OnBaseMachine
07-13-2006, 06:11 PM
Reds add prospects in trade
Eight-player swap with Nats includes several Minor Leaguers
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
In Thursday's eight-player trade, there were several Minor Leaguers involved. Bill Bray, Brendan Harris and Daryl Thompson are all intriguing prospects who are now a part of the Cincinnati Reds organization. Here's some more information on each of them:
Bill Bray, LHP
Bray was the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals' first-round pick (No. 13 overall) in the 2004 draft. A college closer at William & Mary, the lefty has a plus fastball and slider and previously showed the makings of a changeup, causing the Nationals to think about moving Bray into the rotation.
They decided to let him stay in the 'pen, and after dealing with some injuries that slowed him out of the gate, he's moved very quickly. That, of course, was by design, as the Nationals hoped Bray would be another reliever in the Chad Cordero mode -- a college closer who could reach the big leagues quickly.
After throwing just 47 total innings from the time he was drafted until the start of the 2006 season, the 23-year-old Bray shook off a rough April and was the dominant reliever in May the organization thought they had all along. He posted a 2.84 ERA in 11 games, holding hitters to a .179 average while striking out 29 and walking six over 19 innings.
That led to his first call to the big leagues, where Bray has appeared in a total of 19 games out of the Nats' bullpen. His first month wasn't anything to write home about -- a 5.87 ERA in 15 1/3 innings -- but he hasn't allowed a run in six July outings spanning 7 2/3 innings. He should fit nicely into the Reds' relief core immediately.
Brendan Harris, INF
Harris is no stranger to being traded. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2001, he was part of the three-team trade involving the Cubs, Expos and Red Sox that sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox.
He's always been able to hit for average, carrying a .293 career Minor League average into this season. At the time of the trade, Harris was hitting .283 in his second year with Triple-A New Orleans, slumping lately, after breaking out of the gate with a .306 average in April and .330 in May.
His big-league callups have been both brief and relatively uneventful. He's never received more than 59 at-bats in any season since his debut with the Cubs in 2004. In 100 Major League at-bats, including 32 this season, Harris is hitting .210 with a pair of homers and eight RBIs. He had hit .333 in 32 at-bats this year.
Among scouts, the 25-year-old Harris often gets the ultimate compliment in being called "a baseball player." He can do the little things well and is a very good situational hitter. But his best tool may be his glove, and he can tote it all over the infield. He's logged a lot of time at third, short and second base and is able to handle all three at the highest level. It's unclear where he'll fit into the Reds' depth chart, but he's ready to contribute, at least as a utility man, in the big leagues.
Daryl Thompson, RHP
Thompson, the Expos' eighth-round pick in 2003, has spent some time on the shelf since being drafted. Still, just 20 years old, the right-hander was trying to get back on track in short-season ball this summer. He'd tossed just 6 2/3 innings over four outings, allowing five earned runs, five walks and eight strikeouts in that span for Vermont in the New York-Penn League.
Thompson had what was termed minor shoulder surgery last offseason, keeping him off the mound until late June. He was originally slated to head to Class A Advanced Potomac this season after some moderate success in 2005. After having a 5.08 ERA in Savannah in 2004, Thompson had a 3.35 ERA, but only managed to throw 53 2/3 innings in 2005.
When healthy, Thompson features a fastball in the low 90s with a solid curve and changeup. Twenty-year-olds with a three-pitch mix don't grow on trees, but obviously the Reds will have to be patient with him. If they can get him healthy and on the right path, they could have a nice little pitching prospect on their hands, something the relatively pitching-poor system needs. Then again, that's a very big if.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060713&content_id=1555091&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
Eight-player swap with Nats includes several Minor Leaguers
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
In Thursday's eight-player trade, there were several Minor Leaguers involved. Bill Bray, Brendan Harris and Daryl Thompson are all intriguing prospects who are now a part of the Cincinnati Reds organization. Here's some more information on each of them:
Bill Bray, LHP
Bray was the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals' first-round pick (No. 13 overall) in the 2004 draft. A college closer at William & Mary, the lefty has a plus fastball and slider and previously showed the makings of a changeup, causing the Nationals to think about moving Bray into the rotation.
They decided to let him stay in the 'pen, and after dealing with some injuries that slowed him out of the gate, he's moved very quickly. That, of course, was by design, as the Nationals hoped Bray would be another reliever in the Chad Cordero mode -- a college closer who could reach the big leagues quickly.
After throwing just 47 total innings from the time he was drafted until the start of the 2006 season, the 23-year-old Bray shook off a rough April and was the dominant reliever in May the organization thought they had all along. He posted a 2.84 ERA in 11 games, holding hitters to a .179 average while striking out 29 and walking six over 19 innings.
That led to his first call to the big leagues, where Bray has appeared in a total of 19 games out of the Nats' bullpen. His first month wasn't anything to write home about -- a 5.87 ERA in 15 1/3 innings -- but he hasn't allowed a run in six July outings spanning 7 2/3 innings. He should fit nicely into the Reds' relief core immediately.
Brendan Harris, INF
Harris is no stranger to being traded. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2001, he was part of the three-team trade involving the Cubs, Expos and Red Sox that sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox.
He's always been able to hit for average, carrying a .293 career Minor League average into this season. At the time of the trade, Harris was hitting .283 in his second year with Triple-A New Orleans, slumping lately, after breaking out of the gate with a .306 average in April and .330 in May.
His big-league callups have been both brief and relatively uneventful. He's never received more than 59 at-bats in any season since his debut with the Cubs in 2004. In 100 Major League at-bats, including 32 this season, Harris is hitting .210 with a pair of homers and eight RBIs. He had hit .333 in 32 at-bats this year.
Among scouts, the 25-year-old Harris often gets the ultimate compliment in being called "a baseball player." He can do the little things well and is a very good situational hitter. But his best tool may be his glove, and he can tote it all over the infield. He's logged a lot of time at third, short and second base and is able to handle all three at the highest level. It's unclear where he'll fit into the Reds' depth chart, but he's ready to contribute, at least as a utility man, in the big leagues.
Daryl Thompson, RHP
Thompson, the Expos' eighth-round pick in 2003, has spent some time on the shelf since being drafted. Still, just 20 years old, the right-hander was trying to get back on track in short-season ball this summer. He'd tossed just 6 2/3 innings over four outings, allowing five earned runs, five walks and eight strikeouts in that span for Vermont in the New York-Penn League.
Thompson had what was termed minor shoulder surgery last offseason, keeping him off the mound until late June. He was originally slated to head to Class A Advanced Potomac this season after some moderate success in 2005. After having a 5.08 ERA in Savannah in 2004, Thompson had a 3.35 ERA, but only managed to throw 53 2/3 innings in 2005.
When healthy, Thompson features a fastball in the low 90s with a solid curve and changeup. Twenty-year-olds with a three-pitch mix don't grow on trees, but obviously the Reds will have to be patient with him. If they can get him healthy and on the right path, they could have a nice little pitching prospect on their hands, something the relatively pitching-poor system needs. Then again, that's a very big if.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060713&content_id=1555091&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin