| 28 March 2010
The 23-year-old lefty was the Reds' minor league pitcher of the year in 2009 as he went a combined 13-5 with a 1.77 ERA in stints with AA Carolina and AAA Louisville. Wood, who was the Reds' second-round pick in the 2005 draft, pitched 167.2 innings with 135 strikeouts, 53 walks, 121 hits-allowed and just six home runs given up. In other words, he befuddled minor league batters last year and I was hoping he would prove he was ready for the big time this spring.
And it appears he has. Many figured 26-year-old lefty Matt Maloney would win the No. 5 job out of spring training and would keep the seat warm for 22-year-old Aroldis Chapman until the Cuban sensation came up in June. (Due to the way his contract is structured, the Reds likely won't rush Chapman to the Majors. Especially considering he is now dealing with a minor back strain.)
However, it appears Maloney will be in the bullpen if he makes the team and Wood will emerge as the No. 5 starter, and I like that idea a lot. Not only does Wood have a higher upside than Maloney as a starter, this would allow the Reds to get three lefties in the bullpen along with Arthur Rhodes and Danny Herrera. There is always the chance that Maloney could be optioned back to Louisville to start the season as well.
A pleasant surprise in camp has been Mike Leake who was the Reds' first-round draft pick last June (No. 8 overall). He is still in the running for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, although it's difficult to imagine the Reds not giving him some seasoning in the minors. I wasn't all that impressed when I saw Leake in the College World Series last year with Arizona State, but I only saw him pitch one game. That is the smallest of sample sizes, so I tried not to take too much away from that one outing. I'm glad I didn't because Leake, 22, appears to be the real deal. He's not going to blow batters away, but he's got a good-enough fastball (tops out at 93) and has a deep repertoire of pitches that he can spot well. He's also a crafty pitcher that does a good job of winning the mental battles against hitters.
He put up even better stats in college than Stephen Strasburg, despite playing in a much-more difficult conference. Is he has good as Strasburg? No, but Leake is certainly turning into an intriguing prospect for the Reds.
Wow, who thought we'd ever be sitting here talking about the Reds having an abundance of pitching depth. And most of the guys are young (Johnny Cueto is only 23 although he's entering his third season in the rotation). And the team should even get Edinson Volquez back in early August (although I don't expect him to be effective until the 2011 season).
If the offense comes around this year (and that's a big IF) the 2010 version of the Reds is going to be fun to follow. The starting rotation is shaping up well and I like the 'pen as well.
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