Cincinnati Reds in Review: RP Curtis Partch

With the announcement coming out that the Cincinnati Reds have non-tendered Curtis Partch, effectively ending his tenure with the Redlegs, it seems like an appropriate time to do his season in review.

Partch never had an expeditious role with the club; he only pitched in 20 games in his career, but don’t look for this to be the end of his road at the Major League level.

Curtis Partch – Relief Pitcher

Back in 2005, Partch turned down professional baseball out of high school. Instead, he enrolled at Merced College in his hometown of Merced, California, snuffing the fact that the San Francisco Giants selected him in the 49^th round of the draft.

Fast-forward two years later and the Redlegs were the first to jump. They selected him in the 26^th round, and so the odyssey began.

It’s not always statistics that get players promoted through the minor league ranks, but rather potential. In Partch’s case, he never had the statistics. In a single-season where he pitched more than 30 innings at one level, his lowest ERA was 4.35 and that came all the way back in 2009 at A-ball with Sarasota when he was 22 years old.

Recently, Partch has developed the ability to throw the ball in the high-90s. His control has been suspect, but it’s not as if he’s walking runners around the bases. Rather, his issues have come with an inability to develop a secondary pitch to compliment his blazing fastball.

His 2014 campaign with the Redlegs was actually surprisingly…perfect. He appeared in six games, pitched seven innings and allowed zero runs. He would walk seven batters in that span, but also strike out six. At the end of the day, his ERA would read all goose eggs.

Partch’s Stat Line:

1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 G, 7 IP, 2 H, 7 BB, 6 K, 1.29 WHIP, .087 OAV, 4.42 FIP (that goes to show how huge the Reds defense was behind him)

Top Curtis Partch Moment:

If there is one Curtis Partch memory I’ll never forget, it’s unfortunately a negative. During his Major League debut, Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday hit the ball halfway back to Missouri for a game-winning Grand Slam.

Yet in 2014, Partch got his revenge. Up with the squad as they broke camp due to injuries, his first appearance of the season was his best. On April 3, he would toss two scoreless innings against the Redbirds, not allowing a hit or a walk, striking out Matt Adams and getting Holliday to fly out.

Low Point of the Season for Curtis Partch:

He would appear in two separate three-game stints with the club in 2014. His season down at Louisville included more frustration and runs allowed, so being sent down twice was his low point.

Who knows if Partch will ever get back? But he has shown he has the fastball and the longevity to do it.

Final Grade: B-

Considering he tossed all of seven innings, I found it nearly impossible to grade Partch. He technically didn’t give up any runs, struck out six batters, and even won a game. I get that the defense bailed him out on numerous occasions, but I can only grade on results, not what may have happened.

In the long run, we wish Curtis nothing but the best. A Redleg for his entire professional career up to this point, we hope he will be able to latch on with another club and start a new journey in baseball.