Chris Dickerson has teamed with Jack Cassell of the Cleveland Indians to form the group Players for the Planet. The group will place recycling trash bins in all of the major league team clubhouses. In addition, all of the Reds players will receive an aluminum water bottle to cut down on the use of plastic water bottles. Go Green with the Reds.

Aroldis Chapman, the Reds rookie phenom, hit triple figures at least 3 times during his 2 inning stint. It was his first start for the Reds this Spring Training.

“I wasn’t trying to throw that hard,” Chapman said through an interpreter, coach Tony Fossas. “It was good to face someone other than my own teammates. I felt better than I did in the last game. I start slow and as the game goes on, I throw harder.”

Chapman was clocked at 100 mph while pitching for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic last spring. The Reds signed him to a six-year, $30 million deal in January, and are giving the rookie a chance to make the back of the rotation. He hit Todd Frazier, one of his teammates, in the thigh during an intrasquad scrimmage last week, but was much sharper this time around.

That is one impressive start for the Reds. With Edinson Volquez out till at least August, there is one spot open in the rotation. Cincinnati is very excited.

One of my High school friends went missing the other day and we need help spreading the word about her. She disappeared while on a run in San Diego. Im begging you to do anything in your power to help out!
here is a link to a youtube video i put together with information:

here is a link to a website devoted to her:

http://findchelsea.com

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

81 Jon Adkins L/R 6-0 210 08/30/77
79 Jose Arredondo R/R 6-0 175 03/30/84
76 Mike Leake(R) R/R 6-1 190 11/12/87
62 Justin Lehr R/R 6-2 215 08/03/77
69 Alexander Smit L/L 6-3 215 10/02/85
46 Kip Wells R/R 6-3 195 4/21/77

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Wilkin Castillo(Util) S/R 6-0 200 06/01/84
75 Chris Denove R/R 6-1 215 12/09/82
78 Devin Mesoraco R/R 6-1 220 06/19/88
37 Corky Miller R/R 6-1 245 03/18/76
74 Brandon Yarbrough L/R 6-2 180 11/09/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

16 Chris Burke R/R 5-11 195 03/11/80
43 Miguel Cairo R/R 6-1 210 05/04/74
73 Zack Cozart R/R 6-1 185 08/12/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

58 Josh Anderson L/R 6-2 195 08/10/82
80 Daniel Dorn L/L 6-2 190 07/20/84
70 Todd Frazier R/R 6-3 220 02/12/86
17 Laynce Nix L/L 6-1 220 10/30/80

Just a quick synopsis on these players:

The pitchers listed above shouldn’t have an impact at all with the big league team. Arrendondo is out for the season with an arm injury. Jon Adkins pitched for the Reds in 08 but did not play last season. Leake was the Reds 1st round pick last season and is expected to start at Sarasota or Carolina. And Lehr, Smit, and Wells are all destined for Louisville or release.

The Catchers:

Wilkin can play all over the field so, he should compete for a roster spot due to his durability. Corky Miller is a vet and could dethrone Hanigan or Hernandez as the back-up catcher. The other guys have a one way ticket to the minors. Devin Mesoraco is a Reds 1st rd pick but hasn’t developed the way the Reds had predicted.

The Infielders:

Burke and Cairo are competing with Wilkin Castillo as the utility player for Dusty. Whoever has the best spring probably gets the roster spot. Zach Cozart was the Reds 2nd rd pick in 07 and he has been success on the offense end of things. They are bouncing him between 2b and ss and his defense has suffered.

The Outfielders:

Out of this group, Laynce Nix should have the inside shot at the outfield. He is a good pinch hitter and had a decent season with Cincy last season. Josh Anderson is better defensively but lacks the pop of Nix’s bat. But, the Reds have one outfield position open and with a good spring one of these guys could capture it.

The Reds re-signed SP/RP Kip Wells to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The 32 yr old pitcher Wells went 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA in seven starts and three relief appearances for the Reds.

The Reds signed him last July after being cut from the Washington Nationals.

If added to the 40-man roster, Wells would get a $500,000, one-year contract and the chance to earn additional performance bonuses. His impact should be limited for the Reds this season. He may be on the roster as the long reliever due to his durability of starting and relieving. Anything at all positive that the Reds get from him would be a bonus. I expect that he starts the season in Louisville and will be one the first call-ups in case of injury.

On the recent Reds Winter caravan, Manager Dusty Baker and the organization are considering trying Yonder Alonso as a Catcher. With Joey Votto firmly entrenched at 1b, the Reds have no choice but try him at a new position.

“Imagine a left-handed, power-hitting catcher,” said Baker. Oh, we’ll try, but Alonso has never played another position besides first base, even during his time with the University of Miami. Just how he’ll fit into a lineup with Joey Votto is a real question, but sticking him behind the plate is a tremendous leap.

Yonder Alonso, 23 , batted .292 with nine home runs and 52 RBI in his first full year in the minors last season. There also have been rumors of Votto moving to LF, reminiscent of Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. But due to Votto’s mental issues, I doubt the Reds will move him anytime soon.

The Reds acquired infielder Aaron Miles and a player to be named later from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for outfielder Willy Taveras and infielder Adam Rosales. Miles, 33, batted .185 in 74 games with the Cubs in 2009 before being traded to the A’s. Over his seven big league seasons with the White Sox, Rockies, Cardinals and Cubs, Miles is a .282 career hitter with a .322 on-base percentage.

The Reds cut some payroll with this acquisition and land another journeyman/pinch hitter. He has played 2b, ss, and 3b in his career. And, he won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 2006.

We give up Willy Taveras who frankly wasn’t good enough last season to earn any playing time. I say, good riddance to him and his contract. And, we also gave up scrappy Adam Rosales. We all know how Cincinnati takes to the hard working scrappy ball players. And, he was definitely a fan favorite.

Walt Jocketty confirmed on Saturday that he has indeed offered Jonny Gomes a minor league contract. We are currently competing with the Chicago Cubs for his services.

His power in the middle of this lineup makes a lot of sense. The only problem is we have 5 other LF candidates already. His power probably gives him an edge over the others.