By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Against better competition, Bobby Basham's numbers are roughly the same. That's very good news for the Reds.

Basham, a 22-year-old right-hander, went 6-4 with a 1.64 ERA at Single-A Dayton. The Reds then sent him to the Arizona League Fall League to see what he could do against Double-A and Triple-A competition.

Pretty well so far. Basham is 2-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 10 appearances, including five starts.

"Bobby's just picked up where he left off at Dayton," said Tim Naehring, the Reds' director of player development. "A huge plus is his changeup has gotten better. To be successful in the major leagues, you need more than a fastball and a slider. We wanted him to add an off-speed pitch."

Basham is scheduled to pitch for the Reds' new Single-A affiliate in Potomac, Va., next season.

"But he's one of two guys who can determine where they go by the way they pitch," Naehring said.

The other is 20-year-old right-hander Ricardo Aramboles. Either he or Basham could make the Reds' roster with a great spring.

Basham's progression was slowed somewhat when he missed most of spring training and the Instructional League each of his first two seasons because he was finishing his degree at the University of Richmond.

But Basham, a seventh-round pick in 2001, caught everyone's attention by throwing three consecutive complete-game shutouts at Dayton.

"He's a kid with special makeup," Naehring said. "You could throw him in there at the major-league level and he'd find a way to compete."

Whether Basham makes the Reds' roster or not depends on how he pitches in the spring and whether the team wants to rush him. Naehring would like to see Basham work on holding runners on and fielding his position.

As for Aramboles, he's scheduled for Double-A.

"But his stuff is dominating," Naehring said. "You never know."

GREAT DANE: Naeh-

ring is one of the few people not surprised by Dane Sardinha's hitting in the Arizona Fall League (.280, four homers, 23 RBI in 24 games).

"It's a good sign for me," Naehring said, "because I've been telling everyone he'll hit. I've gotten lambasted for it."

Naehring's confidence isn't based on stats. Sardinha hit .206 with four home runs and 40 RBI this season at Double-A.

"But he does too many good things to be a bad hitter," Naehring said. "He lands real softly on his front foot. Bad hitters lunge at the ball. And he can catch up to anyone's fastball. He'll be hitting .200 and he'll just crush a 97 mph fastball."

Sardinha's catching skills are good enough to play in the majors right now.

"In an emergency, he could fill in," Naehring said. "He can throw and catch with anybody."

ACE-VEDO: Jose Acevedo, a 24-year-old right-hander, is following his strong season at Triple-A Louisville with an outstanding winter-ball showing. Acevedo is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA for Aguilas in the Dominican League.