The Arizona Fall League rosters are finally out and the Cincinnati Reds have sent a loaded group of players. On the pitching staff they will be sending Nick Travieso, Stephen Johnson, Layne Somsen and Zack Weiss. They are also sending position players Chad Wallach, Alex Blandino and Phillip Ervin.
Nick Travieso | RHP
The right hander missed just over seven weeks after being hit by a comebacker before returning to the rotation in Daytona in early August. He will look to build on his innings total and make up for lost time while out in Arizona.
| W | L | ERA | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| 6 | 6 | 2.89 | 87.1 | 80 | 4 | 30 | 72 | 1.26 |
Stephen Johnson | RHP
In a second trade with the San Francisco Giants the Reds acquired right handed reliever Stephen Johnson. He’s only had three appearances since being acquired two weeks ago, throwing 4.0 shutout innings with a walk and four strikeouts. He will need protection from the Rule 5 draft in the offseason, so the Reds will like to get a good look at him in Arizona to decide what they will do with him.
| Lev | W | L | ERA | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| AA (SF) | 3 | 0 | 3.41 | 58.0 | 45 | 2 | 29 | 68 | 1.28 |
| AA (CIN) | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.75 |
Layne Somsen | RHP
Right handed reliever Layne Somsen missed seven weeks of the season after taking a ball off of his foot that wound up breaking a toe. The 26-year-old will be looking to make up for some lost time. He split his time between Pensacola and Louisville on the year and had similar results at both stops.
| Lev | W | L | ERA | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| AA | 2 | 0 | 2.76 | 32.2 | 23 | 1 | 16 | 31 | 1.19 |
| AAA | 0 | 1 | 3.20 | 25.1 | 21 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 1.22 |
Zack Weiss | RHP
You could make the argument that Zack Weiss has been the organizational pitcher of the year. He’s saved 30 games between Daytona and Pensacola this year, blowing just one opportunity. He’s posted a 2.07 ERA in 61.0 innings with just 15 walks and 86 strikeouts.
| Lev | W | L | ERA | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| A+ | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 11.2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0.26 |
| AA | 1 | 3 | 2.55 | 49.1 | 37 | 5 | 14 | 64 | 1.03 |
Chad Wallach | C/1B
Chad Wallach came over in the Mat Latos trade during the offseason and has spent his entire year with the Daytona Tortugas. He’s spent more time at first base (51 games) than behind the plate (43 games). He hit .251/.331/.355 with Daytona through August, showing off some doubles power but struggling to put the ball over the fence in the extremely pitcher friendly league. This will be his second trip to the AFL as he played there last season while still with the Marlins. This could be a way to get him some more time and experience behind the plate.
| Lev | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| A+ | 403 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 75 | .251 | .331 | .355 |
Alex Blandino | 2B/SS
Alex Blandino has made one heck or a rise through the system since being drafted last season. He’s already played at four levels and found himself in Double-A for the last month. Before being promoted he was leading the Florida State League in OPS by a wide margin after hitting .294/.370/.438. He’s struggled in his transition to Double-A, sort of. He’s walked nearly as much as he’s struck out and made plenty of contact, the ball just hasn’t found the grass often enough yet. This could be a sign, one of many, that the organization is trying to fast track him through the system.
| Lev | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| A+ | 342 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 56 | .294 | .370 | .438 |
| AA | 112 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 17 | .196 | .324 | .315 |
Phillip Ervin | OF
The 2013 1st round pick has had a rebound season after struggling in 2014. He spent most of the year in Daytona where he led the Florida State League in home runs before being promoted a little more than two weeks ago. He’s gone to Double-A Pensacola and walked more than he’s struck out while posting an .873 OPS in 12 games. He’s also stolen 32 bases on the year between the two stops.
| Lev | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| A+ | 475 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 30 | 53 | 83 | .242 | .338 | .375 |
| AA | 49 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 11 | .222 | .429 | .444 |
This is probably the best grouping of prospects that the Reds have sent to Arizona in quite a while. Three guys were Midseason Top 10 Reds prospects, Zack Weiss may be the biggest prospect riser in the organization as well as perhaps the pitcher of the year in the organization, Stephen Johnson has a big time arm and has been impressive in limited action since joining the organization in mid-August and you also get Layne Somsen who has a career 2.64 ERA in his minor league career to go with Chad Wallach who will look to rebound from his 2015 struggles.