Cincinnati Reds Sign Potential Bullpen Arm Louis Coleman to a Minor League Contract

The Cincinnati Reds have signed Louis Coleman to a minor-league deal, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com Reports.

 (see Jon Heyman’s tweet here.)

The newest member of the Cincinnati Reds is a 30 year old who last played in 2016 with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he pitched in 61 games, garnishing a 4.69 ERA. In 48 innings pitched, Coleman struck out 45 while walking 24 batters. Louis Coleman had a run of noticeable success during his stint with the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2015.

The Cincinnati Reds hope that Coleman can bring some juice back into the diminished Reds’ bullpen. Last season’s bullpen was ranked 29th in the MLB in ERA. That’s not a good look for a team trying to win close games

Safe Play

I look at this addition as a safe play for the Reds. Louis Coleman is not known to be a fireballer, but has a favorable off speed pitch in his slider. I look for Coleman to contribute in the Cincinnati bullpen in 2017 along with recent addition, Drew Storen.  These two will combine with the dynamic duo of Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias to rebuild the bullpen.

The Cincinnati Reds need to keep up with the times and invest in bullpen pitching if they want to improve next season. With plenty of minor League arms in the system, the Reds’ future on the hill looks bright. We can look for intriguing competition in the spring with roster spots available for youth and veteran pitchers.

2017 Outlook

Coleman has experience pitching in the big leagues. Sometimes experience can go a long way. Someone in the bullpen who has been in the league for 6 years will be able to take a young arm under his wing and look to be a model of professionalism.

A guy who has pitched on the same staff as Clayton Kershaw and Scott Kazmir might have picked up on a thing or two as to how to train and carry yourself on a major league ball club. It looks as though the Reds are attempting to make some moves so far in the new year. Cincinnati is at least attempting to build upon their weaknesses. A 29th ranked bullpen ERA again just won’t cut it.

Next: Remembering former Red Ryan Freel

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The nice thing about this move is that it is just a minor league contract.  Coleman has a legitimate chance to make the team, but can work his way back up through Louisville if need be.  The Reds are loaded with young pitchers.  A veteran such as Coleman is an asset throughout all of spring training and into the season.