By John Fay
Cincinnati Enquirer

Jim Bowden was rattling off minor-league pitchers who could help the Reds in 2003.

He mentioned the usual suspects - Bobby Basham, Josh Hall, Dustin Moseley, Ty Howington - then he said, "We might even give Farfan a shot."

Farfan would be Alexander Farfan, a 19-year-old Venezuelan whose results have been unspectacular. He was 3-4 with a 5.18 ERA for the Gulf Coast Reds last year.

But baseball people know what Farfan can do. The Boston Red Sox offered the Reds $1 million for him when Cincinnati was trying to work out the Chuck Finley deal last season.

That the Reds rejected the offer shows what they think of Farfan.

"People compare him to Mariano Rivera," Bowden said of Farfan, who throws in the mid-90s. "I'm not going to go that far."

But given the Reds' pitching situation, someone like Farfan could get a chance. Baseball officials point to last year's World Series, when Anaheim's Francisco Rodriguez, who had five games of big-league experience going into the postseason, made the Giants look silly.

Rodriguez's numbers in 2001 were similar to Farfan's in 2002. Rodriguez was 5-7 with a 5.38 ERA in Double-A.

"It's very obvious that several of our young pitchers are going to get a chance," Bowden said. "I brought Hector Carrasco from Single-A to the big leagues. I was in Pittsburgh when John Smiley was brought from Double-A to the big leagues."

Bowden also brought Chris Reitsma from Double-A to the big leagues.

So who has the best chance of making the big jump? Ricardo Aramboles and Howington were excellent in big-league camp last year. Both are coming off injuries but threw well in the Instructional League. They could pitch their way onto the roster.

Basham, the seventh-round pick in 2001, is right behind them, based on his results in the Arizona Fall League (3-2, 1.98 ERA) and his performance at Single-A Dayton last season (6-4, 1.64 ERA, three straight shutouts). Hall, the seventh pick in 1998, was a combined 11-8 with a 3.38 ERA at Single-A and Double-A last year.

Player development director Tim Naehring said Hall's curveball is among the top two in the Reds organization.

Last year's No. 1 pick, Chris Gruler, and Moseley, the second pick in 2000, also will get looks.

Justin Thigpen, the 20-year-old right-hander obtained in the Todd Walker trade with Boston, also will be in the mix. He was 6-6 with a 3.92 ERA at Single-A Augusta. He struck out 87 in 82 2/3 innings.

All of the above are long shots. But the Reds are willing to take a chance on a live arm. We saw that with Luis Pineda last year. Speaking of Pineda, if he's healthy, he'll get a shot as well.

COULD'VE BEEN RED: The player the Toronto Blue Jays ended up getting in the four-way deal that sent Felipe Lopez to the Reds has some history with the Reds.

Jason Arnold, who went from Oakland to Toronto, was the 16th-round pick in 2000. He didn't sign. DeJon Watson, the scouting director at the time, wouldn't bend on a $20,000 difference in signing bonus.

Arnold went back to school at Central Florida and was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2001. He was traded to the A's in the Ted Lilly deal last season.

Arnold is considered one of the best right-handed prospects in the minors.

He is 20-6 with a 2.28 ERA over his last two minor-league seasons. Last season, he was 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA at Single-A Tampa and had a 6-3 record with a 2.75 ERA after being promoted to Double-A.

GOOD MOVE: The signing of Pete Harnisch was a good decision, even if he never throws a pitch. Harnisch is a consummate professional and a leader, something the young pitching staff can use.