With the winter taking a heavy toll on the farm system, I thought it would be prudent to take a look at what the Reds still have at the Minor League level.
Some names people are familiar with include Billy Hamilton, Yorman Rodriguez, Kris Negron, Henry Rodriguez, Neftali Soto and Denis Phipps.
Of course there are several who are putting up decent numbers and getting very little recognition.
The first one I want to spotlight is outfielder Bill Rhinehart. If the name rings a bell but doesn’t seem to complete the circuit of instant recall, he came to the Reds in the deal that sent Jonny Gomes to the Washington Nationals for himself and pitcher Christopher Manno.
Rhinehart is no spring chicken as minor league prospects are concerned. He is a 27-year old power hitting outfielder who was drafted in the 11th round by the Nationals in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft.
He started with the Vermont Lake Monsters, the Nationals Single-A affiliate. In 60 games as a 22-year old he posted numbers of .299/.377/.453/.830 with 5 HR and 43 RBI.
In 2008 he continued to toil in Single-A at Hagerstown and Potomac before playing the last half of the season for Double-A Harrisburg. In 564 plate appearances that season he hit 18 HR with 89 RBI.
His only stint in Triple-A came with Syracuse in the 2010 season. He only appeared in five games and other than a home run had rather insignificant numbers.
In 2011 Rhinehart began the year at Harrisburg and then when Gomes was traded he was sent to the Reds Double-A affiliate (at the time) Carolina Mudcats. Between the two teams he put up impressive numbers. In 460 PA he batted .284/.377/.565/.942 with a career high 28 HR and 88 RBI.
The left-hander is a converted first-baseman and has actually played twice as much there as in the outfield. So, he could certainly fill in at first in a pinch.
Since the Reds terminated their affiliate with Carolina, they are entering their relationship with the newly born Pensacola Blue Wahoos (you have to love those minor league names).
The Reds are only showing two outfielders on their Louisville roster – Daryl Jones and Felix Perez, so perhaps a move is in store for the Roseville, CA native.
It is hard to gauge a player’s minor league development. Double-A seems to be where the players are who still have hope. The Triple-A system is more of a ‘shuttle bus’ from MLB to the minors.
At any rate if Rhinehart is going to become a major league player, now would be the time to give him a good hard look at Triple-A ball.
Reds To The Bone 