Mathieson, Wood, and Purcey

Mathieson is out for all of the 2007 season with TJ surgery and many people now think he will be their closer.

Wood, is a fine pitcher and I think will emerge as a fine major league lefty.

I don't know much about Purcey other than that he regressed last year but still has good stuff.

If I read correctly, he is currently ahead of schedule and could be throwing by July.  Now, theoretically, they said he could pitch in September but they don't think they will rush it.

Still, encouraging to see his recovery sounds like it is going well.  I think he has a lot of potential.

Wood touched the mid 90s with his fastball his senior year in HS....but last season the Reds tweaked his mechanics a bit and he stayed 88-91 with his FB. His change up however is one of the best around. It is absolutely nasty. He is also working on his curve, which still is a below average pitch.

There are a few things that are going against Travis though, he is barely 6 foot tall, but being a lefty, he will be given ample opportunity to succeed as a starter. He also needs to pack on some weight.

In the end, I would say Travis Wood is probably somewhere in the 100-135 range in terms of prospects in baseball.