Two Articles on Reds Prospects

[Jason]

It's finally looking like a bright future for the Reds, and like that future may be soon. Or now.

[b][size=4]Bruce could be the boss for Reds fans this year [/size][/b]
[b]Outfielder is MLB's top-ranked prospect [/b]
By C.L. Brown
cbrown@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
They came in raving about new manager Dusty Baker. By the end of this baseball season they might be talking about Jay Bruce.
Baker, Bruce and Ryan Freel rolled into Louisville yesterday as part of the Cincinnati Reds' winter caravan. An estimated 1,000 fans packed Louisville Slugger Museum to get autographs and talk about the Reds' upcoming season.
Baker and his winning pedigree have brought new optimism to Cincinnati, which last made the postseason in 1995. And he's excited about young players like Bruce, who finished last season with the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder, who doesn't turn 21 until April, was ranked the No. 1 prospect by MLB.com after last season, and he was the first Reds prospect to be named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
"He's coming to spring training (as) a nonroster player, but everybody there has a chance," Baker said. "I know people in Louisville would love for him to stay here. I know he liked it here but would love to be with us, so it's just a matter of time."
Bruce, a left-handed hitter, ascended from Class A to Triple-A last season and played the final 50 games for the Bats. He hit .305 with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs in Louisville.
"It was really comforting to move up each level and still be able to compete and play at the level I did," Bruce said. "So I'm looking forward to next season."
The Reds must be, too. In the offseason they dealt outfielder Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers -- a trade that could make it easier for Bruce to join them in the big leagues.
Bruce acknowledged he's kept an eye on what moves the Reds were making, especially ones involving outfielders.
"It was definitely kind of an eye-opener for me, and it made everything a little more real," he said. "But I was going into spring training to make the team regardless of who was there, so I'm still going to try to do that."
For all the accolades he's received, Bruce is not buying into his own hype. Freel said that during the caravan's five-stop tour he was impressed with how humble Bruce remains and with the questions he asked the veteran player.
Bruce said he won't let the burden of expectations get in his way.
"You can dwell on them, or you don't have to," he said. "I'm going to go out and do my thing and let everybody say what they may. I'm just going to be me."
Freel, who has played with the Reds since 2003, has no doubts that Bruce could make the team out of spring training.
"This kid could probably start right now and play," Freel said. "He's one of a kind … and he's going to be a treat to watch on the field."
That might not bode well for Bats fans who want to enjoy watching the prodigy this season. If Bruce produces at his current pace -- even if he starts the season with the Bats -- he won't be in Louisville for long.
"I like Louisville, but hopefully it's a thing of the past for me," Bruce said. "I hope I make the big league team. That's the goal going into spring training, so we'll see."
The Reds' caravan also included a stop to celebrate the Wyandotte Park baseball fields renovation in Louisville.
The Reds Community Fund invested $150,000 over two years to help complete the project.
-- C.L. Brown

[b][size=4]Reds loaded with young talent for '08[/size][/b]
[b]Bailey, Bruce looking to make strong impact in rookie years[/b]
By Lisa Winston / MLB.com

Over the last two seasons, we've seen Arizona's "Baby Backs," Colorado's "Generation Next," and the Los Angeles Dodgers' "Baby Blues" all shock the baseball world by making it to the postseason with a roster dotted with rookies.
We saw similar remarkable success last year with a Cleveland Indians club where several farmhands were unexpectedly propelled to center stage during the pennant drive and playoffs.
Even the World Series champion Boston Red Sox not only featured the American League Rookie of the Year in second baseman Dustin Pedroia, but saw fellow rookie Clay Buchholz pitch a no-hitter in his second big league start.
And we can still recall the 2005 Atlanta Braves, who stunned the masses by rolling to a National League East title with a roster that featured, at one time or another, a mind-boggling total of 18 rookies.
In other words, "young" is in. So who will have the best young'uns in 2008? And more specifically, who can ride that kiddie corps to similar postseason success?
At first glance, no organization seems to be heading into 2008 with the same overwhelming corps of impact rookies coupled with a shot at the postseason that the aforementioned sextet of teams could boast.
But several teams have got a remarkably strong "big three," or even "fabulous four," when it comes to potential early-odds Rookie of the Year candidates who could help propel a shot at sticking around in October.
Of that group, the one that could make the biggest strides might be the Cincinnati Reds, who compete in an up-for-grabs NL Central.
The Reds finished '07 at 72-90, mired in fifth place in a six-team division. But they are in the enviable position of having their top four prospects all very much in the picture to have an impact in Cincinnati at some point in '08. Whether it's enough to overtake, say, the defending division champion Cubs or the increasingly tough Brewers remains the question, but these four guns could make a big difference.
The crown jewel of the system is outfielder Jay Bruce, who was voted No. 1 in MiLB.com's recent Top 50 Prospects package by scouts and fans alike (all four of the Reds prospects mentioned here landed in the Top 50).
Bruce, the club's top pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and the 12th player taken overall that year, combined to hit .319 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs at three levels in '07, finishing the summer hitting .305 at Triple-A Louisville.
It appeared as if the 20-year-old from Texas would get a non-roster invite to Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla., impress the brass and then head back to start the season at Louisville for at least a little while.
That may still be the case, if the Reds decide to give him a little more time to season. However the unexpected January deal of incumbent center fielder Josh Hamilton to Texas for pitchers Edinson Volquez and Danny Ray Herrera suddenly catapulted Bruce very much into the Opening Day picture in Cincinnati.
Technically he comes to camp competing with veteran Ryan Freel, who also saw significant time in center last year, and Norris Hopper, one of the feel-good surprise stories of '07, when he hit .329 for the Reds in 121 games as a 28-year-old rookie.
If Bruce can continue to rake at every level as he's done since 2005, the job is probably his to lose, and he becomes an early-odds favorite for NL Rookie of the Year.
Also looking to make his mark in the lineup in 2008 is Canadian-born first baseman Joey Votto, No. 34 on our list, who comes to camp looking to unseat veteran Scott Hatteberg. Votto, a second-round pick out of high school in Toronto in 2002, followed up a 2006 campaign where he earned Southern League MVP honors by winning International League Rookie of the Year laurels in '07, hitting .294 with 22 homers, 92 RBIs and 17 steals. He then batted .321 with four homers and 17 RBIs in his Major League debut in September. At 24, he's the oldest member of the quartet.
The organization's top two pitching prospects, right-handers Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto, also both factor prominently in the team's 2008 plans, with Bailey a tick ahead of Cueto.
Bailey, the Reds' No. 1 Draft pick in 2004 out of high school in Texas, landed at No. 9 on MiLB.com's Top 50 overall and No. 4 among pitchers. Boasting the best fastball and best curveball in the organization, he barely retains his rookie status for 2008 after going 4-2 with a 5.76 ERA in nine big league starts last year.
Though he struggled in his early debut, the 21-year-old returned to the mound following a groin strain in September and posted a 3.71 ERA in his last three starts, pretty much earning himself a solid spot in the rotation to open '08.
Cueto has drawn comparisons to a young Pedro Martinez for both his stature (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) and his stuff. He's managed to float somewhere under the radar with all the talk about Bailey, but his No. 47 spot on our Top 50 makes that status a thing of the past. While he will probably start the year at Louisville, most expect him to be in the bigs before long.
The Reds' first signee to their Dominican Academy in 2004, the 21-year-old Cueto posted a 3.33 ERA at advanced Class A Sarasota this past season, then made the jump to Louisville, where he walked two batters in 22 innings while posting a 2.05 ERA in four starts. He throws a low-mid 90s fastball, a changeup and the best slider in the organization, and has great makeup.
The only other organization with more top prospects in our Top 50 was the Tampa Bay Rays with five: third baseman Evan Longoria (2), left-hander David Price (11), right-hander Wade Davis (12), left-hander Jacob McGee (20) and shortstop Reid Brignac (32). And like Cincinnati, all five are right on the cusp of the big leagues, and it would not be a stretch to say that all five could be in Tampa Bay by the end of '08.
So why did we go with Cincinnati over Tampa Bay? Because with all due respect to the Cubs and Brewers, the roadblock in front of the Reds is still less daunting than the teams that the Rays would have to hurdle to make it to the top of the AL East.