Sunday, April 09, 2000
REDS FARM REPORT
More prospects mean more hope
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
You could see the difference in the Reds farm system this year by reading the names on the backs of jerseys. There were three Rodriguezes, two Jimenezes and a smattering of other Latin names among the players in the minor-league system.
There were about 30 Latin players in camp this year. That's up substantially just three years ago.
“Three years ago, if the was a Latin player in camp, we got him in a trade or he had been released by another club,” said Reds assistant general manager Doc Rodgers.
That's not the case anymore. Most of the top Latin players are at the lower minor-league levels. But the results will start to trickle up.
“That's the normal progression,” Rodgers said. “We're starting to see better players at the Double-A and Triple-A level.”
The Reds are still sorting out who will go where.
“I know we have some tough decisions,” said Bill Doran, director of player development. “That means we have more depth.”
The job of assigning players wasn't very hard a few years ago. The Reds barely had enough prospects to fill out their minor-league teams. Better drafts have brought better players, thus making the decisions harder.
The Reds' top prospects are good enough now that fans who follow the team closely know their names well before the players are close to the majors.
“We think we're much improved,” Rodgers said. “The last couple of drafts have brought the Dunns and Kearnes, the Dawkinses and Howingtons and the Boussards.”
Rodgers was referring to Gookie Dawkins, the shortstop who will be called up if either Barry Larkin or Pokey Reese is injured; Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, the power-hitting outfielders who will play at Single-A Dayton this year; Ty Howington, the left-hander who throws 95 mph; and Ben Boussard, the outfielder who made the jump from Rookie League to Double-A last year.
“The final measure of that is when those players get in the big leagues and how they do,” Rodgers said. “We think we're in pretty good shape. But you can celebrate on draft day all you want. It's what they do in the major leagues.”
Rebuilding the minor leagues has been a priority of Chief Operating Officer John Allen's administration. He reallocated funds to player development and scouting, two areas that had been bled dry under Marge Schott.
The reason the Reds had no Latin players was, under Schott, there was no budget for international scouting. Allen and Bowden have been on a hiring spree the last few years.
Leland Maddox, senior director of player development and scouting, was hired in 1998. Al Goldis, Bob Boone and Tim Naehring, special assistants to the GM, were hired in 1996, '97 and '99. Gary Hughes, director of pro scouting, was added in November.
Doran was hired in November to replace Buddy Bell, who left to take the Colorado Rockies manager job.
“Billy Doran is a major asset,” Maddox said. “He's a Buddy Bell disciple. Billy played at the major league level, so he knows what it takes to get there. With the special assistants, I think we have the best staff in baseball.”
Maddox said the player development system as a whole is on the rise as well. “In the next three years,” he said, “it will be one of the best.”
The commitment to finding Latin players is one of the keys to getting there.
The Reds took a huge step last year when they reached an agreement with former pitcher Jose Rijo to be affiliated with his camp in the Dominican Republic.
“That's been a huge help,” Rodgers said. “Everyone says it's the best on the island.”
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More prospects mean more hope