Robert Manuel is having a nice season

by TigerFanInCleveland on Aug 7, 2008 11:30 PM EDT

Three years ago, John named Robert Manuel (then of the Mets organization) his Starting Pitcher of the Year in the GCL. Manuel led the league with 8 wins and a 2.06 ERA. His professional career was getting off to a good start. Fast forward nearly three years. Manuel had been dealt to the Reds (for Dave Williams), and is currently the closer at AA Chattanooga. While 25 year old minor league relievers in AA aren't usually the topic of great prospectdom here, let's not overlook his 2008 stat line in AA only:

4-3, 1.43 ERA, 2 SV, 63.0 IP, 41 H, 14 BB, 78 K, 2 HR allowed

The guy has been promoted two levels this year alone. He's obviously blossomed after being converted from a starter to a reliever in 2007 while still in the FSL. Looking over the Reds 40-man roster, it is apparent that there some aging vets that ought to be on the way out after this season. It seems to me that there is a solid chance that Manuel could make a run as a back of the bullpen anchor in Cincy by 2010 or 2011, even with Dusty running the show.

What are Reds fans saying (btw, is dougdirt still on here?) about Manuel and do you see promise from him as a top reliever?

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Manuel is an interesting guy

but Josh Roenicke is really the guy to get excited about. his line this year split between AA and AAA is 52 INN, 2.77 ERA, 59/17 K/BB. he’s got a helluva fastball and is said to have bona fide closer potential at the big league level. he is a bit old (just turned 26) but he just started pitching a few years ago.

Manuel is among a handful of intriguing relievers the Reds have in the upper echelons of the minors, along with Tyler Pelland, Ramon Geronimo, Danny Ray Herrera, and of course Roenicke. Roenicke is definitely the cream of the crop, but the rest of them all have the potential to contribute. i dont think Manuel will get a shot in Cincy next year (barring injury or ineffectiveness) as the bullpen is actually a strength for the Reds now. but i would love to see him leapfrog some of the riff-raff like Todd Coffey and Gary Majewski (though Majewski has shown some improvement this year).

by Charlie Scrabbles on Aug 8, 2008 11:06 AM EDT reply actions

athleticism and bloodlines

are two more things Roenicke has going for him. He was athletic enough to play FB at UCLA and his dad and uncle are both ex-MLBers who still work in the game (one is a scout, the other the Angel’s bench coach) and he had either a brother or a cousin drafted this year.

by nms on Aug 8, 2008 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Manuel

He is having an outstanding season. He is a control guy, with pitches that have great movement on them, but he isn’t going to blow anything past anyone. He isn’t closer material, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he became a very reliable reliever in the majors in a few years. I think he tops out around 93, working in the 88-91 range with his fastball. He also throws a pretty strong change up.

http://www.redsminorleagues.com and http://www.RedsPitchFX.com

by dougdirt on Aug 9, 2008 12:25 PM EDT reply actions