Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 21, 2017

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1 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 21, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY The Reds offer Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers a spring training tryout, but Fingers refuses to sign because the club wants him to shave his signature handlebar mustache MLB.COM Raburn could be strong option off the bench Veteran aims to prove he can still provide offense in a pinch By Mark Sheldon / February 20th, COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- As he got comfortable on his first day in Reds camp as a non-roster player since signing a Minor League contract, Ryan Raburn had a firm grasp on why he was brought in to compete for a spot. Raburn, who will be 36 next month and has been in the Major Leagues since 2004, is vying for one of the four open bench spots. "Pretty much my whole career, I've been a role, bench-type guy," Raburn said. "It's not something I just came into the last year or two. I'm used to it, but I also take pride in it, too. It's hard. Not many guys can go out there and not play for a few days and be successful. I think I've done pretty well for myself to be able to have success doing that. It's not something I take lightly." "Of course, everybody would love to be an everyday player and be a superstar, but in all reality not everybody's going to be that. If I can be somebody that can come off the bench and have success and help the ballclub win, then that's what I'll do." Raburn will earn $900,000 this season if he makes the team. The first seven seasons of his career from were spent with the Tigers, followed by three seasons with the Indians and 2016 with the Rockies. Last season with Colorado, Raburn batted.220/.309/.404 with nine homers and 30 RBIs in 113 games. He did thrive vs. left-handed pitching with a OPS in 32 plate appearances vs. lefty relievers. Lifetime vs. left-handers, he has an.827 OPS vs..685 against right-handers. Raburn has played seven positions over his career. The only two he hasn't are catcher and shortstop. "I really see him as a corner outfielder or first baseman. Then in a pinch or extra innings, if we need him to play second or third, we could do that," Reds manager Bryan Price said. Both Raburn and the recently-signed Desmond Jennings -- also a non-roster invite -- have good chances to make the team because of their veteran experience. Raburn's career stats have one quirk. In recent even-numbered years, he has struggled, while he has thrived in odd-numbered seasons. For example, for Cleveland in 2015, he batted.301 with a.393 on-base percentage. "I've had three tough years, you know what I mean? Unfortunately it's been part of the last five years," Raburn said. "It's been that trend. But for a while there, for four of five straight years, I was pretty good. But this is a tough game. There's a lot of good talent out here. I think if I was the type of guy who could do it day-in and day-out, I'd be making a lot more money and wouldn't be looking for Minor League deals. I still believe I can play at this level. Hopefully, if the odd-year thing is what it's turning out to be, then this is the year." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Turner looks to make most of opportunity Catcher attempting to make jump from Double-A to the Majors By Mark Sheldon / February 20th, COMMENTS

2 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds catcher Stuart Turner had the benefit of already being on the 40-man roster this spring by virtue of him being a Rule 5 Draft selection from the Twins in December. "The first thought that came to mind is this opportunity is before me by God. I am going to make the most of it," Turner said. "I have a chance to learn from different guys and better myself in different ways." However, Turner is still a long way from house-hunting in Cincinnati. The 25-year-old former third-round pick by Minnesota in 2013 must learn a new organization, a new pitching staff and show that he can make the jump from Double-A to the Major Leagues. One thing out of Turner's hands is whether he is even needed. The Reds aren't sure if they can carry another catcher behind Devin Mesoraco and Tucker Barnhart. With Mesoraco coming off two injury-plagued seasons in which he's caught 18 games, insurance was wanted. The Reds also have non-roster Rob Brantly in camp to compete for the spot. "We get a six-to-seven week look at him to see if he's ready to handle what would be a year of big league service time," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He'd have to play. I just don't think we're in a place to carry a player just to keep him. I don't think that would be a great idea. He has to have aptitude and he has to get better. And beyond that, there has to be a spot." Last spring, the Reds had Rule 5 picks in outfielder Jake Cave and lefty reliever Chris O'Grady. Neither earned a spot and both were sent back to their old clubs, although Cave wasn't cut until the end of camp. Rule 5 players must remain on the 25-man roster for the entire season, or be offered back to their former clubs. Last season at Double-A Chattanooga, Turner batted.239/.322/.363 with six home runs and 41 RBIs in 97 games. That's consistent with his four-season slash line of.241/.325/.352 and underscores that Turner is a defense-first type of catcher. "I've always took a lot of pride in that," Turner said. "It's fun to hit and you want to hit, but to me, it's a lot more fun to call a game or throw a guy out or do what you're supposed to do behind the plate. That's the most important part of the game." That's fine with Price, who prefers that his catchers can handle themselves well defensively. "If he could rake, but couldn't catch or call a game or run a pitching staff, he wouldn't have the value for me," Price said. Even then, it would be tough to get him pinch-hit at-bats. He's got to be able to call a game and manage a pitching staff, first and foremost." For Turner, he did not feel added pressure to make the club while learning his way around. "Hopefully I can show these pitchers sooner than later that I am here to work for them and do my best to make them comfortable," Turner said. "Obviously, you're trying to learn new guys after catching the same guys the last three or four years. I think it will be just fine." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Reds continue Cuban legacy with Vladimir Gutierrez and Raisel Iglesias C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 4:13 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2017 Updated 14 hours ago GOODYEAR, Ariz. Raisel Iglesias doesn t have his hair dyed blond. Other than that simple fact, the similarities between he and Vladimir Gutierrez are striking. Both, of course, came from Cuba and signed with the Reds. Both were relievers in Cuba and were signed to start. Both are righthanded. Iglesias is 6-foot-2, 188 pounds. Guitierrez is listed at 6-0, 190 pounds, even if there doesn t seem to be two inches or two pounds separating the two when they stand side-by-side. Gutierrez even sports pants cuffed high with his red socks showing, just as Iglesias does during the regular season (but not this spring). The 21-year-old Gutierrez is grateful to have the 27-year-old Iglesias, a veteran of two big-league seasons, not only in camp with him, but as part of the same team, just as Iglesias was grateful having Aroldis Chapman and Brayan Pena welcome him to the Reds. The two didn t know each other in Cuba. Iglesias left the country in 2013, just as Gutierrez was starting his first season in Cuba s Serie Nacional, where he d win the league s Rookie of the Year Award at age 18. This offseason Gutierrez visited Iglesias for a couple of weeks in Miami, where Iglesias has settled. The two worked out together, threw together and talked.

3 It's really good to have more people that have the same culture that I have, Iglesias said, according to translator Julio Morillo. My goal right now is to try to teach [Gutierrez and Alfredo Rodriguez] them the same things Aroldis and Brayan taught me years before -- you've got to do this, here are your routines in order to help them be better. The other trappings of a team have been helpful for Gutierrez, especially a clubhouse in spring training that may only have one other Cuban, but plenty of players from across Latin America, as well as Americans who speak Spanish. While teammates from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Columbia or Mexico must deal with cultural changes of their own, Cuban players must deal with so much more considering the decades-long sanctions between the United States and Cuba, as well as the difficult process of leaving the island. Because of that, players from Cuba often miss a year or more of competition. Gutierrez said he hasn t thrown a competitive pitch since With a laugh, he noted, that was a long time ago, according to Morillo. Gutierrez said he was happy to be invited to major-league camp, to get a chance to work alongside Iglesias and the team s bigleague pitching staff and coaches, as well as the organization s pitching coordinator Tony Fossas, himself a native of Cuba. While he won t face an opposing team until games start later this week, he will face Reds hitters in live batting practice on Tuesday. It s easy to draw parallels between the two Cuban right-handers, but Reds manager Bryan Price doesn t exactly see them when he watches how they pitch. Iglesias came to the Reds as a 25-year-old polished pitcher with four pitches and multiple arm angles oh, and a 98-mph fastball. To me, that s just really advanced pitching. He got here as a more advanced pitcher, Price said. Now, that being said, Gutierrez, that s easy velocity. He doesn t labor for anything. That s easy velocity, it s a quick arm. I anticipate him really making some nice strides for us over the course of the season. So far, Gutierrez has thrown in the bullpen and impressed Price. (He s shown) a repeatable delivery and a delivery that provides him with strikes. He has feel for his pitches, Price said. It s not just a young, wild arm. Most of us at his age were young, hard, wild throwers. He s a young, polished, hard-thrower. Iglesias was initially a starter with the Reds, but shoulder issues pushed him to the bullpen, where he will be one of as many as four pitchers asked to record the final outs of the game this season. With no closer, Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Drew Storen and Tony Cingrani could all record saves. Gutierrez will start in the minor leagues as a starter. At this point in time, there s no need to look at him in any other capacity, any other role, simply because he s too young, Price said. I m a big believer that young pitchers that are your top prospects should start until they define themselves as a reliever. Price, a long-time pitching coach, dismissed Iglesias shoulder issues as any type of harbinger of doom for Gutierrez. I think something like that is unique to the individual, not necessarily to the body type, Price said. Body type, height, there's nothing to me with Raisel or Gutierrez that would want me to put them in a box that suggests they can only do one thing because of body type. Ryan Raburn joins Reds seeking opportunity Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com Published 4:13 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2017 Updated 14 hours ago GOODYEAR, Ariz. The Cincinnati Reds finally have a full squad. On Monday, the last empty locker was filled in the majorleague clubhouse at the Reds spring training home. Veteran outfielder Ryan Raburn settled in between Tucker Barnhart and Joey Votto, wearing jersey No. 17. Raburn was signed to a minor-league deal last week, and approaches camp as a realist. He knows he s pegged for a bench role, if he even makes the team. He d also earn more than the $900,000 salary he s due if he makes the club. This is a tough game, the 35-year-old Raburn said. There s a lot of good talent out here. I think if I was the type of guy who could do it day-in and day-out, I d be making a lot more money and wouldn t be looking for minor-league deals.

4 But Raburn still feels he belongs. His offensive performance the last several season may have been notoriously volatile he s been great in odd years, poor in even ones but his performance against left-handed pitchers hasn t wavered. He owns a career.827 OPS against southpaws. He won t wind up in an outfield platoon unless Scott Schebler fares so poorly against lefties that the situation demands it, but he does offer a solid bench bat and the ability to play the corners in both the outfield and infield. The outfield is more natural, I guess you could say, he said. I ve played infield, but it s definitely more of a daily grind, working at it. I was never perfect at it my any means. Along with Desmond Jennings, also in camp on a minor-league deal, Raburn gives the Reds a bench option with a bit of experience. Among their outfielders, Billy Hamilton is the most seasoned with three years of service time. Pretty much my whole career, I ve been a role, bench type guy, Raburn said. It s not something I just came into the last year or two. I m used to it, but I also take pride in it too. It s hard. Jumbo Diaz ready to earn a spot again Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com 2:06 p.m. ET Feb. 20, 2017 GOODYEAR, Ariz. Jumbo Diaz is not guaranteed a spot on the Cincinnati Reds' major-league roster. He d feel kind of weird if he was the right-hander is used to having to earn it. An argument could be made that he did so last year, when he posted a 3.14 ERA in 43 big-league innings. There were red flags he also had the worst walk- and strikeouts-per-nine innings of his career but he finished the year with a 2.18 ERA and.210 opponent s average in his last 33 innings. I don t feel comfortable, Diaz said. I don t want to say I m going to be in Cincinnati because I did great last year in the second half. I come in every year working hard and trying to get ready and be one of those men on the 25-man roster when we break camp. Five of at least seven spots are currently occupied in the bullpen. Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen and Drew Storen will figure into the late-game action, with Blake Wood and Tony Cingrani in support. If Diaz wants to claim the sixth spot, his stuff will have to show improvement. That means better fastball command, and a sharper slider. It will also mean a better change-up, a pitch Diaz used inconsistently last year. He s worked on it over the winter, both at the Reds facility in his home country of the Dominican Republic, and during winter ball. While there, the 32-year-old worked with Reds pitching coordinator Tony Fossas. He said, When you throw your fastball, you face goes straight to the catcher. When you throw your change-up or your slider, you don t do the same, Diaz said. I started doing that, and it s working better for me. I started getting more extension, and now my pitches have good angle going down. The pitch remains a work in progress, and Diaz was still ironing out the mechanical kinks during a recent bullpen session with catcher Tucker Barnhart. It s possible the progress could stall when the righty heads to the World Baseball Classic next month. In a normal Cactus League game, Diaz could throw all change-ups if he so pleased. The game itself doesn t matter. But the WBC is a more competitive environment, and Diaz will be worrying more about getting immediate outs rather than fine-tuning his third pitch. I want to use my change-up, in case I need it for a lefty or sometimes for the righty, too, he said. But I try to get comfortable in the bullpen, and if I can throw it in the game, I ll throw it. But if I have to use my slider, I use my slider. WCPO - Channel 9 Fay: Bronson Arroyo never let money go to his head, and that's why he's still pitching John Fay 10:00 AM, Feb 21, 2017 GOODYEAR, Arizona -- Bronson Arroyo is neither an iphone nor an Android guy: He's a flip phone guy who texts and talks on a device that qualifies as an antique in the Digital Age. But, for Arroyo, it's a reminder that the fame and fortune of baseball are fleeting.

5 Much has been made of what Arroyo can do for the Reds staff as a veteran presence. He is the rare crafty right-hander, a guy who has gotten more out of less. He said he does that with his mind by outsmarting hitters. But Arroyo doesn't just lend his expertise about pitching. His advice to young players: Don't go nuts with the your money. You can be just as content with a flip phone as anything else. "I just had a 20-minute conversation with Michael Lorenzen about it," Arroyo said Monday morning. "It's almost natural, in some ways, to make mistakes along the way. You don't understand these large amounts of money. You take a million dollars and you get this million-dollar idea in your head. "But if you break it down and look at it, half of it is going to be gone between taxes and your agent. Then you've got to live. You say, 'This house costs $1 million. This house costs $500,000.' Nobody tells you how much property tax is going to be each year. Nobody talks about the upkeep." That's where Arroyo gets into the fleeting part. "That's the one thing I stress to these guys," he said. "I always say: 'You're a rock star in this finite amount of time with the name on the back of your jersey.' That's the greatest tool you have. Give an experience to your friends, bring them to the ballpark, have them watch batting practice, rather than just blowing money on things that just are going to be gone in a few years." He's seen what happens when players blow through the money. "I've played with guys who made anywhere between $5 and $20 million, and they call me every year and they need a $1,000 sponsorship for their softball team," he said. "I know guys who make $50 million and probably don't have a penny to their name. I know guys who made over $100 million who still have some money, but they're stressing. "People don't realize they've got to live 10, 20, 30, 50, 60 years after this game is done. If you're a doctor or a lawyer, your profession will go as long as you want it to go. In baseball, it can end tomorrow with a line drive to the face. You might not ever have the ability to make six figures again, much less seven figures." Arroyo's message to the young players is not to take on too much outside of baseball -- concentrate on your craft. "I try to get these guys to simplify their life," he said. "The biggest thing is not to have the distractions. You're already going to have a distraction with a wife and a family. You don't want to add on to that." Arroyo has lived his life this way. In his years with the Reds, he rented a small apartment in Mount Adams. He's extremely generous with his friends, but he's got enough of the $95 million he made in baseball that he could retire and do pretty much whatever he wanted. Right now, he wants to play baseball -- even though he doesn't need the money. "Can you imagine if I was in the his locker room at age 40 and I'm dependent on making this team for monetary reasons?" he said. "Not because of passion for the game? That totally changes the dynamic of how you can be at ease and relaxed out there. In sports, we talk about how the only way to maximize stuff is to be relaxed. If you're tense, things don't work as good. "Can you imagine if the pressure of the world was on you? 'I have to make money this year, make this team or I'm going to be broke.' You're doing harm to yourself all across the board." Arroyo signed a minor league deal with the Reds. He didn't even bother to ask what he might earn if he makes the Reds this year. "I think it's the minimum," he said. "It doesn't matter. I'd play for free. It makes no difference. I've done well with my money. I've made a lot. I've saved a saved a lot. Everything I get above and beyond this is icing on top of the cake." That's why Arroyo counsels the young players. He wants them to make the right decisions early so they'll be in the position he's in at the end of their careers. "Because we don't think about these things early enough, a lot times guys fall into a trap," he said. "Even if they do well, you can look back on your career -- even a guy like me -- and say, 'If I'd done this, I could have been a little better.' But if you take on too much, you end up scrambling to play a few extra years in the game. 'I have to have a contract.' That's got to be a terrible, terrible feeling."

6 Reds manager Bryan Price says newcomers Ryan Raburn and Desmond Jennings won't platoon John Fay Posted: 3:07 PM, Feb 20, 2017, Updated: 3:30 PM, Feb 20, 2017 GOODYEAR, Arizona -- When the Reds added Desmond Jennings and Ryan Raburn, it was for bench help. To manager Bryan Price s way of thinking, that means a limited number of starts, i.e. not platooning. Raburn is a much better hitter against left-handers, so it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that he would get at-bats against left-handers over Scott Schebler, a left-handed hitter. I m not into a platoon until they ve played themselves into a platoon, Price said. If the numbers are so glaring that it just makes sense, I would consider it. At this point in time, I m not considering using any regular position players in a platoon. I certainly have to look to make sure regulars get rest and the bench players get starts to make their bench performances efficient. It s always a challenge, but when you look up, bench guys have somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 to 250 or sometimes more at-bats. Price did say that both Jennings and Raburn could make the club. Raburn has played 145 games at second base and 37 at third base in his career, but Price does not plan to use him at either position on any kind of regular basis. It would be more of an emergency, Price said. I told him I really want him to work on the corner outfield spots and some first base. In 2012, I think he had about 30 games in the infield, mostly at second base. Since then, it s been about eight games total. I really see him as a corner outfielder, first baseman, then in a pinch, extra innings, if we need him to play second or third we could do that. RULE 5: The Reds added catcher Stuart Turner by picking him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 Draft. In order to keep him, the Reds must have Turner on the roster all year. That will be difficult to do if Devin Mesoraco is healthy. I think he has to be the player that we think he is, Price said. We get a six-, seven-week look at him to see if he s ready to handle what would be a year of big league service time. He d have to play. I just don t think we re in a place to carry a player just to keep him." Price added that having Turner will keep the Reds from rushing Mesoraco's return from last year's hip surgery. The Reds also added Rob Brantly, 27, who hit.244 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI for Seattle s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma last year. GUTIERREZ TO START: Vladimir Gutierrez, the 21-year-old Cuban right-hander, will prepare as a starter. At this point in time, there s no need to look at him in any other capacity, any other role, simply because he s too young, Price said. I m a big believer that young pitchers that are your top prospects should start until they define themselves as a reliever. The Reds signed Gutierrez for $4.75 million. His fastball tops out at 96. Baseball America rates him as the ninth best prospect in the Reds' system. Drew Storen hopes to emerge from bullpen by committee to be Reds' closer John Fay 1:37 PM, Feb 20, 2017 GOODYEAR, Arizona -- Reds manager Bryan Price s plan is to use a closer-by-committee approach this season. Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Tony Cingrani and Drew Storen will all end up with some saves if Price s plan come to fruition. Storen, the 29-year-old right-hander the Reds added as a free agent, would like to put a crimp in the Price s plan, i.e., he want to close. Honestly, if you re down there and you don t want to, you don t deserve to be down there, Storen said. Every reliever worth a rosin bag will say that. The difference is Storen has a long record of closing. He has 98 career saves, including 43 for Washington in 2012 and 29 in 2015.

7 He saw the Reds as a chance to get back to that role. Opportunity, Storen said. It s an opportunity for me to pitch in impactful innings during the game. The other thing, it s a young bullpen. Hopefully, I can help those guys out. There s a lot of young talent down there. But definitely, the opportunity that I was going to get was the big thing. Price, again, says he wants to get away from the traditional closer. He doesn t plan to name one, largely because he plans to use Storen, Iglesias, Lorenzen and Cingrani in multiple-inning roles. To have an everyday closer, you have to have a typically one-inning guy or a one-plus-inning guy," Price said. "Multiple innings, you might have three or four save opportunities in a row. You can give that to a one-inning relief pitcher or closer. You really don t do that with multiple-inning guys, I don t think. I would really like to see this particular game plan we have in place to work out. Cingrani led the Reds last year with 17 saves. Iglesias had six. Price hopes to spread it out again. It s asking a lot, Price said. It s asking potentially four guys to be comfortable pitching in the ninth inning. However, we know with Storen and Cingrani, particularly Storen has done it for an extended period of time. Storen knew that bullpen by committee was the plan when he signed. He s OK with that. As long as long as I'm throwing big spots, that s where I m successful," he said. "Setting up, closing, whatever it is, I want to be out when the game is on the line. Storen comes to the Reds trying to get his career back on track. If not for his struggles, Storen would not have been available to the Reds at $3 million for one year. Those struggles started in He recorded 29 saves in 30 chances before a trade-deadline move that brought Jonathan Paplebon to the Nationals in late July. Storen s ERA at the time of the trade was It was 7.56 after it and he blew four more saves. Washington traded him to Toronto in January of He had a 6.21 ERA with Toronto before getting moved to Seattle at the 2016 trade deadline. In Seattle, he put up a 3.44 ERA and a WHIP over 19 appearances. It definitely wasn t a great year, he said. There s no way around that. I was making an adjustment of going to a new team, which I severely underestimated. I think I kind of got away from what made me successful. Any time you struggle, you find out what you need to be doing. When I got moved to Seattle, I went back to doing what I had been doing in the past. I was just glad to end the year on a good note. You start chasing your tail a little bit when you re struggling. Storen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and was a high school teammate of Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart. That s made the transition to the Reds easier and he s back in the National League. I think in general it s easier because I know what it s like to be with a new team, he said. There s a little more familiarity with the game. The game is different in the American League. Everybody is playing for the three-run homer over there. I enjoy the NL style. TRANSACTIONS 02/20/17 New York Yankees invited non-roster OF Billy McKinney to spring training. New York Yankees signed free agent LHP Jonathon Niese to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent LF Franklin Gutierrez. Detroit Tigers signed free agent 3B Danny Muno to a minor league contract. Detroit Tigers signed free agent LF Matt Murton to a minor league contract. Baltimore Orioles signed free agent LF Craig Gentry to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.