The Reds signed Ray Chang after he spent the previous nine season with the Padres, Pirates, Red Sox and Twins organizations. To begin the season the Reds sent Chang to Pensacola to play for the Blue Wahoos.
April began with Chang in Pensacola, but after going 4-10 over the first three games of the year he quickly found himself in a Louisville Bats uniform. In the first game for the Bats, Chang went 2-4 with a double and a run and went 4-11 with 2 walks over his first four games for Louisville before going into a slump. The infielder would go 0-10 over his next four games and found himself back in Pensacola by the 22nd where he would go 4-15 with 3 doubles and 2 runs through the 29th. On the 30th he found himself back with Louisville for a grand total of 1 plate appearance. Chang ended the month with a bunch of frequent flier miles and a .255/.300/.340 line between Pensacola and Louisville.
May began with Chang in Louisville but he didn’t get a plate appearance and was back in Pensacola to start on the 4th of the month where he went 1-3 with a walk. Two days later he was back in a Bats uniform where he would stay to finish out the month. Chang went 6-21 through the end of the month in sparse playing time with a home run and 2 doubles. For the entire month he would post a .292/.346/.500 line with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 26 plate appearances.
June began and Chang only saw one game with the Bats, when he went 0-2 with a walk and a run on the 5th before heading back to Pensacola on the 6th where he began a 5-game hitting streak. From the 6th th rough the 9th (including a double header) the infielder went 9-14 (.643) with 2 walks, a home run and 5 RBI. After going hitless on the 10th Chang had two hits in each of the next two games, including a home run on the 13th. He didn’t see game time until the 19th after that and played sparingly down the stretch of the month, finishing with a line of .356/.423/.489 with 6 walks and 10 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances to go with 2 home runs and 9 RBI.
July was rough for Chang as he went just 5-33 through the 20th of the month, though he did walk 8 times during that span. He turned things around late in the month though, running off an 8-game hitting streak where he would go 9-28 (.321) to help him finish the month with a line of .215/.307/.262 with 9 walks and 4 strikeouts over 78 plate appearances.
The August and September stretch got off to a nice start as he went 11-31 (.355) through the 10th of August with 4 walks and 8 runs scored before going into a slump. From the 11th through the 26th Chang went 4-32. Over his final five games he went 6-17 with 2 doubles. The up and down stretch for Chang ended with a line of .263/.314/.288 line with 6 walks and 16 strikeouts.
Season Stats
| Team | PA | R | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Louisville | 50 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .222 | .300 | .356 | .656 |
| Pensacola | 241 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 35 | .278 | .339 | .343 | .682 |
| Total | 291 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 45 | .268 | .332 | .345 | .677 |
Overall Thoughts
Ray Chang provided a solid utility role during the 2013 season for the Reds, mostly for Pensacola but for a few weeks with Louisville as well. Chang played defensively at second base, third base and a few games at shortstop throughout the season where he was very sure handed, posting a .986 fielding percentage across the three positions. While power isn’t a part of his game, he will give a good at bat who can make contact and will take a walk. He was a free agent after the season but was re-signed by the Reds shortly after the season ended.
For more player season review, you can see the entire list here.