TRF's second "Who's the sleeper?" thread

[JayBruceFan]

I hope he does very well

As much as I hype him you would think I was him or something

lol

[dougdirt]

On the mound, I like Jeremy Horst but he got too much attention in '08 to be a sleeper. How about Matt Klinker? He throws hard enough, has good command and smarts. Deserves some consideration. I would take Klinker a thousand times before I would take a pitcher like Josh Ravin.

These are guys that have gotten virtually no attention. If you want to talk about guys who are not top level prospects but have gotten a little more pub, I would go with Zach Stewart. He is the guy that should be ranked higher than he is being ranked by most.

Love the Klinker pick. He doesn't have any 'blow you away' type stuff. But he has good enough stuff, is very smart and knows how to pitch. I have had a few conversations this winter already about Klinker and his potential to make it to the majors as a starter.

As far as Stewart, I think he is too publicized already to be a sleeper and he is my #8 overall Reds prospect so, tough to pick him. I think he goes out and puts up some real good numbers next year though.

[texasdave]

I think Gressick was released and no longer with the Reds.

That just makes him all the more of a sleeper.

[RedsManRick]

Wow, my pick of Tzu-Kai Chiu didn't end up so good. Did he get injured?

[RED VAN HOT]

A sleeper ought to be someone who gets little or no buzz in the zone.

For pitcher, I am going with Misael DeJesus. His K/9 suggests a good arm. He is tough on RH batters but seems to have trouble with control against LH hitters. I think he is poised for a breakout year and will be in our top 20 prospects next year.

For position player, I am going with Tony Brown. He is showing excellent power numbers for a 19 y.o.

[cincyinco]

I still like Pedro viola and Dallas buck as sleepers for pitchers.

As for hitters, I'm going with juan Francisco. I know, he is a fairly well known prospect but I think he is underrated around here and prime for a huge breakout year from him.

[GOYA]

Darrick Hale

Misael DeJesus

[Betterread]

Pitcher: LHP Ismail Guilon
Batter: SS Junior Arias

These guys have some serious skills.

[OnBaseMachine]

Pitcher: LHP Ismail Guilon
Batter: SS Junior Arias

These guys have some serious skills.

I like both of those guys but I didn't really consider them as sleepers.

[RedsManRick]

Let's go for the long shots...

Pitcher: Mace Thurman
Hitter: Chris Heisey

[OnBaseMachine]

Thurman is an excellent pick, Rick. Thurman put up some dominant numbers between Billings and Dayton - 33.1 IP, 20 H, 2 HR, 14 BB/45 K, 12.2 K/9, 2.97 ERA. And he's a lefty. The Reds have quite a few excellent relief prospects in the system, and Thurman is one of them. I'd start him in Sarasota and put him on the fast track.

[11larkin11]

I think a guy who hasn't been mentioned yet but had a pretty good year in Bililngs is David Sappelt.

[mth123]

Hitter: Logan Parker. The kid can hit but has the misfortune of playing the same position as the team's best player and the team's best prospect. I'd love to see a big year where he advances all the way to AAA and gets on the prospect radar on a national level.

Pitcher: I like Thurman and expect big things from him in 2009 but since he's been taken I'll go with another lefty reliever who I think could burst on the scene and put himself on the board by the end of 2009. Aguido Gonzalez turned 22 in September and was closing games in Dayton for a while in 2008. He put up good K Rates and decent walk rates while limiting hits and in 46 Minor league innings the last two seasons has yet to allow a HR. He's a pretty deep sleeper, but I think he's makes the move to AA by the end of this year.

[redsof72]

I liked Thurman in 2008 (pitched much better than his numbers in Dayton indicated) but I am not sure he throws quite hard enough to get big league hitters out.

Parker is a solid player, better than most give him credit for, but he struggles mightily against left-handers. If his shoulder is healthy going into 2009, it would be nice to see what he can do against Double-A pitching.

Reed and Phipps were mentioned. Reed is a tremendous athlete and a potential gold glover in center field, but he has not figured out that he has to play the small man's game. Offensively, he has to use his speed, put the ball in play, get the bunt down when needed (at present, he can't bunt), steal bases. You look at 137 strikeouts in 410 at-bats for a guy that is really a line drive hitter and that is way too many. He hit 11 home runs and convinced himself he was a home run hitter. But man, can he go get the ball in center field. I don't like Phipps as well as most do, simply because he does not consistently play hard.

[TRF]

As for hitters, I'm going with juan Francisco. I know, he is a fairly well known prospect but I think he is underrated around here and prime for a huge breakout year from him.

That's a different thread, and posted here