As most of you know by now, Robert "Railroad" Stephenson signed last night for a cool $2 million. Stephenson arguably has the best fastball in the system now, being able to dial it up to 97 (as an 18 year old!), with a strong curve ball and a potentially solid change up. He also has strong makeup and is very coachable. That's the stuff of a future ace, but as we know, a lot can happen between high school and the bigs. Still, in an organization rich with good hitters but desperate for high ceiling starters, Stephenson may be the Reds best pitching prospect.
/a short, quiet kid in the back raises his hand meekly
Yes, Mr. Corcino?
"Well, um, I think I might be the best pitching prospect."
Oh, really? What makes you think you can make such a claim?
"Well, I have a pretty good fastball/breaking ball combo too. And my change up is already decent. And I'm only 20, but I've already thrown 124 innings in A ball with 139 strikeouts, only 29 walks, and a 3.25 ERA."
You make a compelling argument, young man. Let's let the community decide.
(Follow the jump for last night's games, in which one Mr. Corcino hurls a gem for Dayton)
- Louisville won 4-1 by scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Brad Boxberger threw a shutout inning to earn the save. Juan Francisco went 3-4 in a game that featured no extra base hits by the good guys. Up Next: Chad Reineke starts at 7:05.
- Carolina won 6-5. Cody Puckett was 2-3, and Quintin Berry was 2-4 with a double. Up Next: Someone starts at 7:15.
- Bakersfield lost 13-7. Alex Buchholz, Andrew Means, Stephen Hunt, and Devin Lohman each had 2 hits. Chris Richburg homered. Up Next: Mark Serrano gets the 10:30 start.
- Dayton lost 3-2. Daniel Corcino had arguably his best start in this country, throwing 6 shutout innings, striking out 10 while allowing just 3 hits and a walk. Billy Hamilton was 3-4 with a double (he did get CS once), and Juan Duran was 2-4 with a double. Up Next: Dayton is off today.
- Billings got crushed, 13-2. Robert Maddox was 3-4 with 2 doubles, and Bryson Smith homered. Up Next: Radhames Quezada takes his wicked name to the mound at 9:15.
- AZL Reds cruised 12-2. Carlos Gonzalez (no, not that one) threw 7 innings of 2 run ball, and every starting position player (excluding the dumb DH) had at least 1 hit. Up Next: They play at 2.