BAR: Measuring Reds, Phillies rebuild progress – Cincinnati.com

Futures left fielder Taylor Trammel grounds out in the top of the sixth inning of the MLB exhibition game between the Reds Futures Team and the Cincinnati Reds at Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The Reds beat a team of its top prospects 5-1 in the second-ever Futures Game hosted by Single-A affiliate Dayton Dragons,(Photo: Sam Greene, The Enquirer)

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

Welcome back to the Blog Above Replacement, our daily look at the Reds, baseball and beyond. Zach and I will do this every weekday during the season, taking a look not just at the Reds, but also their minor-league results, something thats more important than ever as the team continues its rebuild.

The Enquirers exhaustive Reds coverage includes not just news, notes and results from the games at Great American Ball Park and other ballparks across the country, but also our weekly Reds Beat Podcast. If youre a daily BAR reader and not a podcast listener, we invite you to continue the discussion there. Or, well, listen to our discussion. You can also email, tweet or whatever to let us know what you want to hear about. Well include guests (like GM Dick Williams last week) and also talk amongst ourselves.

This week, we had Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb in to discuss the dueling rebuilds in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. Last year Gelb joined us for the C. Dot Show Opening Day Eve Extravaganza (R.I.P.) and he said he thought the Phillies were a year ahead of the Reds. Now he thinks it looks more like two years ahead. We discuss that and more.

So, if youre new to podcasts, think about it as an old-fashioned radio show that you can listen to any time and any place. Zach and I aim to record the podcast every Tuesday and post it early Wednesday morning, so its up for your morning consumption since theres no local sports radio here in Cincinnati, think of this as your companion at least once a week on your drive, morning walk or whatever.

New to podcasts? Heres a good intro from Ira Glass of This American Life.

Our podcast can be found thusly:

In the podcast section of the Cincinnati.com Reds app, available on iTunes and Google Play

Subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio

Subscribe on Audioboom

Or simply hit play below

MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

Games begin on Thursday, but the rosters have been announced. Ill link the rosters and highlight a few players to watch at each level:

Triple-A: Louisville Bats

RHPs Sal Romano and Jackson Stephens are starters that could find their way to Cincinnati this season.

2B Dilson Herrera was acquired in the Jay Bruce deal. The outfield of Jesse Winker, Phillip Ervin, Sebastian Elizalde and Beau Amaral should be worth watching.

Double-A: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Of the pitchers, RHP Luis Castillo throws 100 and was the main piece acquired in the Dan Straily trade. RHP Tyler Mahle doesnt quite throw that hard, but he has very good command and control.

Aristides Aquino may have the highest ceiling of any Reds prospect, with tools that could make him special, including power and a cannon of an arm. Gabby Guerrero resembles his uncle, Vladimir, in several ways, including his choice to eschew batting gloves.

High-A: Daytona Tortugas

The infield has a chance to be pretty interesting, headlined by 3B Nick Senzell, the No. 2 overall pick in last years draft. Alfredo Rodriguez, a high-priced Cuban import, is the shortstop and sleeper prospect pick Shed Long (youll hear much, much more about Shed this year) is at second base. Gavin LaValley is the first baseman. Not only that, but catcher Chris Okey was the teams second-round pick last year.

The Reds other big-ticket Cuban from last year, RHP Vladimir Gutierrez, is also slated to begin the season in Daytona.

Low-A: Dayton Dragons

OF Taylor Trammell, the No. 35 overall pick last year, will start the season in Dayton, as will fellow Georgian and first-round pick, C Tyler Stephenson.

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BAR: Measuring Reds, Phillies rebuild progress - Cincinnati.com