Cincinnati Reds'

Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 22, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1946 - The Reds open spring training in Tampa, Florida, the first spring training held in peacetime, in five years MLB.COM Arroyo faces batters as comeback attempt continues Reds starter hasn't pitched in Majors since 2014 By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 21st, 2017 + 57 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds hitters facing Bronson Arroyo during batting practice on Tuesday weren't being fooled, and that's exactly how the veteran starting pitcher wanted it. Arroyo threw 40 pitches to Brandon Dixon, Aristides Aquino and Gabriel Guerrero. The almost 40-year-old knows hitters like to face him in BP, and the Minor Leaguers now know why. "It was good. I just always pump fastballs in there for those guys to hit," Arroyo said. "For one, it's another level up from the bullpen as far as intensity. Just purely going out there and throwing 40 pitches like that gets you tired; you get winded when you're working pretty fast. I like when guys hit the ball. I don't want to be trying to trick them. It gets a lot more daunting to have guys take stuff. A bunch of four-seamers right down the middle, and kind of build the intensity as I go." A non-roster player attempting a comeback after not pitching in the Major Leagues the past two seasons, Arroyo is trying to earn a spot in the Reds' rotation, which he was part of from 2006-13 while winning 105 games. He's competing against several younger pitchers, including prospects such as Amir Garrett, Cody Reed and Robert Stephenson. Tuesday's session was not meant for Arroyo to have to impress the Reds' decision-makers. "As many years as he's been in the professional game, he's built a routine that's worked for him," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "For me, it's more of an endurance challenge for Bronson than it is mixing up all of his pitches." There was no radar gun on Arroyo's session, but he certainly wasn't powering in any high-velocity fastballs. "As long as it's pain-free, I'm good. As far as the ball coming out, it's kind of a subjective word. It's not going to be coming out like compared to everybody else in this camp. It doesn't mean you can't get outs with it," Arroyo said. "I don't think I was even throwing 88 [mph]. It might have been 78, I have no idea. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. You've got movement, you've got command, you find a way to get people out." Arroyo signed as a free agent with the D-backs in 2014, and tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow after 14 starts and needed Tommy John surgery. He also later needed right shoulder surgery. On a Minor League deal with the Nationals last season, he pitched in two Minor League games before being shut down. The plan is for Arroyo to get one more session against Reds hitters before he gets a start in a Cactus League game. "Maybe I will flip a few curveballs next time," said Arroyo, who will earn the Major League minimum of $535,000 if he makes the team. "It's so awkward with the screen. You don't want to hit your own guys and stuff. Most of the time, I throw all fastballs, and as soon as we go one inning in a real game here, I'm usually just game on. "At this point, I kind of need to get a feel of everything early on. You get out in those games, that's when the intensity goes up much more. There's more adrenaline because people are watching, your stride length goes out a little bit. That's really the test; I need to see if my arm is going to handle it. And then if your arm can handle it, can you get somebody out? There's a progression there." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Reds leaders don't want to settle for 'moral victories' Price, Williams focusing on winning, not just rebuilding By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 21st, 2017 + 5 COMMENTS PHOENIX -- As Reds manager Bryan Price and general manager and president of baseball operations Dick Williams gathered with their peers at the Cactus League Media Day event on Tuesday afternoon, many of the reporters' attention was trained on the teams that are viewed as contenders in 2017. Meanwhile, the Reds are still largely viewed as a rebuilding club. Both Price and Williams would like to see that tag removed, but realize it has to be done by team performance on the field. "The players are going to tell us this season as we get into it, exactly where we are in the life cycle," Williams said. "I don't want the players in the clubhouse thinking about it being a rebuild. For them, it's a season. And we're going to go out and win games and play. They shouldn't have any preconceived notion about what the team is supposed to be like this year, or where it is in the life cycle [of a rebuild]. They can just control how prepared they are for the season and how well they play. The more they do that, the better they do that, the more we can accelerate." One reason Price was given a one-year contract extension in September -- with a club option for 2018 -- was his team played well in the second half last season. Cincinnati was 36-37 after the All-Star break, and the front office felt that momentum in its rebuild was upon the club. Unfortunately for the Reds, that came after they were 32-57 in the first half. They finished with the second-worst record in the Majors overall. Price wants a better start this year, so the Reds can be in better contention for the second half, but didn't concern himself about his job security. "I'm going to manage the team the best way I can, regardless of circumstances," Price said. "I don't have a lot of this back-of-my- mind stuff. What's going to happen is going to happen in regards to me. They'll buy into that Bryan Price is the right guy to manage the team, or they don't. That may have a number of wins on it, or it may not. But my focus is on really playing good baseball on a consistent basis. I'll be patient, but 68 wins, being in last place and sitting in last place, isn't anything that any of us want to sign for another year. We want to see significant improvement, and we want to talk about what we can do to improve our club in August and September because we are in the conversation." Price felt the continued growth of position players like Billy Hamilton, Jose Peraza, Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler, a developing young rotation led by Anthony DeSclafani and the potential luck of better health will make his club better. "There's a lot of reasons for optimism. But if you start to buy into 'rebuild,' it really lowers the bar," Price said. "It makes it OK to have these moral victories of playing a good series against the Cubs, but losing by a run three games in a row. That's not a moral victory. A victory is winning two out of three. We have to set our sights on that type of play." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Mesoraco progressing, taking it slow early in camp By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | February 21st, 2017 + 20 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Through a week of workouts, catching bullpens and taking batting practice, all seems to be progressing with Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco. The plan is to bring Mesoraco along slowly, and that is working well. In May 2016, Mesoraco had an operation to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, then underwent a labrum surgery in July on his right hip. Back in June 2015, the labrum in his left hip was repaired. "It's a longer spring, so there's no impetus to turn up the speed of the rehab," Reds manager Bryan Price said on Tuesday. "Right now, it's really durability and stamina we're working on. So his workload, you may not see it initially with the game work. You'll see him catching more bullpens, hitting for a longer duration. Yesterday, he hit early, and then he tracked pitches in the live batting practice group." The initial plan for the early season is for Mesoraco to catch 50-60 percent of games in tandem with Tucker Barnhart. Mesoraco, a 2014 All-Star, has caught 19 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. "We're trying to avoid the too much, too soon issue," Price said.

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