Conatser making progress on the mound (plus other Dayton notes)

[OnBaseMachine]

Conatser making progress on the mound

By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tallahassee Community College may not mean much to you and me, but it's where Ryan Freel played ball before going pro, so it gives current Dragons pitcher Derrick Conatser some cachet.

Of course, Conatser can point to his 2.86 ERA in 12 games for the Dragons entering Wednesday's game (July 9) if he wanted to show you what he can do.

Better than that, he can point to his previous 101/3 innings, during which he allowed only two runs. This from a guy who started the season at extended spring training.

"He had Tommy John surgery after his freshman year," Reds minor-league pitching coordinator Mack Jenkins said. "Then he pitched a lot of innings — in the fall and spring — when he came back. That's why we didn't pitch him much last year (in the Gulf Coast League), and he was going to stay at extended spring this year for awhile because of that."

Conatser — a 28th-round draft pick who commanded six-figure money since he was considering finishing his college career at a four-year school and the Reds liked his arm — didn't like extended spring training, but he understood.

"As bad as I didn't like it, it was good for me," Conatser said. "It helped me out. Pitching coach Rigo Beltran helped me out down there, and (pitching coach) Doug (Bair) helped me with my slider up here. Different coaches can help you with little things."

Youth will play

Reds farm director Terry Reynolds confirmed the organization is working to get younger — as are most organizations — and that shows up on the Dragons roster. Pitcher Kyle Lotzkar is just 18, third baseman Neftali Soto 19 and catcher Devin Mesoraco turned 20 last month. Also, pitcher Josh Ravin and outfielder Justin Reed are only 20.

That's about as young as the Dragons have ever been.

He liked hockey

Unlike fellow Canadian Joey Votto, who said he wanted nothing to do with hockey when he was growing up in Toronto, Lotzkar (from British Columbia) said he was a left winger until he figured out he had no future in the sport.

Lotzkar has something else in common with Votto. Both were teenagers when they first played in Dayton, and Lotzkar won't turn 19 until late November.

"Age isn't a factor when you're playing with (older guys)," Lotzkar said. "I came up here with a couple of guys from extended. You're not supposed to be friends with everyone."

Watching the team

Jerry Walker, Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty's assistant, and scouting director Chris Buckley are in town to assess the Dragons. Buckley said this year's Reds first pick in the draft, first baseman Yonder Alonso, is still a long way from signing.

"He hasn't played for awhile," Buckley said. "If he waits much longer, he won't be able to play this year."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...8spinside.html

[Az. Reds Fan]

Conatser making progress on the mound

By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tallahassee Community College may not mean much to you and me, but it's where Ryan Freel played ball before going pro, so it gives current Dragons pitcher Derrick Conatser some cachet.

Of course, Conatser can point to his 2.86 ERA in 12 games for the Dragons entering Wednesday's game (July 9) if he wanted to show you what he can do.

Better than that, he can point to his previous 101/3 innings, during which he allowed only two runs. This from a guy who started the season at extended spring training.

"He had Tommy John surgery after his freshman year," Reds minor-league pitching coordinator Mack Jenkins said. "Then he pitched a lot of innings — in the fall and spring — when he came back. That's why we didn't pitch him much last year (in the Gulf Coast League), and he was going to stay at extended spring this year for awhile because of that."

Conatser — a 28th-round draft pick who commanded six-figure money since he was considering finishing his college career at a four-year school and the Reds liked his arm — didn't like extended spring training, but he understood.

"As bad as I didn't like it, it was good for me," Conatser said. "It helped me out. Pitching coach Rigo Beltran helped me out down there, and (pitching coach) Doug (Bair) helped me with my slider up here. Different coaches can help you with little things."

Youth will play

Reds farm director Terry Reynolds confirmed the organization is working to get younger — as are most organizations — and that shows up on the Dragons roster. Pitcher Kyle Lotzkar is just 18, third baseman Neftali Soto 19 and catcher Devin Mesoraco turned 20 last month. Also, pitcher Josh Ravin and outfielder Justin Reed are only 20.

That's about as young as the Dragons have ever been.

He liked hockey

Unlike fellow Canadian Joey Votto, who said he wanted nothing to do with hockey when he was growing up in Toronto, Lotzkar (from British Columbia) said he was a left winger until he figured out he had no future in the sport.

Lotzkar has something else in common with Votto. Both were teenagers when they first played in Dayton, and Lotzkar won't turn 19 until late November.

"Age isn't a factor when you're playing with (older guys)," Lotzkar said. "I came up here with a couple of guys from extended. You're not supposed to be friends with everyone."

Watching the team

Jerry Walker, Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty's assistant, and scouting director Chris Buckley are in town to assess the Dragons. Buckley said this year's Reds first pick in the draft, first baseman Yonder Alonso, is still a long way from signing.

"He hasn't played for awhile," Buckley said. "If he waits much longer, he won't be able to play this year."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...8spinside.html

Now that's encouraging...:thumbdown

[princeton]

since Buckley came on, the Reds went far beyond slot money to sign the following guys, and nearly all of them have been pretty bad:

Milton Loo ($200K)-- not a Buckley draft pick, but signed as a draft and follow by his group

Jamie Arneson ($245K)

Derrick Lutz ($135K)

Tony Brown ($130K)

Conatser ($100K)


this bodes ill for the $200K Evan Hildenbrandt...

[dougdirt]

Tony Brown is young and not having a bad season for Billings right now. Derrik Lutz is in AA and having some success.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Tony Brown is tearing it up right now.

Where do you find the amount that each daft pick signs for?

[camisadelgolf]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN

[princeton]

Tony Brown is tearing it up right now.

he's in Billings; he'd better be.

looks K challenged to me.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft...m.php?team=CIN

Good stuff.

Thanks.

If they don't list a bonus next to the name does that mean it was under a certain amount (say $20,000)?

[lollipopcurve]

I'd rather have the team throwing a few hundred thou at late round picks with perceived talent than sticking to slot and letting guys walk -- even if most of them, as expected, never hit the majors. You either play the R&D game or you play the Bean Counting game.

[princeton]

I'd rather have the team throwing a few hundred thou at late round picks with perceived talent than sticking to slot and letting guys walk -- .

I'd rather assess how that approach is going, and re-adjust if it looks like a failure

maybe the Reds decided that the "throw money into the late rounders" wasn't a smart approach, and threw it into Latin America instead

[lollipopcurve]

I'd rather assess how that approach is going, and re-adjust if it looks like a failure

maybe the Reds decided that the "throw money into the late rounders" wasn't a smart approach, and threw it into Latin America instead

Certainly possible. Reports about the Latin American bonus bonanza this year attribute the increase in spending to teams having boatloads to spend.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

The last three years sorted by pick (minimum $50K bonus).

What sticks out to me is that Justin Turner got the shaft. He must have been a senior with zero leverage as Brandon Roberts (drafted eight slots lower the year before) got $137,000 to Turner's $50,000.

As princeton pointed out, Arneson, Lutz, Brown, and Conatser all were paid well above where they were drafted.


year rd pick
2006 1 8 Drew Stubbs $2,000,000
2005 1 12 Jay Bruce $1,800,000
2007 1 15 Devin Mesoraco $1,400,000
2007 1-b 34 Todd Frazier $825,000
2006 2 52 Sean Watson $670,000
2007 1-c 53 Kyle Lotzkar $594,000
2005 2 60 Travis Wood $600,000
2007 2 80 Zach Cozart $407,250
2006 3 84 Chris Valaika $437,500
2005 3 92 Zach Ward $420,000
2007 3-a 105 Scott Carroll $310,000
2007 3-b 110 Neftali Soto $279,000
2006 4 114 Justin Reed $287,000
2005 4 122 Sam LeCure $260,000
2006 5 144 Josh Ravin $200,000
2005 5 152 James Avery $170,000
2007 5 170 Andrew Bowman $135,000
2006 6 174 Jordan Smith $152,500
2005 6 182 Jeff Stevens $145,000
2007 6 199 Evan Hildenbrandt $200,000
2006 7 204 Justin Turner $50,000
2005 7 212 Brandon Roberts $137,000
2007 7 229 Brandon Waring $94,000
2006 8 234 Travis Webb $90,000
2005 8 242 Michael Jones $65,000
2005 9 272 Milton Loo $200,000
2007 9 289 Alexis Oliveras $60,000
2005 10 302 Bo Lanier $50,000
2006 16 474 Jamie Arneson $245,000
2006 19 564 Derek Lutz $135,000
2006 23 684 Tony Brown $130,000
2007 28 859 Derek Conatser $100,000