Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings November 21, 2012 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Pitching is pricey, transactions By John Fay | 11/20/2012 12:17 PM ET Want to know why the Reds would be wise to lock up Homer Bailey and Mat Latos long-term? The Kansas City Royals agreed to a three-year deal with Jeremy Guthrie that pays him $5 million on 2013, $11 million in 2014 and $9 million in 2015. He went 8-12 with a 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Bailey went 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Latos went 14-4 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. It’s a bit apples and oranges: Guthrie is a free agent; Bailey is arbitration-eligible for the second time, Latos for the first. But the point is starting pitching — even mediocre starting pitching — is expensive. SIX ADDED: The Reds added right-handers Carlos Contreras, Daniel Corcino, Curtis Partch and Josh Ravin, left-hander Ismael Guillon and outfielder Yorman Rodriguez to the roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Report: Former Red Frank Pastore badly hurt in motorcycle wreck By dclark | 11/20/2012 7:55 PM ET The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin is reporting that former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Frank Pastore, a Christian radio personality in California, was badly injured Monday night after being thrown from his motorcycle onto the highway near Duarte, Calif. From dailybulletin.com’s Juliette Funes: A 55-year-old motorcyclist from Upland was taken to a trauma center when his motorcycle was hit by a car on the 210 Freeway Monday night. He was ejected from the motorcycle and found unconscious on the freeway, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Aaron Knarr. Los Angeles-based Radio station, 99.5 KKLA, identified the motorcyclist as Pastore, an Alhambra native, who played high school baseball at Damien High and was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1979 until 1985. He was been the host of “The Frank Pastore Show” on the Christian radio station since 2004. “Last night Frank Pastore was in a motorcycle accident,” a statement on the KKLA website reads. “We do not know how extensive his injuries are, but we know they are serious. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.” The collision happened at 7:33 p.m. on the eastbound 210 Freeway, east of Buena Vista Street. CHP officials said a gray Hyundai Sonata was eastbound on the No. 2 lane when for some reason, the driver lost control of the car. The Sonata started moving toward the center divider and hit a Honda Shadow in the car pool lane. The rider was thrown off the motorcycle. Because of his injuries, Knarr said the man was taken by helicopter to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. Pastore was 45-57 with a 4.30 ERA in seven seasons with the Reds (1979-85). He was a second-round pick of the Reds in the June 1975 draft. Pastore is on Twitter, @frankpastore. Dayton Dragons receive Minor League Baseball’s top award By dclark | 11/20/2012 6:08 PM ET Congratulations to the Dayton Dragons, selected as the 2012 winner of the John H. Johnson President’s Award, given annually to the top Minor League franchise. Here’s the release the Reds sent us from Dragons director of media relations & broadcasting Tom Nichols: Dayton, Ohio—Minor League Baseball™ announced today that the Dayton Dragons have been selected as the 2012 winner of the John H. Johnson President’s Award. The Dragons will receive their award at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings™ Banquet on Thursday, December 6 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The John H. Johnson President’s Award is the top honor that can be given to any Minor League Baseball franchise. This award is given annually to just one Minor League team in the nation, from among 160 teams from all classifications (Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A). The Johnson award is the highest honor for any minor league franchise and it is based on the total comprehensiveness of the franchise. The award has been presented annually since 1974. Over those 39 years, the Dragons are only the third Midwest League team to win the award, and just the second in the past 32 years. “The Dayton Dragons epitomize how a Minor League Baseball club should operate,” said Pat O’Conner, President of Minor League Baseball. “They have become a cornerstone for the community in which they reside.” “The award is an honor for the entire Dayton and Miami Valley community and the culmination of 13 years of efforts by everyone who has contributed to the Dragons success,” said Robert Murphy, Dragons President. “Our community should be very, very proud of what they have accomplished.” In announcing the award, Minor League Baseball recognized the Dragons 913 game sell-out streak, the attendance marks, community involvement, and numerous other awards won by the franchise. MLB.COM Corcino among six added to Reds' 40-man roster Club's No. 4 prospect part of group protected from December's Rule 5 Draft By Mark Sheldon | 11/20/2012 10:27 AM ET CINCINNATI -- Ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the Reds added six players to their 40-man roster to protect them from being selected in next month's Rule 5 Draft. The list includes two top 20 prospects in the organization, as ranked by MLB.com -- right-handed starting pitcher Daniel Corcino (No. 4) and outfielder Yorman Rodriguez (No. 19). Also protected were right-handed pitchers Carlos Contreras, Curtis Partch and Josh Ravin and left-handed starter Ismael Guillon. Major League Baseball's deadline to protect players was Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five years or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years old are to be protected within four years. Clubs pay $50,000 to select a player in the Rule 5 Draft, to be held on Dec. 6 at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings in Nashville. If that player doesn't stay on the 25-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $25,000. With the additions, the Reds' 40-man roster currently sits at 39 players. Corcino skipped a level by going from low Class A Dayton to Double-A Pensacola. In 26 starts, the 22-year- old was 8-8 with a 3.01 ERA, 65 walks, 111 hits and 126 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings. In June, the Dominican pitcher took part in a tandem no-hitter by throwing the first eight innings before reaching his pitch limit. Rodriguez, 20, struggled to bat .156 in 23 games at Class A-Advanced Bakersfield before he was sent back to Dayton. With the Dragons, he batted .271 with six homers and 44 RBIs in 65 games. Rodriguez was signed as a teenager out of Venezuela in 2008. A 21-year-old reliever from the Dominican Republic, Contreras posted a 3.12 ERA in 49 games with Dayton and Bakersfield. He spent most of the season in the Midwest League, where he had 19 walks with 51 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. Partch, who just completed a stint in the Arizona Fall League, was a 26th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. In 52 regular-season games, including seven near the end at Pensacola after playing with Bakersfield, he was 7-4 with a 4.26 ERA. The 26-year-old had 36 walks and 79 strikeouts over 82 1/3 innings. A fifth-round pick in the 2006 Draft, Ravin was limited to 23 games this season because of an oblique injury. Twenty of those relief appearances were at Pensacola, where he was 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA. It was the 24-year- old Ravin's first year as a reliever after being a starter his whole career. In 15 games, including 14 starts for Rookie-level Billings and Dayton, Guillon was 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA, 61 hits, 31 walks and 90 strikeouts over 75 2/3 innings. The 20-year-old was signed as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2008. Dragons win MiLB President's Award Dayton is third Midwest League club to garner honor By Minor League Baseball | 11/20/2012 10:16 AM ET ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Minor League Baseball™ announced Tuesday that the Dayton Dragons are the winners of the John H. Johnson President's Award. The Dragons will receive their major award at the Baseball Winter Meetings™ Banquet at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville on Thursday, Dec. 6. The President's Award, Minor League Baseball's top honor, has been presented annually since 1974 to honor the complete baseball franchise. The award's criteria are based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community and promotion of the baseball industry. The Dayton Dragons are just the third Midwest League club to win the John H. Johnson President's Award, joining the Quad-City Cubs (1980) and Cedar Rapids Kernels (2008). The Dragons have sold out a professional record 913 games in a row since they began play in Dayton in 2000. The club broke the record of 814 games held by the NBA Portland Trailblazers from (1977-95) in 2011. Their incredible accomplishment has also allowed the Dragons to establish a new Class A® regular season attendance mark on four occasions.