http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/players/curtis_partch/251506 Recent articles about Curtis Partch en-us We are a day behind on this series because of the downtime over the weekend, but things should be back on schedule for next week. Louisville Bats: 11-14 record, 77 runs scored, 91 runs allowed. Weekly Review: The Bats went 2-5 over the last week, bookmarking the week with wins. When the pitching showed up, the hitting didn’t and when the hitting showed up, the pitching didn’t. The pitching staff remains among the best in the league with a 3.21 ERA. The offense however finds itself in last place in average, on-base percentage and second to last in slugging. Not surprisingly, they are also last in runs scored. Neftali Soto is hitting .316/.366/.526 over his last 10 games. If he is heating up it could really boost the offense for the Bats. Billy Hamilton remained in his slump, going 3 for his last 23 and is now hitting .205/.278/.307 on the season. The Bats are in 3rd place and 7.5 games out of first place. Weekly Preview: The Bays are actually playing an early morning game as I type t... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:30:43 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13520567 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13520567 Cincinnati Reds Minor League Weekly Preview http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13520567 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Louisville lost 1-0. Box Score Neftali Soto went 1-3 with a walk. Denis Phipps went 1-2 with a walk. Chad Reineke threw 7 shutout innings with a walk and 4 strikeouts. Curtis Partch allowed a run in 2 innings with a walk and a strikeout. Game Notes The Bats offense continued to struggle and the Bats wasted a great pitching performance by Chad Reineke. Billy Hamilton drew a walk but was hitless as his seasonal line dropped to .211/.291/.296. Pensacola lost 2-1. Box Score Ryan LaMarre went 2-4 with a double and a run. Brodie Greene went 1-3. Donald Lutz went 1-4 with a double. Tucker Barnhart went 1-3 with a double and a walk. Devin Lohman went 1-3 with a double. Ryan Dennick allowed 2 runs in 6 innings with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Loek Van Mill threw 2 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts. Game Notes Pensacola, like Louisville, struggled with the bats and saw a strong pitching performance go to waste. Bakersfield lost 9-3. Box Score Kyle Waldrop went 1-4 with a solo HR (3). Marq... Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:39:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/minor_league_game_review_42513/13488112 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/minor_league_game_review_42513/13488112 Minor League Game Review – 4/25/13 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/minor_league_game_review_42513/13488112 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Podcast Last night I teamed up with Chad Dotson of RedlegNation.com for a new episode of Redleg Nation Radio. Give it a listen below. If you are looking to subscribe to the show, be sure you check it out on iTunes or you can subscribe via RSS to keep up to date for when we have a scheduled show coming up to listen live. News and Notes Is it time to get concerned with Ismael Guillon? He currently has 22 walks and 21 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched so far with 15 of those walks coming in the last 5 innings he has thrown. I will go on record and say that I am very concerned at this point. While his control was better last night than the 6 days ago, he still walked 6 batters in 1.2 innings pitched. Guillon has had control problems in the past, walking 46 hitters in 63 innings just two seasons ago. This year has clearly been much worse than that. Clearly there is a mechanical problem going on, but at this point you have to wonder if it isn’t also a mental issue as well. It wouldn’t s... Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:34 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/redleg_nation_radio_news_and_other_notes/13465096 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/redleg_nation_radio_news_and_other_notes/13465096 Redleg Nation Radio, news and other notes http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/redleg_nation_radio_news_and_other_notes/13465096 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Louisville Bats: 9-9 record, 50 runs scored and 55 runs allowed. Weekly Review: The Bats went 3-3 last week with a postponement due to rain against Columbus. The pitching staff remained strong with the departure of Tony Cingrani as they finished the week with an ERA for the season sitting at 2.58 and they now have 152 strikeouts in 150 innings. Pedro Villarreal had a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings over three starts with 2 walks and 13 strikeouts. Chad Reineke had made four appearances with one start over 14.2 innings with a 0.61 ERA to go with 4 walks and 11 strikeouts. Jose Arredondo is doing what most expected him to do with the Bats. He has a 2.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 9 innings, but he also has 8 walks. When he throws strikes he has been dominating, but he is still walking far too many batters. The offense however continues to struggle as the team average dropped to .198 through the game on Sunday and they are averaging just 2.78 runs per game on offense. Billy Hamilton is hitting ju... Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:03 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13455463 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13455463 Cincinnati Reds Minor League Weekly Preview http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/cincinnati_reds_minor_league_weekly_preview/13455463 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Here is the roster for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Pitchers Throws Tim Crabbe Right Ryan Dennick Left Drew Hayes Right Lee Hyde Left Kyle Lotzkar Right Chris Manno Left Curtis Partch Right Yohan Pino Right Josh Ravin Right Chad Rogers Right Josh Smith Right Loek Van Mil Right Catchers Bats Tucker Barnhart Switch Danny Vicioso Right Infielders Bats Ray Chang Right Brodie Greene Right Devin Lohman Right Travis Mattair Right David Vidal Right Outfielders Bats Theo Bowe Left Ryan LaMarre Right Donald Lutz Left Bryson Smith Right Steve Selsky Right There are a few guys on the roster who probably expected to be in Louisville to start the year. Ryan LaMarre and Bryson Smith from the outfield and Curtis Partch, Drew Hayes and Chris Manno from the bullpen. Are there any big surprises on the roster though? Danny Vicioso jumped out to me right away. You have to wonder if there weren’t some injuries that led to that. He ... Sat, 30 Mar 2013 17:40:08 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/pensacola_blue_wahoos_opening_day_roster/13274437 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/pensacola_blue_wahoos_opening_day_roster/13274437 Pensacola Blue Wahoos Opening Day Roster http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/pensacola_blue_wahoos_opening_day_roster/13274437 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Cincinnati Reds cut 5 more players from their roster over the weekend, getting their total roster count down to 39. Optioned to Triple-A Louisville were right-handed pitchers Pedro Villarreal and Curtis Partch, infielder Henry Rodriguez and first baseman Neftali Soto. Outfielder/first baseman Donald Lutz was optioned to Double-A Pensacola. Lutz, Rodriguez, and Soto all impressed manager Dusty Baker during the spring and leave knowing they have things to work on in their progress to the majors. There’s a good chance these players will make appearances with the club during the season. Just 14 cuts to go! Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:16:50 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/reds_cut_5_more_over_the_weekend/13170382 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/reds_cut_5_more_over_the_weekend/13170382 Reds cut 5 more over the weekend http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/reds_cut_5_more_over_the_weekend/13170382 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The guys over at BullpenBanter.com ranked Billy Hamilton as the #55 prospect in baseball over the weekend. That is easily the lowest that he has been ranked this year, but I suggest going over and reading what was said by the writers. The Reds optioned five players over the weekend to the minors. Donald Lutz was optioned to Pensacola, while Henry Rodriguez, Neftali Soto, Curtis Partch and Pedro Villarreal were all optioned to Louisville. While these moves aren’t required to play these guys at their assigned level, I think it is where all of these guys will wind up when the season rolls around unless there is an injury that opens up a spot. Tom Nichols posted his shortstop and third base previews over at DaytonDragons.com. At shortstop, he expects Zach Vincej to be the starter after a good season for the Billings Mustangs in 2012. Over at the hot corner he expects to see Seth Mejias-Brean after an outstanding season in Billings last year. Everyone likes filling out a bracket. I set u... Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:08:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/roster_moves_a_podcast_and_more/13169968 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/roster_moves_a_podcast_and_more/13169968 Roster moves, a podcast and more http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/roster_moves_a_podcast_and_more/13169968 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Billy Hamilton is dealing with a hamstring issue and is currently unable to play. It doesn’t sound too serious, but for a guy who relies on his legs for his game, it is worth noting and following. Hopefully it isn’t anything that lingers throughout the spring as it could really hold him back at the start of the year. The Reds lost yesterday to the Giants 9-5. Here are the minor league performances: Denis Phipps went 2-3 with a run and a double. Neftali Soto went 1-1 with a walk and RBI. Donald Lutz went 1-2 with an RBI, double and a run. Derrick Robinson went 2-3 with an RBI. Henry Rodriguez went 1-2. Pedro Villarreal had a day to forget as he allowed 6 earned and 7 runs in 0.1 innings. Curtis Partch threw 1.2 shutout innings with a strikeout. Not minor league related, but Dusty came out once again and said he is against starting Aroldis Chapman. Lance McAlister posed the question on sports talk last night if Dusty should just go with the company line rather than stir the feathers... Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:07:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/thursday_news_and_notes/13138642 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/thursday_news_and_notes/13138642 Thursday news and notes http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/thursday_news_and_notes/13138642 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Reds are back on the winning side of things as they picked up their first win of the spring. Derrick Robinson was the only minor leaguer to rack up a hit as he went 1-2 in the game. On the mound Ismael Guillon threw a hitless inning with 2 walks and a strikeout. Curtis Partch allowed 2 unearned runs in 2 innings with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Mark Serrano struck out 2 in a scoreless inning of work. Dusty Baker has been impressed with Billy Hamilton’s transition to center field. I’m pleasantly surprised at the routes he’s taken in the short period of time I’ve seen him. He’s been working hard with [coaches Billy Hatcher] and Eric Davis and Darren Bragg. It helps to be around other good outfielders, to hear them talk. Most of instruction is about listening and communication. Not that there was anyone who was concerned that he couldn’t make the move to center, but it is nice to hear that he is already showing the right things against live hitting. While there isn’t much reason to th... Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:05:57 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/tuesday_news_and_notes/12992842 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/tuesday_news_and_notes/12992842 Tuesday news and notes http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/tuesday_news_and_notes/12992842 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png So the Reds played their first spring game of the year yesterday against the Indians in Goodyear. It started well and ended poorly from a results standpoint, but results don’t really matter right now. The pitching in the game resembles a Louisville box score from three months from now with the exception of Contreras. The names were there, but the results weren’t. Tony Cingrani, Curtis Partch, Clay Hensley, Pedro Villarreal, Jose Contreras and Drew Hayes combined to give up 11 runs in 8.1 innings with 6 walks and 5 strikeouts. Coming off of the rough outing, both John Fay and Mark Sheldon have articles up on Cingrani today. From Fay’s article is a quote from Cingrani that says this: As long as the secondary pitches are good, I’ll be OK Fay follows that up by saying that he threw almost all fastballs in his outing. Not surprising given it was just one inning. But, Cingrani has been reluctant to use his offspeed stuff in the past, particularly his breaking ball. Hopefully he is beginni... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:09:08 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/saturday_news_and_notes/12976396 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/saturday_news_and_notes/12976396 Saturday news and notes http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/saturday_news_and_notes/12976396 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png As of today, all players should be in Arizona for spring training on both the position and pitching side of things. The Reds are coming off of an outstanding year that ended poorly and most of that team is returning. Due to that, there probably are only a few jobs up for grabs and it is probably not even open for any current minor leaguers to even take a single one that is open. Still, the small amount of playing time that they do get could lead to Dusty Baker or Bryan Price asking Walt Jocketty about them if a situation does arise later down the road when someone is needed. Here is a breakdown of the minor leaguers who are in big league spring training: Pitchers: Nick Christiani, Tony Cingrani, Carlos Contreras, Daniel Corcino, Wilkin De La Rosa, Justin Freeman, Ismael Guillon, Drew Hayes, Kyle Lotzkar, Curtis Partch, Josh Ravin, Chad Rogers and Pedro Villarreal. Pitchers are generally more fickle than hitters and you tend to go through more of them throughout a year due to injurie... Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:05:48 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/what_to_watch_for_in_cincinnati_reds_spring_training_pitchers_edition/12938074 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/what_to_watch_for_in_cincinnati_reds_spring_training_pitchers_edition/12938074 What to watch for in Cincinnati Reds spring training: Pitchers Edition http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/what_to_watch_for_in_cincinnati_reds_spring_training_pitchers_edition/12938074 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Yesterday the Louisville Bats introduced Jim Riggleman to the media. At the press conference they also announced that Ted Power would be returning as the pitching coach and that Tony Jaramillo would be the hitting coach for the Bats. Jaramillo was the hitting coach with Pensacola in 2012. The Louisville Courier-Journal has up an article with some video from the press conference. However, if you want to watch the entire press conference, it is below compliments of the Louisville Bats official youtube channel. Highlights from the press conference for those who didn’t listen to all 23 minutes: They are doubling the amount of giveaways as last year. Riggleman is pretty confident that Tony Cingrani and Daniel Corcino will be in Louisville. He also mentioned Justin Freeman, Curtis Partch and Wilkin De La Rosa as guys he was confident in being able to help the team. There may not be enough spots for all of the guys who deserve to be there. He described Billy Hamilton as “fearless”. Keit... Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:05:47 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_louisville_bats_introduce_jim_riggleman_name_coaches_and_other_notes/12839623 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_louisville_bats_introduce_jim_riggleman_name_coaches_and_other_notes/12839623 The Louisville Bats introduce Jim Riggleman, name coaches and other notes http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/the_louisville_bats_introduce_jim_riggleman_name_coaches_and_other_notes/12839623 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/a/1acbb05efc61551132902eb582066e0c6dbb0d56/mini/Washington_Nationals_vs_7c39.jpg While I don’t believe that ground ball rates are the most important, or even among the few more important things that a pitcher can control, they do help. While ground balls go for hits more often than fly balls, they go for extra-base hits less often, result in more double plays and none of them ever go over the fence for a home run. Pure ground ball rates for minor leaguers are tough to come by. The official website for Minor League Baseball doesn’t list them. Fangraphs doesn’t have them. Baseball-Reference doesn’t have them. Lesser known First Inning has them, but their numbers aren’t always complete and they haven’t updated their SQL queries to reflect the AZL Reds, so they don’t have any rookie level players rates. Ground ball rates, rather than ground out/fly out, actually can tell us the true effectiveness. GO/FO only tells what happens when a ball is turned into an out. Fly balls are turned into outs about 33% more often than ground balls are, so that stat is missing out on ... Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:05:32 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/which_prospects_produce_big_ground_ball_rates_for_the_cincinnati_reds/12830689 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/which_prospects_produce_big_ground_ball_rates_for_the_cincinnati_reds/12830689 Which prospects produce big ground ball rates for the Cincinnati Reds? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/which_prospects_produce_big_ground_ball_rates_for_the_cincinnati_reds/12830689 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png One of the breakout prospects of the 2012 season was Curtis Partch. He has always had quality stuff, but has struggled with putting it all together at times. The Reds moved him to the bullpen after a rough start to the year and he turned his season and career around, finishing the year by being added to the 40-man roster. I was looking through my old videos, trying to delete some of players who are no longer in baseball, I came across some video of Curtis Partch from 2009 when he was pitching with the Dayton Dragons. I decided to see how things have come along with him mechanically since then. For me, there were several things that have been changed, which can be seen within each of the three images below. While the angles aren’t exactly the same, they are pretty similar. While this isn’t actually in the pitching motion, there are two things going on here that stand out. First is that this is at the highest point that Partch brings his hands in both motions. Second is that now, his... Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:05:14 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/then_and_now_curtis_partch/12477808 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/then_and_now_curtis_partch/12477808 Then and now: Curtis Partch http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/then_and_now_curtis_partch/12477808 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Reds had arguably the best bullpen in all of baseball during the 2012 season. With it appearing that Aroldis Chapman will move into the rotation, it is likely to take a step backward but should still remain a strong point of the team. There isn’t really a for sure top relief prospect in the system, but there is a rather clear top group of prospects at the reliever position. Drew Hayes was a part of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos bullpen who had a majority of this top group in it. He finished the season with a 3.41 ERA in 63.1 innings with 64 strikeouts and 38 walks. The walk rate was rather high and will need to improve to be a quality reliever at the Major League level, but he has an above-average fastball and slider that can get Major Leaguers out. Curtis Partch began the season in the starting rotation but made his way to the bullpen where he posted a 3.01 ERA in 65.2 innings with 25 walks and  66 strikeouts. Partch has plus fastball velocity  and a slider in the mid to upper 80’s... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:05:13 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/state_of_the_farm_relievers/12348265 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/state_of_the_farm_relievers/12348265 State of the Farm: Relievers http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/state_of_the_farm_relievers/12348265 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/3/b3aae19be2c10fe6b8ef5c0f25cdb5aa4f3008e9/mini/cincinnati-reds-louis.jpg