[Scrap Irony]

Offensively, over the past four years, the Reds have developed two All Star level offensive players (Votto and Bruce) and another starter and a half (Stubbs and Hanigan) that are above average players for their respective positions.

In the rotation, the Reds have developed three starters (LeCure, Bailey, and Cueto), two of which have TOR arms and have, in the past, had fairly long stretches of All Star caliber play. Another starter, Mike Leake, was the rarest of birds who needed no minor league experience. That said, the Red minor league and front office personell were astute enough to promote him aggressively.

On the bench, the Reds have two above replacement level guys developed by the farm, in Janish and Heisey.

In the pen, Cincinnati currently has three guys developed completely in the Red pipeline.

That's half the 25 man roster developed by Cincinnati minor league coaches in the past four years. Of those 25, four are first round picks, two are supplimental picks, and the rest are low round guys or free agents. For edification's sake, if you're not picked in the first round, the likelihood of making the majors is less than 10%. The likelihood of making an impact in the major leagues is less than 2%.

I'd argue that the Reds have done a fine job of developing their minor leaguers and that you have a completely unrealistic expectation of prospects. It's a discussion we've had in the past.