Drew Hayes

[redsof72]

This kid deserves to be somewhere in the 15-20 range in the Reds prospect rankings. A few points:

1) Statistically, look at his strikeout-hits ratio. 89 K's, 29 H's. Off the charts. ERA of 1.35. Allowed nine runs all year. Allowed no unearned runs all year, so the 1.35 is very legit.

2) Fastball consistent at 94, pretty much every pitch. Will hit 95 once an inning maybe. Will be at 93 maybe one pitch per inning if that. The rest are 94. Also throws a breaking ball frequently. Working on a change that is getting better.

3) Tremendous make-up. Great competitive fire. Wants the ball against the other team's best hitter with the game on the line. That is rare. Smart kid, the second highest career passing yards total in Tennessee high school football history. Personality very similar to Jake Peavy in that his competitive nature will break out something extra.

4) His age is the only thing that you would mark him down for, but for power pitchers, you see guys get to the big leagues at 26 and have success. He will be in Double-A next year almost certainly, at 24, which is not out of line for that level.

I see a lot of guys on the big league roster that do not have this kind of power arm.

(Note: I just knocked on wood; playoff games remaining).

[mace]

Agreed. He's been practically impeccable. As close to automatic in save situations as I've seen, certainly, in this organization (although rivaled this year by Alejandro Chacin at the rookie level).

Didn't he have one disastrous outing (against the team that he'd feuded with) that accounts for much of that 1.35 ERA?

[bubbachunk]

Wow didn't even realize how good his numbers have been. Could he be a fast mover next year? I think I remember talk of Louisville being thin on pitching potentially next year.

[mace]

While you're at it, 72, can you give us reports on Blaine Howell and Daniel Wolford? (I'd add Sharky Rogers to that request but don't want to overdo it.)

[redsof72]

Rogers: 93-96 (generally 93-94). Good arm. Drafted out of junior college in the 28th roujnd in 2010. If he had come out in the draft this year with the kind of arm he is showing, would have been a 3-5 round pick.

Wolford: 90-91, breaking ball can be a strikeout pitch. Great year. Like Hayes, has a closer mentality.

Howell: 90 as a lefty, excellent breaking ball. Has been very good for last six weeks or so. In the right role as a set-up man. Deeply religious young man who missed a season while serving a church mission.

Not many bullpens have three guys with ERA's under 2.00 and another guy who has the heat of Rogers.

[mace]

Thanks. I definitely agree that the bullpen has been the unheralded hero of that Dayton club. The contrast with other teams in the organization--starting, of course, with Carolina--is vivid.

[redsof72]

Oh brother. It happened.

[partisan]

stop making these kind of threads during the playoffs, unless it is about opposing players.