Turn Off Ads?
Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst 1234
Results 46 to 59 of 59

Thread: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

  1. #46
    he/him *BaseClogger*'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    7,795

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Great post camisa!


  2. Turn Off Ads?
  3. #47
    Lover of Trivialities Doc. Scott's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Worthington, OH
    Posts
    6,193

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Quote Originally Posted by *BaseClogger* View Post
    It didn't really work with Sean Watson, but I still like the premise...
    That's a Chris Buckley thing- to draft pitchers who have good velocity and stuff and were college relievers/closers and then convert them to starting as pros. He did it before he worked for the Reds, too (see David Bush, for example, who was a closer at Wake Forest).

    The idea is that they have a lot less miles on their arms when they start pro careers. The downside (in addition to the stretching out that's referenced elsewhere in the thread) is that many of these guys had even less of an occasion to bother with developing offspeed stuff of the kind one needs to be a consistently successful big-league starter, so it's an added element of risk.

  4. #48
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Players, fans share thrills
    Dayton crowd applauds Reds stars, who appreciate their days as Dragons.

    By David DiCenzo

    Contributing Writer

    Sunday, April 05, 2009

    DAYTON — The familiar smells of summer waft through Fifth Third Field. Pizza. Hot dogs. Beer.

    But it's batting practice that has fans buzzing. When second-year Red Joey Votto takes his cuts, he hits a towering shot that easily clears the 402-foot sign in right-center field. The ball caroms off a rail and falls to the concrete. Many members of the red-clad crowd on the lawn scramble for the souvenir.

    The day is already memorable for thousands of fans eager to watch Cincinnati's present and future crop of stars.

    "It's really neat," said 29-year-old Batavia resident Christy Holcombe, decked out in a Reds T-shirt with matching necklace. "To see the future players against the current players, some of the prospects coming up through the farm system, it's going to be amazing to see them play."

    A serious fan, Holcombe is carrying a folder with a sampling of the approximately 2,500 photos she shot last season.

    "This is my condensed version so I can get them signed," Holcombe said, adding that Bronson Arroyo is her favorite Red.

    Friends Zach Balsinger, 12, and Daniel Gnau, 11, get a close-up look at BP from a temporary seat in the second row, down the first-base line. It was a long winter for the pair from Centerville and Gnau in particular is pumped with the new season just days away.

    "I'm ready," he said.

    Balsinger attended about five Reds' games last season, but being able to see his team close to home is meaningful, especially because of the familiar faces of former Dragons like Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey.

    "It sure beats the drive down to Cincinnati," Balsinger said. "It's great to see the old Dragons because we've had season tickets since the first year."

    Hours before the game, Bruce and Votto recalled their time playing at Fifth Third Field.

    "This was a big stepping stone for me here in Dayton," Bruce said. "I have a lot of great memories. I was telling guys on the way here, this place is amazing to play (in) as a minor league baseball player."

    "I don't think I've ever played for a team that had such a great fan base," Votto said. "Diehard fans."

    Those diehards also gave a rousing ovation to Cincinnati legends Eric Davis and Ken Griffey Sr., honorary coaches for the futures team. Longtime Reds' supporter Chad Hall, 35, said it was a treat to see Griffey throwing BP.

    "Where else can you see these stars in a stadium so close?" said the New London resident, alongside his 5-year-old son Caleb, who was seeing the Reds for the first time.

    "It makes for a great day."

    http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...turesfans.html

  5. #49
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Reds defeat minor-league stars 9-6 in Futures game
    Former Dragons on both teams provide fans with home runs and plenty of hits and memories.

    By Marc Katz

    Staff Writer

    Sunday, April 05, 2009

    DAYTON — Exhibition games are played for the memories, not necessarily the final score.

    And there were plenty of memories at Fifth Third Field Saturday afternoon, April 4, when the parent Cincinnati Reds beat their best minor-leaguers 9-6 in a Futures game attended by 8,956 fans under cool but sunny skies.

    Four homers were hit by former Dayton Dragons, two for the Reds (Edwin Encarnacion and Luis Bolivar) and two by the Futures (Chris Valaika and Todd Frazier).

    • The homers by Encarnacion and Boilvar (he'll open the season with Class AAA Louisville) hit the batter's-eye screen in dead center field, while Frazier's two-run blast cleared the left-field concession stand.

    "My wife and family were here to see it," said Bolivar, who lives in Vandalia. "I feel pretty good right now."

    Valaika's homer accounted for three runs as the Futures scored five times in the eighth.

    "It's nice to do that in front of the hometown fans," said Valaika, who played for the Dragons in 2007. "And it's nice playing against the big club."

    Frazier also was complimentary.

    "If I could play here every day of the week, I'd do it," said Frazier, who was here for the final week of 2007 and 30 games last season. Valaika is scheduled to begin this season at Class AAA Louisville, while Frazier will begin at Class AA Carolina.

    • Starting Futures shortstop Zack Cozart matched Frazier with three hits, and 11 former Dragons in all from both sides collected hits.

    • Joey Votto and Jay Bruce were the biggest names in the Reds lineup as former Dragons, and Votto used his first at-bat to knock in a run with a double off the left-field wall in the first.

    • Twelve former Dragons in all made it into the lineup for the Reds, including Votto, Bruce, Encarnacion, outfielder Chris Dickerson and starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, all expected to be on the roster for Opening Day on Monday. Infielders Paul Janish and Adam Rosales also played, and at least one of them — possibly both — will be with the team on Opening Day. Pitchers Robert Manuel, Carlos Fisher and Pedro Viola also played.

    http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...spfutures.html

  6. #50
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Chris Valaika, the Reds' minor league player of the year in 2008, hit a three-run homer and Todd Frazier had a two-run shot for the Futures team.

    “I saw some good things from them,” Baker said. “I saw some good arms, quick bats and some power. This organization is going places.”

    http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...304040037/1071

  7. #51
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Quote Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine View Post
    • The homers by Encarnacion and Boilvar (he'll open the season with Class AAA Louisville) hit the batter's-eye screen in dead center field, while Frazier's two-run blast cleared the left-field concession stand.
    Encarnacion's HR hit within 2 feet of the top of the batters eye. Easily a 450 foot HR to absolute dead center. Bolivar surprised me with his HR because it was a shot too. Frazier's HR was one of the longer ones I have seen hit by a minor leaguer in that stadium.

  8. #52
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    1,626

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Stewart was very impressive. He was hitting 94 pretty consistently and throwing a great slider. When he gets a little better command of that slider...

    The talk of Stewart being converted to a starter has been going on for a while. He has not been able to repeat the same velocity on back-to-back days. On the second day, he is down a few miles an hour. That is the reason for the consideration.

    I thought Stewart was the most impressive player on the Futures Team, although Frazier's home run was something to see. Frazier did butcher a fly ball in left. I have been saying for a while, he is going to need some time out there. He had the one base running mistake. On the other hand, he did a great job of going from first to third on a single to right center in the second that most players, even faster players, would not have done, simply because Frazier is so instinctive on the bases.

  9. #53
    Member camisadelgolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    12,405

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Of all the relievers on the field yesterday, I think Stewart easily has the highest ceiling. It was my first time seeing him pitch live, and he did more than enough to live up to the hype.

  10. #54
    High five!
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    6,976

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Nice report, CDG.

  11. #55
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Stewarts stuff was easily the most impressive from the relievers, but Carlos Fisher really impressed me as well. I really like his stuff.

  12. #56
    Member mth123's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    31,923

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Quote Originally Posted by dougdirt View Post
    Stewarts stuff was easily the most impressive from the relievers, but Carlos Fisher really impressed me as well. I really like his stuff.
    Where do you think Stewart starts out this year?
    All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!

  13. #57
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Quote Originally Posted by mth123 View Post
    Where do you think Stewart starts out this year?
    Sarasota.... but Carolina wouldn't surprise me much.

  14. #58
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    Zach Stewart's dad said the plan was to start Stewart at Double-A, but that was two months ago and things could have changed by now. His dad made this post over on Redlegs Baseball back in January:

    Zach has not been told anything about where he will be this season, but his agent met with the Reds at the winter meetings and they told him that their plans were for Zach to start at Double-A unless he was to have a bad spring training. In that case he would start back in Sarasota at high-A.
    http://redlegsbaseball.blogspot.com/...h-stewart.html

  15. #59
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Saturday 4/4/09 Reds vs Reds Future Stars in Dayton

    For those who haven't seen it yet, Doug has a ton of videos and pictures from the Future Stars game up on his website. Check it out:

    http://redsminorleagues.com/


Turn Off Ads?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.

Thank you, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves!


RedsZone.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball


Contact us: Boss | Gallen5862 | Plus Plus | Powel Crosley | RedlegJake | The Operator