Sorry for the day delay on this. Mrs. 'Creds and I spent all day Saturday and pretty much all day Sunday traveling.
Before we get to the fresh and stale prospects, a small diatribe. This organization seems completely lost right now. They've called up 3 good hitting prospects from the minors, but still seem to be pretending at competing for the division. They put Yonder Alonso in left field all season in Louisville, then after 3 (admittedly terrible) games out there for the Reds, he's stuck back on the bench while he learns 3B, a position he hasn't played since high school. The bullpen is clearly gassed and desperately needs some help, but there isn't any in Louisville. Aroldis Chapman is making fools of people, but it increasingly seems like he's going to be pushed into the closer role by default instead of being given a chance to start.
I'm not sure what my point is, other than this just feels like a really odd time for the organization. Two years ago, after they had traded for Scott Rolen and were working on their 9th straight losing season, things just seemed hopeless. That's definitely not the case now, but I really have no idea where this team is headed, now or in 2012. One thing is absolutely certain, though. Walt kind of fell asleep at the wheel last offseason, and it has cost this team. This coming offseason is probably going to be his most challenging yet with the Reds, and if this team is going to compete, he needs to figure how and where to utilize the talent on hand.
Neftali Soto
Soto is having a breakout power season unlike anything this organization has seen in a while. After hitting 6 homers in his last 10 games, he now has 25 on the season. Other Reds minor leaguers have hit 25 homers in a season. Devin Mesoraco did it just last year. What makes Soto's so compelling is that, because of an injury he suffered earlier in the year, he only has 298 at bats so far this year in 81 games. You can do the math.
Sean Buckley
Buckley must have really been concerned about accusations of nepotism, because the son of the Reds scouting director has done nothing but hit since being drafted in June. His line, through about 170 PAs, is .303/.383/.599 with 11 homers. He turns 22 in three weeks, though, so I'd like to see him bumped all the way to Bakersfield next year.
David Vidal
I really liked this pick when the Reds drafted him in the 8th round last year, and so far it looks like he's going to be a guy to definitely keep an eye on moving forward. Vidal is OPSing 1.119 in his last 10 games, and his line on the year stands at .301/.362/.521 with 16 homers.
Henry Rodriguez
With apologies to Poojols, HankRod hasn't really impressed in Carolina. Since being promoted he's hitting a very pedestrian .273/.323/.359. The average and OBP are about what we should expect, but the complete loss of power is a bit puzzling. If he isn't hitting for power, he doesn't really offer much. Hopefully he can go on a tear to finish the season.
Yorman Rodriguez
This season looked like it was going to be a nice step forward for Yorman, but he is having a hard time staying on the field, and is currently on the DL again. I realize he's only 18 and should have just graduated from high school, but right now it looks like he might be a pretty fragile guy.
The Louisville Bats Pitching Staff
We don't often give fresh or stale status to a large group here at FOFM, but this team has to be an exception. The offense has been ravaged by promotions to the big club, but the pitching has really let the team down, giving up 29 runs in the last 5 games. Which is a shame, because it's the pitching on the big club that could really use the help.
Follow the jump for an abbreviated recap of the weekend.
- Louisville struggled over the weekend, losing 8-4 on Friday, Saturday they were postponed, so Sunday the played a double header, winning one 5-4 and losing one 4-3. Then on Monday they were destroyed 11-3.
- Carolina lost 6-3 on Friday. Saturday the team won 5-4. Sunday they lost 4-3. Monday they lost 7-3.
- Bakersfield won 6-0 on Friday. They lost Saturday 3-1. Sunday they won 4-3. Monday they lost 4-2.
- Dayton lost 3-2 on Friday. Saturday they rolled, 12-0. Sunday they won a shortened game, 4-1. Monday they won 3-0.
- Billings got shut out 4-0 on Friday. Saturday they lost again, 6-4. Sunday they won an uncharacteristically low scoring game, 1-0. Monday they won another pitcher's duel, 3-0.
- AZL Reds lost 9-1 on Friday. Saturday they won 8-5. Sunday the team was off. Monday they lost 9-6.