Sunday, August 16, 1998

BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When the Reds have gone shopping on draft day the last two years they've gone with big guys with big bats. Brandon Larson, Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn aren't going to win many foot races.

But they are power hitters.

The move toward drafting bats is a change in Reds' philosophy. The Reds had always been a "run and throw" team on draft day. When that works, you get players like Eric Davis and Reggie Sanders and Barry Larkin.

"We were always taught the Cincinnati type of player was a good athlete who could run and throw and had good make up," said Julian Mock, who up until last year was the Reds' scouting director. "We were taught that you take good athletes and they develop into hitters." The change came from the top: General Manager Jim Bowden.

"We haven't gone away from run and throw," Bowden said. "We've just put more emphasis on getting bats."

The Reds have made front office changes to implement the move. Al Goldis was brought as senior director - scouting and player development two years ago. De Jon Watson replaced Mock as scouting director before this year.

The run-and-throw philosophy goes back a long way. The Reds were retooled in the 1970s to add speed because of the move to Riverfront and AstroTurf.

This change was prompted by a move in economic status.

"We're a small market team," Bowden said. "Power hitters are the most expensive players in baseball. We couldn't afford them unless we developed them or traded for young players."

The Reds, and everyone else, look at the Atlanta Braves as a model. They have good hitters with power on the corners in the infield and outfield.

"They have Chipper Jones, Ryan Klesko and Andres Galarraga and Andruw Jones," said assistant general manager Doc Rodgers. "They've done it the best."

Mock says finding run-and-throw guys in tougher.

"You have to stick your neck out further," he said. "You can scout hitters by counting how many balls they hit over the fence. One scout told me he scouts by hang time on home runs. . . ."

Whether the philosophical change works, we won't know for four years or so when the Dunns, Larsons and Kearnses are or aren't in the big leagues.

HIT AN FIELD:

Darren Ingram is making a successful transition from designated hitter to outfielder at Chattanooga. Ingram only has two errors in 97 games.

Ingram is a big power guy -- he has 14 home runs -- but he also has 145 strikeouts in 386 at-bats.

LaRUE LaROCKS:

Chattanooga catcher Jason LaRue is hitting .385 in August. That has raised his average to .349, which leads the Southern League. LaRue, the fifth-round pick in 1995, struggled after a brief promotion to Indianapolis, hitting .235 in 15 games. But he responded upon his return to the Lookouts.

"Sometimes guys struggle when they're sent back down," Rodgers said. "But he picked it up."

Rodgers says LaRue, 24, is a player who "will play in the major leagues."

STERLING STEGALL:

Randy Stegall, the Reds' 25th pick in the June Draft, is tearing it up at Billings lately. Stegall, 6-foot-3, 190-pound second baseman, is hitting .476 with a homer and four RBI over his last 10 games.

Stegall is from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.

SAUERBECK'S SWEET:

Scott Sauerbeck, the Northwest High and Miami University product, was named pitcher of the week last week in the International League. Sauerbeck, a 26-year-old left-hander, allowed one run over 16 innings in two starts for the Tidewater Mets.