Nice article from USA Today on the Reds

[OnBaseMachine]

"I see this team finally growing up," says Johnny Bench, a former Reds catcher who is a Hall of Famer. "For a long time they played under the shadow of Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn (Reds veterans who had departed by the beginning of last season). For them to finally turn the corner, they had to commit to young kids like Bruce and Votto who needed to develop their own style and leadership."

The Reds are getting especially big contributions from Leake, 22, and Cueto, 24. Leake, a rookie who made the team out of spring training without a lick of minor league experience, was 51 with a 3.02 ERA after his teammates got him off the hook with the comeback against the Giants on June 10.

Leake was 16-1 for Arizona State last season and came equipped with a maturity level that enabled him to become the first player since 2000 to jump directly from the draft to the big leagues.

to read more:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...ds-rally_N.htm

[OnBaseMachine]

Some more Reds love, this time from Tim Kurkjian.

The best of the positions might be pitcher. Leake is 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA. He was the first pitcher in the history of the Reds to go unbeaten in his first 12 starts. Leake never pitched in the minor leagues, going straight from Arizona State to the Reds.

"He is my new favorite young pitcher,'' one scout said of Leake. "You can fill a ballpark with guys who throw 95, but you can't find young pitchers with a feel for pitching. He has it.''

It has been an amazing year for young talent. And more is on the way. The Reds are expected to recall Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman sometime this year. He throws close to 100 mph with stuff "that is borderline Randy Johnson," teammate Jonny Gomes said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/column...tim&id=5297456

[HeatherC1212]

It's nice to read some good things about our guys in the national news. I hope they can keep fighting hard and making more people notice them this year.

[BCubb2003]

I wonder when it became customary to say that someone has been recalled when they haven't pitched in the majors yet. I noticed it the other night with Jordan Smith.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by BCubb2003

I wonder when it became customary to say that someone has been recalled when they haven't pitched in the majors yet. I noticed it the other night with Jordan Smith.

Because when a guy is on the 40 man roster and doesn't make the team, he technically was 'optioned' to the minor leagues. From then on he gets recalled.

[BCubb2003]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Because when a guy is on the 40 man roster and doesn't make the team, he technically was 'optioned' to the minor leagues. From then on he gets recalled.

Thanks. When I was a little kid and got my hands on a Reds yearbook, I didn't know anything about the 40-man roster and felt sorry for all those guys who were listed but never got to play.