Only two of the Reds' six minor-league clubs went into the weekend with a winning record.

The overall winning percentage - .470 - is the worst in at least five years.

The Reds generally have won in the minors. A look at the records the last five years:

• 2003: 335-362 (.481)
• 2002: 369-330 (.528)
• 2001: 394-301 (.567)
• 2000: 335-354 (.486)
• 1999: 362-333 (.521)

But there's no panic over this year's record.

"Is it disappointing? No," Reds player development director Tim Naehring said. "Three years ago, we had the second-best winning percentage in all of baseball. But the only group of athletes that progressed was the young kids.

"The rest of the guys were competing very well at their particular level. They weren't progressing the way the prospects are this year."

Four players who started in the minors this year - Brandon Claussen, Luke Hudson, Felipe Lopez and Joe Valentine - are playing key roles for the big-league Reds.

The next tier of prospects - Edwin Encarnacion, William Bergolla, Richie Gardner, Tony Blanco, Todd Coffey and Thomas Pauley - is having a good year.

Joey Votto is hitting .352 and Miguel Perez is hitting .308 at high-A Potomac. Both are 20-year-olds.

"In the past, we had 24-, 25-year-old guys in A ball," Naehring said. "Sure, you're going to win more games."

General manager Dan O'Brien's philosophy is to build slowly at the lower levels of the minors.

"Let's put it this way," O'Brien said. "From the full-season Single-A on down, you're more concerned with individuals learning basic baseball skills. From Double-A on up, you want players to learn to use those skills."

O'Brien has placed restrictions on the minor leagues that are designed for players' long-term development but can hurt in terms of wins and losses.

For instance, nearly every player in the system up to Double-A has to take a strike before swinging. The idea is to develop patience at the plate, but it leads to a lot of 0-1 counts against good pitchers.

The Reds also are using strict 75-pitch limits in Single-A. The idea is to protect arms, but it leads to a lot of pitchers being taken out when they are on a roll. Pauley was working on a three-hit shutout Thursday night for Potomac but was pulled after 5 2/3 innings.

Potomac lost that game 6-4. Chances are if Pauley had been allowed to go deeper into the game, the Cannons would have won.

"It's great to win," Naehring said. "It's a better environment for the players. But if I had to pick one or the other, there's no question, I'd pick having the prospects progress."

DRAGONS DRAG: The Reds' overall minor-league winning percentage goes from .470 to .512 if you throw out the Dayton Dragons' record. They entered the weekend at 44-85 (.341).

"We've had a tremendous problem winning there," Naehring said. "It's just been horrendous."

The problem at Dayton has been that when the Reds' prospects, such as Votto, move up, the players who replace them haven't produced.

STOUT DRAFT: Last year's draft is looking pretty good right now. Ryan Wagner, the top pick, is pitching well for the Reds.

The second pick (Pauley) and the sixth pick (Gardner) have some of the best numbers among the minor-leaguers.

Gardner has combined to go 12-5 with a 2.59 ERA at Potomac and Double-A Chattanooga. Pauley is 8-6 with a 2.85 ERA at Potomac. Pauley has allowed only 89 hits and has struck out 128 in 113 2/3 innings.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

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