Sunday, August 25, 2002
Down on the farm
Dawkins, Fernandez, Miller appear most likely to join club in September
By John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Reds director of player development Tim Naehring uses three criteria when recommending players for September call-ups. He looks at:
• Sixth-year free agents who deserve to be rewarded for what they did for the organization.
• Players whose development will be helped by a month in the majors.
• Players who can help the big-league club in the pennant race.
The call is general manager Jim Bowden's. Bowden isn't saying how many players will be called up until he knows where the Reds stand.
Two locks would seem to be catcher Corky Miller and shortstop Gookie Dawkins. Both are on the 40-man roster and can help the Reds. Pitcher Jared Fernandez falls in that category, too.
Another player being considered is Kevin Witt, the Louisville first baseman, third baseman and left fielder.
“He qualifies in two ways,” Naehring said. “He's a sixth-year free agent who's going to drive in 100 runs, and he's a guy who can help the big-league club by pinch hitting in the fifth and sixth inning.”
Entering Friday, Witt was hitting .267 with 23 homers and 103 RBI.
A player who deserves a call-up is St. Xavier High and Miami University graduate Chris Sexton. Sexton is the Reds' hottest hitter in Triple-A. He's fourth in the International League in hitting (.329, entering the weekend.)
“I'm Chris' biggest fan,” Naehring said. “He can play at the major-league level. He's a class act. What he's done for this organization goes beyond a .300 batting average and RBIs. He helps the young kids.”
The problem for Witt and Sexton is they're not on the 40-man roster.
A player who is on the 40-man and could be brought up is Wily Mo Pena.
His stats don't merit it. He's hitting .247 with a whopping 118 strikeouts in 348 at-bats at Double-A Chattanooga. But contractually, Pena has to be on the roster next year.
“His name has come up at the round table,” Naehring said. “But in a big-league pennant race, what integral part is he going to play?”
None. So Pena's chances are probably better if the Reds are out of the race by Sept. 1.
GRULER UPDATE: Top pick Chris Gruler got back to his old ways when he threw six innings of no-hit ball for Single-A Dayton last week. Gruler had struggled in three of his previous four outings at Dayton.
“He's an 18-year-old kid pitching in front of 6,500 people,” Naehring said. “That's a lot to ask for.”
Gruler got back to what made the Reds pick him third in the draft. “When I saw him as an amateur, he threw like Roger Clemens,” Naehring said. “He drove the ball downhill, as they say, into the catcher's mitt. He got away from that a little.”
HOWINGTON UPDATE: Left-hander Ty Howington, the 1999 No.1 pick, is on a strengthening and conditioning program for his shoulder. He does not need surgery.
The plan is for Howington to return to throwing by the Instructional League.
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Down on the farm
