2005, he managed the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League and from 2001 to 2004 he managed Lansing, winning the Midwest League championship in 2003.

In his 13 seasons as a minor league manager, Garcia has a 621-655 record. In addition to managing the Mustangs, Garcia will also serve as a special assistant to Terry Reynolds, the Reds director of player development.

While he doesn’t have a winning record, winning isn’t always the most important thing when it comes to minor league development. I am curious as to what the title of ’special assistant’ to Terry Reynolds implies. With his past ties in the Latin America community with the Cubs, I wonder if that is part of his ’special assistance’ to Reynolds before he gets on the job in Billings.

In other Billings news, their old stadium has been torn down (check the link for a nice photo gallery).  The new stadium is currently under construction and you can check out the current progress by viewing the photo gallery here on Billingsmustangs.com.