Righty swinging outfielder Eric Davis was a perfect blend of speed and power for the Reds.  But, his all out style of play often resulted in him getting injured quite a bit for them.  That being said, he was still a sight to behold when he was healthy enough to play.  In 1986, Davis finished 12th in the N.L. MVP Award vote.  He played in 132 games for the Reds in 1986 and he was 115 of 415 (.277 avg, .901 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 27 homers, 71 RBIs and 80 stolen bases.  1987 was even better for Davis, as he finished 9th in the N.L. MVP voting.  He also made it onto the N.L. All-Star team and he won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in 1987.  Davis played in 129 games in 1987 for the Reds and he was 139 of 474 (.293 avg, .991 OPS) with 120 runs scored, 37 homers, 100 RBIs and 50 stolen bases.  Davis played in 985 games in his 9 years with the Reds and he was 886 of 3,272 (.271 avg, .877 OPS) with 635 runs scored, 203 homers, 615 RBIs and 270 stolen bases.  Davis played in 2 All-Star Games and he won 3 Gold Gloves and 2 Silver Slugger Awards for the Reds.  He is still #5 in Reds’ history in OPS (.877).  He is also #8 in homers (203) and #8 in stolen bases (270) in Reds’ history.

29-year old righty Sam LeCure has really turned into a solid reliever.  He has pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Reds so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.  He has given up 10 hits and 8 walks in his first 17 innings this year while whiffing 17 batters.  LeCure has started 10 games in his career in the majors (he came up as a starter) and he is 1-5 with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.  But, he has found a home in the bullpen.  He has pitched in 110 games in relief so far in his career and he is 7-4 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.  The Reds hope that LeCure keeps up the good work.

22-year old switch-hitting OF/SS Billy Hamilton is off to a slow start in AAA-ball for the Reds in 2013.  He has played in 30 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 24 for 121 (.198 avg, .532 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers, 8 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  Hamilton has now played in 409 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 460 for 1,632 (.282 avg, .737 OPS) with 302 runs scored, 7 homers, 138 RBIs and 337 stolen bases.  If Hamilton can get his act together soon, he could get his first taste of the majors later this year for the Reds.  Hamilton came into this season as the #1 prospect on the Reds according to Baseball America.

The Reds have designated 37-year old righty swinging catcher Corky Miller for assignment.  Miller played in 6 games for the Reds this year and he was 2 for 16 (.125 avg, .425 OPS) with 2 runs scored.  Miller has now played in 142 games in his first seven years with the Reds and he is 77 for 378 (.204 avg, .620 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 9 homers, 45 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Miller will very likely clear waivers and return to AAA for the Reds.

UPDATE:  (5/13/2013) - Corky Miller has cleared waivers and he has been outrighted to AAA.

25-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos has been dominating so far this year.  He has started 7 games for the Reds so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  Latos has given up 41 hits and 11 walks while whiffing 43 batters in his first 44 1/3 innings so far this year and those are impressive numbers.  The Reds traded a lot of good prospects (Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Brad Boxberger) along with veteran Edison Volquez two winters ago to get Latos….but he has been worth it so far.  Latos has pitched in 40 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Reds and he is 17-4 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Paul is off to a good start for the Reds in 2013.  He has played in 24 games for the Reds so far this year and he is 13 for 48 (.271 avg, .771 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs.  Paul has now played in 79 games in his first two years with the Reds and he is 40 for 134 (.299 avg, .818 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  Paul has been solid off the bench for the Reds in his first two years with the team, and he could start playing more for them with Ryan Ludwick and Chris Heisey both on the shelf due to injury.

The Reds have signed 30-year old righty swinging OF/3B Joe Mather to a minor league deal.  Mather played in 103 games for the Cubs last year and he was 47 of 225 (.209 avg, .581 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 5 homers, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Mather has now played in 229 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 108 of 493 (.219 avg, .628 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 14 homers, 49 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Mather will start his career with the Reds in AA-ball and he will have to work his way back to the show.

24-year old righty swinging 1B Neftali Soto is off to a good start in 2013.  He has played in 18 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 21 for 66 (.318 avg, .860 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers and 9 RBIs.  Soto has now played in 618 games in his first seven years in the minors and he is 653 of 2,391 (.273 avg, .780 OPS) with 319 runs scored, 92 homers, 353 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Soto came into this season as the Reds’ #26 prospect according to Baseball America.  Soto is blocked at the major league level by Joey Votto, so he could become prime trade bait later this year.

The Reds have acquired 31-year old lefty swinging 3B/OF Mark Teahan from the D-Backs for either a player to be named later or cash.  Teahan played in 22 games in AAA-ball for the D-Backs this year and he was 15 for 71 (.211 avg, .571 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 0 homers and 5 RBIs.  Teahan last played in the majors in 2011 with the Blue Jays and White Sox.  He has played in 831 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 759 of 2,873 (.264 avg, .736 OPS) with 388 runs scored, 67 homers, 332 RBIs and 45 stolen bases.  If Teahan gets off to a good start in AAA-ball for the Reds, he won’t be down there too long.

UPDATE:  (5/3/2013) - The Reds have sent Teahan back to the D-Backs due to an issue with his physical.

The Reds have placed 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Chris Heisey on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 27th due to a strained right hamstring.  He is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks.  Heisey has played in 23 games for the Reds so far this year and he is 13 for 75 (.173 avg, .488 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  He has been hacking at the plate as he has only walked 2 times while whiffing 20 times so far this year.  The Reds have called up 24-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Donald Lutz to replace Heisey on the active roster.  Lutz has played in 21 games in AA-ball so far this year for the Reds and he is 16 for 76 (.211 avg, .807 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers, 14 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Lutz has now played in 385 games in his first six years in the minors and he is 389 for 1,427 (.273 avg, .820 OPS) with 240 runs scored, 61 homers, 238 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.  Lutz came into this season as the Reds’ #18 prospect according to Baseball America.  Look for Lutz to get a lot of P.T. until Heisey returns to action.