Post by Fuck Mike Brown on Nov 14, 2007 22:35:06 GMT -5
Underneath all of the excitement of the MLB free agency period(which besides A-rod has not been too exciting yet), there is a less important class of free agents. It is made up of the players who work hard every day to make it up to the big club, but just never seem to be able to. We'll take a look at who is a minor league free agent in the Reds organization in this weekly minor league report.
Here are the Reds free agents. Those in bold were granted free agency because of not wanting to take an outright assignment to the minor leagues.
Pitchers: Rick Asadoorian, Carlos Bohorquez, Dan Denham, Steven Kelly, Elizardo Ramirez, Dushan Ruzic, Kirk Saarloos, Ricky Stone
Catchers: Jean Boscan, Miguel Perez, Ryan Jorgensen
First baseman: Jesse Gutierrez
Shortstops: Jeff Bannon, Caonabo Cosme, Aaron Herr, Anderson Machado, Enrique Cruz
Outfielder: Marland Williams, Bubba Crosby, Jason Ellison, Dewayne Wise
Because there are so many, I will just take a look at the most interesting and best free agents and determine if the Reds should keep them.
Elizardo Ramirez-P: Ramirez has always given me hope. He was fairly good in the 2006 season, but struggled last season after missing half the year with a shoulder injury. Still, with the Reds pitching woes, they need every available arm they can get. Ramirez is obviously cheap, still young, and has some upside with how he pitched in 2006. This is a no-brainer for me. Sign
Kirk Saarloos-P: Saarloos was brought over to the Reds in an offseason trade from the A's. He struggled out of the bullpen in the first half of the season, and was horrendous for a few spot starts. While his contract isn't big, the Reds need to save money. He has a MLB contract, and is simply too big of a risk to sign. The fact that the Reds out righted shows that they do not want to keep him. Don't Sign
Ricky Stone-P: Stone had outstanding numbers for the Reds AAA team, the Bats. But, when he finally got the call up to the Reds at midseason, he struggled greatly in a long relief role. I don't see why the reds should keep him in the organization. He needs a fresh start somewhere. Don't Sign
Ryan Jorgenson-C: Jorgenson was called up when David Ross got injured in August. For the short time he was there, he looked pretty good, and even got a grand slam against the Marlins which continued a hot streak for Cincinnati. But, just before September call-ups, Jorgenson was busted for using steroids from pure stupidity on his part(putting information on internet). The Reds don't need a steroids user in their minor league system, making his decision an easy one. Don't Sign
Jason Ellison-OF: Ellison was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Mariners. He showed a nice glove and good speed in the outfield, but was just awful at the plate. He never really got his hitting going, and proved to all that he can't hit. With the Reds depth in the outfield, no point in keeping him around. Don't Sign
Dewayne Wise-OF: Wise was sporadically called up throughout the season when the Reds had outfield injuries. Wise looked very good in the outfield, and showcased himself at the plate at times. I know I just said how much outfield depth the Reds have, but in case someone gets traded and the Reds suffer some injuries, he might be nice to have. Sign
Obiously, I don't feel the need to sign the rest. Minor league free agents can really help a team. They are almost always overlooked, but it might be the thing that pushes a team to the playoffs. Who knows. Maybe if the Reds sign Elizardo Ramirez he will be the number five starter next season getting them to the playoffs.
As a final note, I will give the stats of the Reds players in the Arizona Fall league soon. Sorry for taking so long.
cincinnatiredsbaseball.blogspot.com/2007/11/minor-league-free-agents.html
Here are the Reds free agents. Those in bold were granted free agency because of not wanting to take an outright assignment to the minor leagues.
Pitchers: Rick Asadoorian, Carlos Bohorquez, Dan Denham, Steven Kelly, Elizardo Ramirez, Dushan Ruzic, Kirk Saarloos, Ricky Stone
Catchers: Jean Boscan, Miguel Perez, Ryan Jorgensen
First baseman: Jesse Gutierrez
Shortstops: Jeff Bannon, Caonabo Cosme, Aaron Herr, Anderson Machado, Enrique Cruz
Outfielder: Marland Williams, Bubba Crosby, Jason Ellison, Dewayne Wise
Because there are so many, I will just take a look at the most interesting and best free agents and determine if the Reds should keep them.
Elizardo Ramirez-P: Ramirez has always given me hope. He was fairly good in the 2006 season, but struggled last season after missing half the year with a shoulder injury. Still, with the Reds pitching woes, they need every available arm they can get. Ramirez is obviously cheap, still young, and has some upside with how he pitched in 2006. This is a no-brainer for me. Sign
Kirk Saarloos-P: Saarloos was brought over to the Reds in an offseason trade from the A's. He struggled out of the bullpen in the first half of the season, and was horrendous for a few spot starts. While his contract isn't big, the Reds need to save money. He has a MLB contract, and is simply too big of a risk to sign. The fact that the Reds out righted shows that they do not want to keep him. Don't Sign
Ricky Stone-P: Stone had outstanding numbers for the Reds AAA team, the Bats. But, when he finally got the call up to the Reds at midseason, he struggled greatly in a long relief role. I don't see why the reds should keep him in the organization. He needs a fresh start somewhere. Don't Sign
Ryan Jorgenson-C: Jorgenson was called up when David Ross got injured in August. For the short time he was there, he looked pretty good, and even got a grand slam against the Marlins which continued a hot streak for Cincinnati. But, just before September call-ups, Jorgenson was busted for using steroids from pure stupidity on his part(putting information on internet). The Reds don't need a steroids user in their minor league system, making his decision an easy one. Don't Sign
Jason Ellison-OF: Ellison was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Mariners. He showed a nice glove and good speed in the outfield, but was just awful at the plate. He never really got his hitting going, and proved to all that he can't hit. With the Reds depth in the outfield, no point in keeping him around. Don't Sign
Dewayne Wise-OF: Wise was sporadically called up throughout the season when the Reds had outfield injuries. Wise looked very good in the outfield, and showcased himself at the plate at times. I know I just said how much outfield depth the Reds have, but in case someone gets traded and the Reds suffer some injuries, he might be nice to have. Sign
Obiously, I don't feel the need to sign the rest. Minor league free agents can really help a team. They are almost always overlooked, but it might be the thing that pushes a team to the playoffs. Who knows. Maybe if the Reds sign Elizardo Ramirez he will be the number five starter next season getting them to the playoffs.
As a final note, I will give the stats of the Reds players in the Arizona Fall league soon. Sorry for taking so long.
cincinnatiredsbaseball.blogspot.com/2007/11/minor-league-free-agents.html