Baseball America's Minor-League Transactions up through 12/20

[Doc. Scott]

Cincinnati Reds
Signed RHP Eric Junge
Signed RHP Tom Shearn
Signed RHP George Wilkerson
Signed C Dan Conway
Signed C Miguel Perez
Signed SS Enrique Cruz
Signed SS Aaron Herr
Signed SS Anderson Machado
Released RHP Rainer Feliz
Released RHP Luis Moya
Released LHP Arian Cruz
Released C Javier Rumbos
Released SS Yoni Lasso
Released OF Philip Gentry
Released OF Maikol Mesa
OF Brandon Watson elected for free agency

Quick rundown:

Junge, 29, former Phillies prospect who washed out following arm surgery. Spent 2005 pitching well at AAA Norfolk (Mets) but got flogged as a swingman in '06 for AAA Portland (SD). I remember Junge being a candidate to come to the Reds in one of the '04 trades, but we ended up with Elizardo Ramirez. Good thing.

Shearn you know. Good to see him back. He's a solid AAA workhorse who can do a little of everything. Maybe he'll even get a Hopper-style chance this time around.

Wilkerson (known as Wes), 30, former Royals NDFA who pitched mopup with AAA Albuquerque (Florida) in 2006. He must have a big fastball or something, because his numbers aren't great for a guy who keeps getting contracts.

Conway, 27, a Rockies six-year FA with a lifetime .238/.322/.351 line despite getting to play in some very charitable home parks (Colorado Springs, Tulsa). I assume he's a defensive whiz. I also assume this means Miguel Perez will have to start 2007 in Chattanooga, not Louisville, as Ryan Jorgensen has already re-upped.

Cruz, 25- here's an interesting guy. Former Rule 5 pick of the Brewers (from NYM) in 2003, he went six for seventy-one while picking splinters from his rear end on the Milwaukee bench. He then raked at High-A High Desert in 2004 and AA Huntsville in 2005 (although HD is possibly the single best minor-league hitting environment in existence, and Huntsville isn't bad either). In May '06 the Brewers traded him to Texas for LOOGY Brian Shouse, then the Rangers parked him in AA to do nothing. Cruz looks like he can play all three interior infield positions (or at least SS and 3B), although as he's aged he's hit for much more power but stolen far fewer bases.

Herr, 26, returns after making the Southern League All-Star team and earning a callup to Louisville. I think he missed most of the season's final month with an injury. Still produces solid power for an infielder, but little plate discipline and very erratic defense.

Machado, now 26. Funny to think we used to make such a big deal about him. He spent a very quiet year in AA hitting .237/.329/.351 last season.

Feliz couldn't make the jump to A-ball (2006 stats here) following arm issues.

Moya pitched okay in Billings, but he must not have displayed teh stuff.

Cruz was signed out of Cuba in 2005, made a few appearances, then never pitched in 2006.

Not sure what happened with Rumbos. He just didn't get much of a chance.

Lasso just couldn't hit.

Gentry had some tools, but it took him two years to get through rookie ball, so when his bat disintegrated in Sarasota, it was the beginning of the end.

Mesa got some starts in RF for the Mustangs at the beginning of the year, but got hurt and his window slammed shut.

A few other transactions of note:

Baltimore Orioles
Signed RHP Rob Bell

Boston Red Sox
Signed RHP Mike Burns

Kansas City Royals
Signed RHP Sugar Ray Marimon (who?)

New York Yankees
Released OF Ben Himes

Both Himes and Kevin Howard collapsed the minute they went to the Yankees for Tony Womack.

Philadelphia Phillies
Signed SS Andrew Beattie

Guy just cannot catch a break.

San Francisco Giants
Signed 2B William Bergolla

Another twelve years in the minors and he'll be ready for the Giants' big club.

Seattle Mariners
Signed SS Gookie Dawkins

Make it seven organizations for the Gookster.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Signed 1B Hee Seop Choi

How far the once-mighty fall.

Washington Nationals
Signed LHP Mike Bacsik
Signed LHP Chris Michalak
Signed LHP Arnie Munoz
Signed C Danny Ardoin
Signed C Juan Brito
Signed C Salomon Manriquez
Rule 5 losses: RHP James Henderson (Cubs, Triple-A); LHP Ricardo Morales (Mets, Triple-A); C Salomon Manriquez (Rockies, Triple-A); 2B Brandon Powell (Padres, Triple-A); SS Jose Contreras (Cardinals, Triple-A); SS Josh Labandeira (Marlins, Triple-A); SS Alejandro Machado (Twins, Major League); and SS Trey Webb (Giants, Triple-A)

Still cracks me up.

[Gallen5862]

Thanks for the info Doc. Scott. I like these minor league signings. Which players do you think from this group do you see as contributing the most?

[Doc. Scott]

Thanks for the info Doc. Scott. I like these minor league signings. Which players do you think from this group do you see as contributing the most?

Cruz is intriguing. Junge has a shot to be an adequate injury fill-in coming up from AAA. Think Seth Etherton.

[Triples]

San Francisco Giants
Signed 2B William Bergolla

Is this the Reds/Louisville Bats Willie Bergolla?

[Doc. Scott]

San Francisco Giants
Signed 2B William Bergolla

Is this the Reds/Louisville Bats Willie Bergolla?

There's only one as far as I know.

[Mario-Rijo]

I'll add this little tidbit I found about the same above players. I should note that this info was from Red Reporter Blog and that the opinions are not necc. from BA!

http://redreporter.com/

Baseball America reports the Reds have re-signed the following: RHP Tom Shearn, C Miguel Perez, SS Aaron Herr and SS Anderson Machado.

The Reds also signed SS-3B Enrique Cruz (Texas), C Dan Conway (Colorado), RHP George Wilkerson (Florida) and RHP Eric Junge (San Diego).

Cruz was the top overall pick in the 2002 Rule 5 Draft and spent the season with Milwaukee, where he was lousy. Now 24, Cruz was traded to Texas last season for Jorge De La Rosa.

Last season, Cruz went 3-32-.270 .323 .370 in AA and 1-10-.261 .320 .377 in AAA. He's a terrible fielder at SS, but is a bit better at 3B.

Conway went 2-10-.219 .268 .313 at AAA last season.

Wilkerson, a former Royals and Marlins farmhand, went 0-0 4.46, allowing 39 hits with 34 Ks and 17 BB, with a .247 BAA in relief. He landed on the suspended list once for unspecified reasons.

Junge went 4-5 5.15 with 86 hits, 61 K, 26 BB and a .305 BAA in 71 IP,mostly as a SP.

[camisadelgolf]

Cruz is intriguing. Junge has a shot to be an adequate injury fill-in coming up from AAA. Think Seth Etherton.

. . . except adequate.

[Doc. Scott]

I'll add this little tidbit I found about the same above players. I should note that this info was from Red Reporter Blog and that the opinions are not necc. from BA!

http://redreporter.com/

RR is off about the Cruz deal. Enrique was traded from Milwaukee to Texas for LHR Brian Shouse in May of '06. (De la Rosa was traded from Milwaukee to Kansas City for INF Tony Graffanino in July.)

[Doc. Scott]

. . . except adequate.

Well, neither of them are any great shakes post-surgery. Seth is pretty much what Junge hopes to be. Both had serious arm injuries shortly after cracking the majors. Both are thirty years old.

The only difference is that Eric had his serious arm injury when he was 26, while Seth had his at age 23. So Etherton has been healthy for much longer.

Oh, and neither had what anyone would call a good season in 2006. Both missed time due to injuries, and both spent time doing the Milton (i.e. the turn-and-gawk) on pitching mounds around the country.

[Doc. Scott]

Here's a few more of note:

Colorado Rockies
Signed RHP Danny Graves

Detroit Tigers
Signed LHP Felix Heredia
Signed OF Jackson Melian
Signed OF Brandon Watson

Houston Astros
Signed C Brian Peterson

Milwaukee Brewers
Signed RHP Joe Valentine

Minnesota Twins
Signed LHP Mike Venafro

Pittsburgh Pirates
Signed RHP Jim Brower

San Francisco Giants
Signed RHP Sun Woo Kim
Signed LHP Damian Moss

[Doc. Scott]

Of course, this Marc Lancaster post reveals the Reds as having signed RHS Victor Santos and LHR Jason Kershner to NRI deals.

Santos is pretty much a replacement-level starter who better not be carrying a heavy rotation load. If he is, that's bad news.

Kershner is a lefty with pretty good control who had some success for a while with Toronto from 2002-2004. He's a skinny guy that doesn't throw very hard.

[Doc. Scott]

Here's a few more:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...ws/263171.html

Cincinnati Reds

Signed RHP Mike Flannery
Signed LHP Mike Bumatay
Signed LHP Luke Lockwood
Released RHP William Caudill
Released RHP Chris Gruler
Released C Rey Gonzalez
Released 1B Bobby Mosby
Released 3B Jason Winkler
Released OF Brandon Roberts
Released OF Alvaro Ruiz

Flannery, 27, is a career reliever (formerly a low-round pick by Florida) who struggled in the Seattle system in '06. Bumatay, 27, can miss some bats in relief, but has inconsistent control. He was once one of my picks as a 6YR signing, and the Reds are his fifth organization. Lockwood, 25, is a former Expos prospect who has a decent 4.08 career ERA but a godawful 37-65 record. The finesse lefty had a mediocre 2006 in the Philadelphia system.

Caudill was a NDFA who pitched in the GCL. Gruler you may know. Gonzalez couldn't hit. Mosby was a big, powerful slugger who had issues with everything that wasn't home runs. Winkler was a NDFA who didn't get much of a chance when Jason Louwsma did so well in Billings. This Brandon Roberts was usually known as JD, and was the son of ex-roving minor-league hitting instructor Leon Roberts.

Finally, the mystery of Alvaro "Junior" Ruiz, scion of plate discipline, has been solved. Ruiz missed all of 2006 after finally cracking AA in '05 at age 25.


Also:

Chicago White Sox
Signed OF Kenny Kelly

Florida Marlins
Signed RHP Jimmy Serrano

Milwaukee Brewers
Signed LHP Benito Baez
Released RHP Joe Valentine

Pittsburg Pirates
Signed OF Alex Fernandez

Texas Rangers
Signed 2B Matt Kata

Washington Nationals
Signed 2B D'Angelo Jimenez
Signed 3B Brandon Larson
Signed 3B Jarrett Reininger

[Tom Servo]

Well, the Gruler era comes to an end. If he doesn't retire, 2/1 odds the Nationals sign him up.


and JimBo will just not let the Brandon Larson dream die.

Thanks for the write-up's, Doc Scott.

[Gallen5862]

Thanks for the update Doc Scott. Which of the new signings do you think might be able to contribute?

[kheidg-]

Cruz intrigues me. First I've heard of him having a terrible glove at SS -- figured his defense would have been what got him picked Rule 5 in the first place.