Dateline: 318 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
March 15
In what was an important spring for him, Will Benson was optioned to Louisville on a frosty early morning in Goodyear.
Benson was originally drafted by the Indians in the first round in 2016, the 26-year old will need to play himself back to the Major Leagues after a dismal 2024. He hit just .187 in 128 games with 19 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs while driving in 43. He also struck out nearly 4 in 10 at bats (39.7).
This spring, Benson hit .200 in 25 plate appearances with a triple, two home runs and three RBI. He walked four times and struck out nine times in 20 at bats, that’s 45 percent.
“We started early on purpose, so we could talk to those guys,” Francona said. “Will was first. We talked to him for a long time. He knows and we know, there’s a good player in there. For what we’re going to be doing when we break camp, as a part time player, I don’t know he’s going to find it that way. Getting solid repetition in Triple A, It’s helped him before. We think it will do it again. He’s not going to short change you on effort or attitude or anything. He’s what your looking for. He’s working on some swing adjustments. We want him to get more consistent with that.”
The pitchers were all non-roster invitees but two of them have past ties with new manager Terry Francona. RHP Bryan Shaw was reassigned. Shaw pitched for Francona’s Indians/Guardians in two tours from 2013 through 2017 and in 2021 and 2022. He made 81 appearances in 2021.
The 37-year old is four appearances short of 800 for his career. This spring was not a good one. He made six appearances, pitching 5 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs on hits and eight walks. It was the walks that stood out.
“He wants to stay and we are really pleased,” Francona said of Shaw’s willingness to pitch in Louisville. “Brad’s (Meador) did a great job with him. The guy’s pitched 15 years. I’ve seen him have springs like this. Then he goes out and pitches in 81 games. He pitches to the middle of the order all the time. That just wasn’t the position he was in this spring. He was just inconsistent with the strike zone. His stuff is still fine. He can still do it.”
Shaw as a veteran can be a great influence on the younger pitchers at Louisville.
“He will be a great influence,” Francona said.
RHP Lenny Torres was the first round pick of the Indians in 2018. He is 24 years old and has never pitched above Double A. Torres pitched well and could help the Reds’ depth. He made six appearances, pitching six innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk.
“He was funny because he said, ‘I thought so’,” Francona relayed. “I told him some of these meetings are really difficult. I hope you’re smart enough to realize, he hasn’t pitched in Triple A yet, there is nothing wrong with coming to camp and making a great impression. Now going and backing it up. Just keep track of what you’re doing. Sometimes guys get here and they start seeing the ERA’s. Just enjoy trying to get as good as you can get. There’s a lot to like there.”
“It’s the same thing as Petty. To me, that’s not a send down,” Francona said. “Just go get ready.”
The other three are prospects RHP Chase Petty, RHP Zach Maxwell and RHP Albert Abreu.
Petty had a brilliant performance against the Dodgers on March 4 but struggled with the strike zone in his Cactus League outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 14.
Petty won’t be 22 years old until April 4. He is knocking on the door for the big leagues but needs to pitch more in the minors. This spring he made two starts and four appearances. He pitched a total of 10 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and six walks with seven strikeouts. The home run was by Mookie Betts on March 4. He walked four against the Diamondbacks that led to a run.
Maxwell is a potential closer, who at 6’6” and 275 pounds, throws hard. He will go to the minor leagues to work on command. He is very close to big league readiness. This spring the 24-year old, sixth round Reds’ draft pick in 2022, pitched in five games. He pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out three.
Abreu pitched three full seasons with the New York Yankees, who traded him for current Reds’ catcher, Jose Trevino.
Abreu played for three teams in 2022 and ended up back with the Yankees for the remainder of 2022 and 2023. The 29-year old pitched in Japan last season. He has a 6-5 record in 97 appearances for the Yankees with a 4.70 ERA and one save.
Training room: Jose Trevino will have a CT scan of his right hand after he was hit by a foul ball on March 14.
“He told me this morning, ‘I can play today.’ I said let’s do the right thing,” Francona said. “He had X-rays yesterday. He had an old injury they found. I think it worried him when it happened. It really swelled up. By the time he left the ballpark it was back where it's supposed to be. He’s pretty upbeat.”
“I don’t think we want to do that (bring a catcher in from the outside),” Francona said. “We value the guys that know our pitchers. I don’t think it’s going to be a terribly long time but to have someone come in right now, that’s a pretty big ask. Putting down the right fingers and why you’re doing it, has its value. (Austin) Wynns has been here and is a solid pro. That’s why we brought him here.”
Trevino had just received directions to the CT scan when confronted by reporters.
“I could play today,” Trevino declared. “I was a little nervous. I think the whole situation, Stephenson goes down. It’s tough even though we have guys in this clubhouse we can trust. (Wynns and Will Banfield). Obviously, you want to be there for the guys. It feels good. I had a previous hit. It happened in 2020 right before Covid, here in Goodyear. I took a foul tip there. If it comes back clear, I could be in there tomorrow, if they’re good with that. We’re going to be alright.”
Gary tell Trevino to keep that hand behind his back until he receives the ball like Bench did.
ReplyDelete