Clearing Out the Pipes

[Doc. Scott]

...of the player development system, that is.

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Cincinnati Reds

Signed RHPs Giancarlo Alvarado, Wayne Lundgren and Julio Villalon, OFs Timo Perez, Brian Buchanan and Quinton McCracken and LHP Chris Michalak. Released OF Juan Buck and Matt Gray, SSs Derek Wathan and Bryan Anderson, Cs Chad Ziemendorf, Lonny Roa and Kelley Gulledge, RHPs Geovanny Adames, Santos Jimenez, James Morrison, James Journell, Luke Hudson and Bubba Nelson, IF Taylor Johnson and LHPs Seth Epstein, Ryan Garmon, Ty Howington, Andrew Jenson and Joe Wilson. Traded RHP Bobby Basham to Padres for C David Ross.
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From Baseball America's Minor League Transactions.

-Alvarado, Villalon, and Lundgren are all pitching at Chattanooga this season. See this thread (http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44258).

-Perez, Buchanan, McCracken and Michalak we know about.

Now, the released:

-OF Buck (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/juan-buck.shtml) was a 50th-round draft-and-follow in 2004. Didn't get much of a chance.

-OF Gray (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/G/matt-gray.shtml) was going to become a pitcher. 13th round, 2003. Was.

-SS Wathan (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/derek-wathan.shtml) was going to be AAA fodder, but apparently changed his mind.

-Anderson (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/A/bryan-anderson.shtml) was a no-stick utility guy in AA last season. He was taken in the 44th round back in 2000.

-Ziemendorf (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/Z/chad-ziemendorf.shtml) was a 23rd-round pick in 2003 who missed most of 2005.

-Roa (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/lonny-roa.shtml)was a 6th-round pick in 2004. He probably deserved more of a chance.

-DanO had picked up Gulledge (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/G/kelley-gulledge.shtml) out of the independent leagues. I guess the new regime didn't agree.

-Adames (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/A/geovanny-adames.shtml) and Jimenez (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/J/santos-jimenez.shtml) were products of the Latin American feeder system.

-I'll resist making jokes about James Morrison (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/james-morrison.shtml)'s name. He had pitched for the Florence Freedom in 2004, and the Dragons in 2005.

-Journell, Hudson, and Nelson we know about.

-Taylor Johnson (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/J/taylor-johnson.shtml) started for four years at Washington, but lasted just one as a Red. 25th-round, 2005.

-Seth Epstein (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/E/seth-epstein.shtml) was the mysterious Disappearing Draftee.

-Garmon (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/G/ryan-garmon.shtml) had been a college free agent.

-Howington we know.

-Jenson (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/J/andrew-jenson.shtml) pitched for a couple years at San Diego State, then hurt himself (presumably) after a promising 2004 Billings debut in the bullpen. (19th round)

-Joe Wilson (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/joe-wilson.shtml) was the lefty acquired in one of the Phillies deals back in '04. Now it's pretty much just Javon Moran that's left.

[pedro]

-I'll resist making jokes about James Morrison's name. He had pitched for the Florence Freedom in 2004, and the Dragons in 2005.

he didn't have An American Prayer of ever making the bigs.

[M2]

Sad to see Buck and Roa go without so much as making a dent.

Man did those Phillies trades suck.

[Heath]

-I'll resist making jokes about James Morrison's name. He had pitched for the Florence Freedom in 2004, and the Dragons in 2005.

Obviously he couldn't get much higher.

[deltachi8]

Obviously he couldn't get much higher.

he just couldn't break on through

[Caveat Emperor]

Obviously he couldn't get much higher.

Well his stuff certainly didn't set the night on fire...

[Doc. Scott]

Sad to see Buck and Roa go without so much as making a dent.

Man did those Phillies trades suck.

Joe Wilson went up in flames instantly the minute he donned a Dragons uni. He pitched well in the Phillies system, then poof.

Buck had quite the amazing scouting report, plus the whole Alaska-by-way-of-the-Dominican-Republic story- then got less than a hundred at-bats professionally. And with him go my "Wily Eskimo Pena" jokes.

Check this out:

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COMMENT: TALL, LARGE FRAME. WELL PROPORTIONED, ATHLETIC BUILD. SUPPLE. BROAD SHOULDERS. THICK THROUGH CHEST. EXRA-LONG ARMS. BIG HANDS. STRONG LEGS. NEAR PHYSICAL MATURITY. SIMILAR TO ALBERT PUJOLS. SLIGHTLY CLOSED, UPRIGHT STANCE. SLIGHT UPPERCUT STROKE. VERY QUICK THROUGH ZONE. GOOD EXTENTION & FOLLOW THROUGH. BALL JUMPS & CARRIES OFF BAT. PLUS HR PWR POTENTIAL. POWERFUL STRIDE, 4.25-1B, 6.90-60 YD. TRACKS BALL WELL IN OUTFIELD. PHYSICALLY IMPRESSIVE. STRONG. BAT CHANCE TO BE SPECIAL. RUN PRODUCER POTENTIAL. BIG UPSIDE.
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[BoydsOfSummer]

COMMENT: TALL, LARGE FRAME. WELL PROPORTIONED, ATHLETIC BUILD. SUPPLE. BROAD SHOULDERS. THICK THROUGH CHEST. EXRA-LONG ARMS. BIG HANDS. STRONG LEGS. NEAR PHYSICAL MATURITY. SIMILAR TO ALBERT PUJOLS. SLIGHTLY CLOSED, UPRIGHT STANCE. SLIGHT UPPERCUT STROKE. VERY QUICK THROUGH ZONE. GOOD EXTENTION & FOLLOW THROUGH. BALL JUMPS & CARRIES OFF BAT. PLUS HR PWR POTENTIAL. POWERFUL STRIDE, 4.25-1B, 6.90-60 YD. TRACKS BALL WELL IN OUTFIELD. PHYSICALLY IMPRESSIVE. STRONG. BAT CHANCE TO BE SPECIAL. RUN PRODUCER POTENTIAL. BIG UPSIDE.
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This is eerie. I took Doc Warren's profile test thingy on e-harmony and it said the same thing about me!

[Heath]

This is eerie. I took Doc Warren's profile test thingy on e-harmony and it said the same thing about me!

Yeah, but this is the date they gave you. She's so shallow, she's 2-dimensional ;)

http://www.annotatedmst.com/episodes/violentyears/JudyJetson.jpg

[Team Clark]

[QUOTE=Doc. Scott
-I'll resist making jokes about James Morrison (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/james-morrison.shtml)'s name. He had pitched for the Florence Freedom in 2004, and the Dragons in 2005.[/QUOTE]

I had a chance to meet this kid at a local watering hole in Siesta Key during ST. He is the son of former big league 3B Jim Morrison. He's a friend of one of my favorite Minor League pitchers Kevin Rival. Really nice kids. I met both of Don Robinson's sons that night too.

[Doc. Scott]

TC, what do you think about this round of released players? What was the deal with Juan Buck and Lonny Roa and why didn't they get much of a chance?

[Doc. Scott]

...and some more from BA:

Signed OFs Terrence Long and Alex Sanchez. Released RHPs Brad Cherry, Travis Phelps, Aaron Garrison, Ken Geiersbach, Brad Morenko, Jared Sanders, Robert Wachman, Jeff Bruksch and Johnny Dillard, OFs Stephen Smitherman and Matt Garrett, LHPs Charles O'Neal, Thomas Phelps, Greg Goetz, Tod Johnson, Brandon Newman, 1B Walter Olmstead, Cs Evan Cherry, Mark Rodriguez and Robert Coello and 2B Mayker Sandoval. Traded 2B Carlos Piste to Marlins for C Ryan Jorgensen.
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Many of these were already covered in another thread- the Phelpses, Sanders, Smitherman, Goetz, Olmstead. Can't remember which one- if anyone remembers, post the link.

Jeff Bruksch (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/jeff-bruksch.shtml) was acquired in the Guillen trade. He served a 15-day suspension last season for banned substances. We now officially have just Aaron Harang left. I'll take it.

Cherry (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/brad-cherry.shtml) is a surprise- not because he was a NDFA, but because he pitched pretty well in 2005.

Morenko (40th), Wachman (32nd), O'Neal (18th), Johnson (36th), and Dillard (26th) were all lower-round 2004 draftees (http://reds.mostvaluablenetwork.com/index.php?p=109). Morenko did well but didn't miss bats. The other four all had pretty limited action, being college seniors in rookie ball. Generally they were middle relievers.

Coello (20th) was a D&F from '04 that never played a game. Rodriguez was a low-rounder in 2005 (30th) who did play, but not much. Garrett was a 47th-rounder in 2005 who didn't hit in the GCL.

Conley (not Cherry) was a utility guy who didn't hit a lot. 34th-rounder in 2003.

Sandoval (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/S/mayker-sandoval.shtml) had a great first year in the GCL, but hit a wall.

Newman, Garrison and Geiersbach were all NDFAs as well. Garrison was a Dragon in 2005, while Geiersbach was in Billings and Newman the GCL. None pitched particularly distinctively.