Sunday, June 16, 2002
On the farm
Gruler taking a Dayton detour through Billings
If all goes according to Tim Naehring's plan, Chris Gruler will be pitching for Single-A Dayton before the summer is over.
“If I can protect his arm and get him to Dayton, that would be great,” said Naehring, the Reds' director of player development. “That way, we'd get to see him up close and personal.”
Gruler, the Reds' No. 1 pick in this month's draft and the third selection overall, has been assigned to Billings of the rookie-level Pioneer League. That's a tough league for a high school player such as Gruler.
“We try to start the high school guys in the Gulf Coast League and the college guys in Billings,” Naehring said. “But with his talent level, we think he'll be OK at Billings. It will be a challenge.”
Billings opens its season Monday. Sarasota, the Reds' team in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, starts Tuesday.
Naehring and his staff have to figure out where to assign 30 or so new players, then help them get settled.
“It's a lot of work,” Naehring said. “You end up putting out a lot of fires. You've got kids away from home for the first time. You're dealing with young people who are finding out about the Reds' policies for the first time. You've got to explain how we do things and why.”
Billings is where the best of the drafted players go. Joining Gruler on the roster there: No. 6 Walter Olmstead, No. 8 O.J. King, No. 9 Steve Booth and No. 10 Frankie Keller.
All but Gruler are former college players.
Pitching coordinator Sammy Ellis, hitting coordinator Leon Roberts and assistant director of player development Grant Griesser are in Billings to help make the transition smoothly.
HOWINGTON UPDATE: Left-hander Ty Howington, the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, pitched well in his second start at Double-A Chattanooga after coming off the disabled list. Howington allowed one run in four innings, but Naehring isn't ready to evaluate him.
“It's the age-old baseball thing. If you asked someone how Ken Griffey Jr. is doing right now, they'd tell they'll know better when he's played for two or three weeks,” Naehring said. “With Ty, we're not going to know until he throws 20 to 25 innings. But all the reports say he's fine physically. That's the important thing.”
BACK TO WIN: John Koronka, a 21-year-old left-hander, picked up his first win at Chattanooga by going six shutout innings in the Lookouts' 3-1 win over Jacksonville on Thursday. Koronka went 11-0 with a 3.07 ERA at Single-A Stockton to earn a promotion. He lost his first Double-A start.
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On the farm
