Travis Wood fifth on the Prospect Hot Sheet (July 10)

[OnBaseMachine]

No. 5 TRAVIS WOOD, LHP, REDS

Team: Double-A Carolina (Southern)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: 0-0, 0.69 ERA, 13 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO
The Scoop: Wood's season has become nearly indescribable. He's 8-3, 1.29 in 18 starts, having not allowed more than three earned runs in any start and having given up no runs in seven different outings. If he can keep up this ERA, he will finish the year with the best full-season ERA since Justin Verlander put together a 1.29 figure between high Class A and Double-A in 2005. And Wood has gotten better as the season has gone along: he has a 1.01 ERA since the start of June with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 52-to-8 in his past 53 innings. That ratio during the first two months of the season was a much more pedestrian 43-to-29 in 59 innings.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268509.html

[OnBaseMachine]

This is the sixth straight week the Reds have had at least one prospect on the Hot Sheet.

[Benihana]

With that description, how is he only ranked #5?

[nemesis]

With that description, how is he only ranked #5?

He is not a Yankee or Red Sox Prospect.

Could you imagine the hype for him if he was? 2nd round pick with those numbers... He'd be hailed as the next (jucieless) Andy Pettite.

[New Fever]

Adam (Baltimore): Did Chris Heisey's name come up in the discussion? Would it be safe to guess that he would fall in the 51-100 somewhere? I know that he has gotten a lot of attention in the chats/features with BA which is awesome to see for a guy that was under the radar his entire career. If the season ended today, would he be in the talks for Minor League POY?

J.J. Cooper: Absolutely Adam, that's where he would rank and he's a significant candidate for Minor League Player of the Year

[OnBaseMachine]

Other Reds related questions:

Mick (Cincy, OH): Which arm would you say has the higher ceiling, and for what reason -- Travis Wood, or (hopefully soon-to-be signed) Mike Leake?

J.J. Cooper: I'd say Leake has the higher ceiling--at his best his stuff is nastier than Wood's. His fastball is firmer and I'd expect he'll get more strikeouts. But Wood has a higher likelihood of reaching his ceiling--his season in Double-A can't be ignored.


Daniel (Chicago): Is Zach Stewart a SP or a RP long-term? If he's put in the bullpen, could he be a closer?

J.J. Cooper: My guess is he's a starter. He has three pitches and he maintains his velocity. Starters are more valuable than relievers and he's shown he can do both. But then there is the question of whether there will be a spot in the Reds rotation anytime soon. With Bailey showing he may have figured it out, the Reds have Volquez, Bailey, Arroyo, Cueto, Owings and Harang under contract for 2010 already.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1247246413

[HBP]

He is having one amazing season. Cool to read that about Heisey too. I still think Wood should be in AAA unless they're planning on trading him.

[REDblooded]

A friend of mine is a huge Cards fan, even has a few friends in the front office there. I asked him about how Jocketty handled prospects like Wood/Frazier when he was with the Cardinals, and he said this is trademark Jocketty when he wants to trade somebody... He'll keep them down to inflate their numbers in order to move them at greater value...

[TC81190]

Awesome. Now let's go out and move him for something that can help us right now.

He's got very good numbers, but I don't think his stuff and his style of pitching will let them translate to MLB success.

[11larkin11]

Carolina is now on their All-Star Break, so now is when i think you'll start to see more movement between all the teams. Hopefully that means guys like Fairel, Wood, Frazier all move.