Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings January 19, 2016 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1993-The Reds sign 37-year-old Jeff Reardon as a free-agent. Reardon shaves off his beard to comply with Reds facial hair policy MLB.COM Rose elected to Reds Hall of Fame 'Hit King' will be inducted weekend of June 24-26 Rose elected to Reds Hall of Fame By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | CINCINNATI -- All-time hits leader Pete Rose is unlikely to gain entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown due to his lifetime ban for betting on the game. But later this year, Rose's achievements in baseball will be acknowledged in Cincinnati. Rose will be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame the weekend of June 24-26, the club announced on Tuesday morning. An 11 a.m. ET news conference was scheduled with Rose, Reds CEO Bob Castellini and Reds Hall of Fame executive director Rick Walls. It can be seen live on reds.com. "Inducting Pete into the Reds Hall of Fame will be a defining moment in the 147-year history of this storied franchise," Castellini said in a statement. "He is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Reds uniform and it will be an unforgettable experience watching him being honored as such." Rose, who will turn 75 in April, was selected as the sole inductee for the class of 2016 by the Reds Hall of Fame Board of Directors. With 4,256 career hits from 1963-86 for the Reds, Phillies and Expos, Rose has been viewed as baseball's "Hit King." But he agreed to a lifetime ban and was placed on the ineligible list for violating Major League Baseball's strict rule against betting on baseball on Aug. 23, 1989. Subsequently, the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum declared that all players on that list also would be ineligible for election. On Dec. 14, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred denied Rose's bid to be reinstated, saying that he had not been presented with any evidence that Rose had reconfigured his life or accepted the wrongdoing of his gambling actions. However, Manfred did note that the Reds could celebrate Rose's career feats, provided that the club seeks the Commissioner's approval in advance. Nineteen of Rose's 24 seasons were played in his hometown of Cincinnati, where he batted .307/.379/.425 and was a celebrated member of the Big Red Machine and the World Series winning clubs of 1975-76. While banned from the game, Rose has attended several Reds games in recent years as a ticket holder. MLB has allowed Rose to participate in select on-field acknowledgments for the Reds in recent years. That included the 2015 All- Star Game at Great American Ball Park, when Rose was named one of the club's "living legends." Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, 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. Davis aims to make a (family) name for himself New Reds prospect carries catchy name, improved arm into Cincinnati By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | January 18th, 2016 CINCINNATI -- New Reds pitching prospect Rookie Davis has heard the question so many times that he can anticipate and chuckle before it is even finished being asked. Why is he called "Rookie"? For starters, he's never answered to any other name. Davis, one of four Minor Leaguers acquired by the Reds from the Yankees in last month's trade for Aroldis Chapman, was given the nickname at birth. His father was a former college baseball player. In a recent trade with the Reds, the Yankees receive hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman in exchange for a package of prospects "It's fun talking about it. I get it a lot," Davis told MLB.com. "My parents learned that I would be a boy, and the only boy they would have. My mom likes to say she had no say, but I don't know how much truth there is to that. It's a family name -- William Theron Davis III -- and my Dad said you can just call him 'Rookie.' That name stuck ever since and for 22 years now." How often is Davis asked about his unusual handle? "I couldn't even think of a number," replied Davis, who has an older sister. "Since I got to pro ball, it's definitely gone up a lot. People love asking the question on social media. We'll see how it is in Cincinnati. Hopefully, we can have some fun with it." If and when Davis pitches in Cincinnati, his name might initially draw added fan attention. But his performance will ultimately dictate how he is received with the Reds. The 2015 season saw a big jump for Davis, who began in Advanced Class A ball and finished at Double-A with a combined 3.86 ERA in 25 games (24 starts). In 19 starts with Tampa, he was 6-6 with a 3.70 ERA. Over his 97 1/3 innings, he gave up 94 hits and 18 walks but struck out 105 batters while posting a 1.15 WHIP. Over six games following a promotion at Trenton, Davis had a 4.32 ERA with 33 1/3 innings, 38 hits, eight walks, 24 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP. Overall, he felt it was his best year professionally. "Without a doubt," said Davis, who was a 14th-round Draft pick by the Yankees in 2011. "I feel like I pitched a little bit better than the numbers showed at Double-A. It was a learning process, for sure, being up there with some older guys. "The mental aspect of the game really opened up for me last year. Being able to sit down and understand lineups, understand swings and read swings mid-game or mid at-bat, I understood the game a lot better." MLB.com ranked Davis as the Reds' No. 8 prospect following the Chapman trade. A power right-hander that will turn 23 on April 29, he often works in the 92-94 mph range, especially early in outings. But he has the ability to reach 96 mph as he settles into a start and has reached 98 mph a few times. Some projections view Davis as a possible bullpen piece. Following a higher walk rate in 2014, Davis concentrated on throwing more strikes with his fastball to better set up his curveball and changeup last year. "In Spring Training, we really put the emphasis on pounding the zone with all three pitches down in the zone," Davis said. "Once I started doing that, I became more comfortable in the zone and more comfortable with my pitch package and became more aggressive with it. I was able to start working thirds and then corners. Everything comes off of fastball command for me, and my fastball last year, in my opinion, was by far the best it's been since I've been in pro ball." The rebuilding Reds have accumulated a lot of young pitching either through the Draft or via trades in recent years. Davis, who was forecasted to reach the Majors by 2017, could have a more express route to the Reds than he might have had with the Yankees. If he does reach the Majors, Davis could be a rookie -- in both name and status. And it wouldn't be impolite to say "Hey, Rookie." "A lot of people on Twitter brought it to my attention, after my rookie year in the big leagues, do I have to change my name or go with something different?" Davis said. Chalk that up as a good problem to have. Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, 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. Peraza on MLB Pipeline's All-Defense Prospect Team Twins' Buxton garners most votes for best defensive prospect Peraza on MLB Pipeline's All-Defense Prospect Team By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | @JonathanMayo | January 18th, 2016 Baseball is often a game of numbers. Especially with the explosion of advanced metrics, a player's performance can be quantified in many ways. While strides have certainly been made in measuring defensive ability in the same manner, there is still more subjectivity when evaluating glove work. That doesn't mean defense and run prevention aren't important. If the offseason deals for pitching and the large contract Jason Heyward signed with the Cubs are any indication, keeping runs from crossing the plate has increased in value. It's not just crucial in terms of free-agent signings. Teams want to develop homegrown players who not only impact the game offensively, but with their gloves as well. Trying to figure out who the best defensive prospect in the game was the focus of the most recent Pipeline Poll of general managers, scouting directors and executives. It was abundantly clear just how subjective defense still is when the array of answers came in. There were a total of 21 responses that brought in 14 names. There was no clear-cut winner, but Twins outfielder Byron Buxton did lead the way. The top three: Name, Pos., Team, Votes Byron Buxton, OF, Twins, 5 Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers, 4 J.P.