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    Sammy Stafura (Photo: Aldrin Capulong/Daytona Tortugas)
    Photo: Aldrin Capulong/Daytona Tortugas

    Sammy Stafura homers in Reds spring training loss

    Doug Gray 9

    The Cincinnati Reds played two games on Friday out in Arizona and as such it meant that some of the minor leaguers on the travel rosters were going to get some real playing time on the day. For most of the guys it was uneventful in the box score, but that was not the case for Reds 8th rated prospect Sammy Stafura.

    In the game against the Diamondbacks, Stafura was in the starting lineup and playing shortstop. The game featured just seven total hits between the two teams. After striking out in the 3rd inning, Sammy Stafura came to the plate to face A.J. Puk in the 6th inning. The big league vet with a 3.53 career ERA tried to get a 96 MPH fastball by the Reds prospect to start their match up. It didn’t work. Cincinnati’s 20-year-old prospect was ready for the challenge and he turned the fastball around at 110.9 MPH and gave some fan out on the grass beyond the fence a souvenir with his first home run of the spring.

    Last season the longest home run by Sammy Stafura was 393 feet. Friday’s wasn’t quite on par with that, coming in at 388 feet. But the 110.9 MPH exit velocity was easily the best we’ve got any data on. In 2024 with Daytona where he have road data, the top exit velocity for Stafura was 104.4 MPH. Earlier this week he singled at 104.7 MPH. But topping that by more than 6 MPH on Friday with his home run took things to an entirely different level than we’ve seen from him before.

    The Reds other game on Friday was against the White Sox. Cincinnati only had four hits in that game and two of those hits came from Sal Stewart. Another one came from Will Banfield.

    Stewart has looked good this spring. In his 12 games he’s now 7-22 and is hitting .318/.423/.545 with as many walks as strikeouts – four. On Friday he also added his first and second stolen bases of the spring.

    Banfield, who may be playing for a spot in the big leagues with the news on both Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino in the last 48 hours coming with some bad news and some uncertain news on injuries to both, only had one hit on the day but he made it count. Known for his power, the 25-year-old catcher hit a laser at 111.5 MPH over the wall in left-center for his second homer of the spring. He’s just 3-16 (.188) this spring, but he’s also slugging .688 thanks to his three hits being a triple and two home runs.

    On the mound in the game against Arizona it was Lyon Richardson tossing another shutout inning. In his first outing of the spring he allowed two runs on two hits in an inning against Milwaukee. Since then he’s thrown a shutout inning in six consecutive outings and has his ERA down to 2.57 in 7.0 innings.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    9 Responses

    2. Getting a successful transition to the bullpen for Richardson, with him being ready to help out later in the year if needed, would be a good development. On a broadcast recently, he just looked calmer and more composed.

      3. I think guys like him and ashcraft are more “throwers” than pitchers. That tends to be more successful in the bullpen than long term starting.

        1. Ashcraft certainly is, that’s for sure. Richardson less so, at least at this point. He’s a more traditional fastball/slider/curve guy. That said, especially after seeing him vs the Padres, it’ll be fun to watch him this year. I have a hunch he is evolving more into pitcher, on the one hand, as well as into reliever, where his hard stuff is still well suited, on the other.

          As for the Padres game, he went through the main guys of the batting order. Got two outs, gave up a BB or a hit, did not get rattled at all — big change — and then easily retired the last hitter.

          He also K’d Manny Machado on a change-up (mighta been a slider?) up and in. I said, “Hello! Where’d you get that?”

        2. Richardson has had a great learning process. I talked to him at a Restaurant when he started in Greeneville and he had been mostly an outfielder as an amateur and thought that’s what he would be as a pro.

      4. Yes, Richardson, and Ashcraft seem like nice fits for the pen. I’m guessing Williamson and Aguiar might be transitioned to the pen as well. I’d say the same thing for Phillips, but he just seems so lost right now. Hopefully he can get dial into the strike zone this year.

    3. Sal Stewart seems to be separating himself from his peers (Collier, no fault of his own).

      Sometimes, right before a guy breaks out, you can get a hunch that says, “Gotta keep an eye on this kid, right now.”

      Brantley was mentioning something recently about the quality of the minor leaguers in camp this year, to the tune of them not seeming overwhelmed. I agree. The AA and AAA (Arroyo, Dunn, Hinds, Hurtubise) guys seem more grounded second tine around, while the A ball kids just seem more mature (or at least not intimidated).

      Carlos Jorge hasn’t hit much but i’ve seen him have good at bats and look good defensively. He also looks like he has packed on some muscle. Balcazar, too.

      Collier looked really focused. Pitelli’s defense has really stood out. Tyler Callihan looks really aggressive with that sweet LH swing. HRod is HRod, whatever that means. Just making contact.

      And then Stafura. The talent is clear. Where will he be after a second year of full season ball?

      Still, Stewart just seems like he is, right now, taking that next step. It’ll be cool to see where he’s at by June.

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