With the 2003 minor league season coming to a close, we will be providing a brief wrapup of the season for all 30 minor league teams. In each report, we will take a look at how the team's Top 10 Prospects performed, identify some emerging prospects and organizational leaders, and report on the performance of their top draft pick.
Complete index of Team Wrapups               2003 League Wrapups

By Kevin Goldstein
September 25, 2003

Season Results

Level Team League W L PCT AAA Louisville International 79 64 .552 AA Chattanooga Southern 66 74 .471 A+ Potomac Carolina 62 77 .446 A Dayton Midwest 61 78 .439 R+ Billings* Pioneer 41 35 .540 R GCL Reds Gulf Coast 26 34 .433 TOTAL 335 362 ..481

   * won league championship

Performance of Top 10 Prospects

Here's how our top 10 prospects entering this season performed in 2003. Major league statistics through games of September 24.

1. Chris Gruler, rhp      Age: 19

The Reds hoped rest would heal shoulder problems that flared up in the instructional league last year, but he lasted just three miserable outings at Dayton before requiring surgery for both a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff. The good news is he's still young.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H ER R BB SO Dayton (Low Class A) 0-2 0 27.00 3 5.2 10 19 17 12 6

2. Bobby Basham, rhp      Age: 23

Last season's breakout player for the Reds never found a groove at Double-A and went downhill from there, going 2-6, 6.97 in his final eight starts.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Chattanooga (Double-A) 5-10 0 5.17 17 94.0 133 72 54 24 56 Potomac (High Class A) 0-1 0 2.70 1 6.2 5 3 2 1 1

3. Wily Mo Pena, of      Age: 21

Forced into the majors by a contract the Reds inherited from the Yankees, Pena was used sparingly and was just 12-for-76 (.158) through August 31. Playing every day in the season's final month, Pena is starting to show the skills (.280-5-12 in 22 games) that have excited scouts for years.

TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Reds (MLB) 76 152 19 33 6 1 5 16 10 51 2 .217 .279 .368 Louisville (Triple-A) 14 51 16 19 3 0 4 14 5 13 0 .373 .450 .667

4. Edwin Encarnacion, 3b      Age: 20

Encarnacion jumped over high Class A initially and hit just .220-1-14 in 31 Double-A games before being sent back to Potomac. He rebounded and was a much-improved player after he returned to Chattanooga, batting .310 in 36 games.

TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Chattanooga (Double-A) 67 254 40 69 13 1 5 36 22 44 8 .272 .331 .390 Potomac (High Class A) 58 215 40 69 15 1 6 29 24 32 7 .321 .387 .484

5. Dustin Moseley, rhp      Age: 21

Moseley was Chattanooga's most consistent starter, going five-plus innings in all 18 of his starts. Promoted to Triple-A for the season's final six weeks, Moseley continued his solid season, though low strikeout numbers raise questions about how projectable he is.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Chattanooga (Double-A) 5-6 0 3.83 18 112.2 116 55 48 28 73 Louisville (Triple-A) 2-3 0 2.70 8 50.0 46 19 15 14 27

6. Ty Howington, lhp      Age: 22

Howington's record on June 4 was 3-5, 5.36, but he came on strong in the second half, going 4-2, 1.59 in his final eight starts before earning a late promotion to Double-A, where he struggled with his control.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Potomac (High Class A) 7-7 0 3.53 19 99.1 103 44 39 34 86 Chattanooga (Double-A) 0-2 0 6.91 4 14.1 15 12 11 20 16

7. Ricardo Aramboles, rhp      Age: 21

Missed the entire season after surgery to repair a torn labrum in April. Also had Tommy John surgery in 1999, and has pitched just 23 innings in the past two years.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Did Not Pitch

8. Brandon Larson, 3b      Age: 27

In the past two years, Larson has played 152 games for Louisville and hit a staggering .332-45-143. In 69 major league games, he's hit .159-5-23, creating inevitable questions about whether he's a Four-A player.

TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Louisville (Triple-A) 72 282 51 91 19 2 20 74 28 70 3 .323 .384 .617 Cincinnati (MLB) 32 89 6 9 1 0 1 9 13 31 2 .101 .212 .146

9. Josh Hall, rhp      Age: 22

Earned a September look with dominating performances down the stretch, including a 13-strikeout four-hitter on July 18. He has struggled so far in the big leagues.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Chattanooga (Double-A) 8-10 0 3.47 26 153.0 152 73 59 53 114 Cincinnati (MLB) 0-2 0 6.57 6 24.2 33 22 18 15 18

10. Mark Schramek, 3b      Age: 23

Last year's supplemental first-round pick had a nice debut in Dayton, but he was overmatched after a two-level jump to Double-A, and never found his stroke after dropping back to Potomac.

TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG OBP SLG Dayton (Low Class A) 57 206 29 61 18 2 3 37 19 58 2 .296 .368 .447 Chattanooga (Double-A) 42 141 14 25 9 0 0 10 8 55 2 .177 .242 .241 Potomac (High Class A) 36 128 9 26 4 0 2 12 6 42 0 .203 .261 .281

Top Draft Pick:

Ryan Wagner, rhp    U. of Houston   Bonus: $1.4M

Frustrated by Gruler's health problems, the Reds looked to find someone in the draft this year who could contribute right away, and Wagner certainly did that. He not only made his major league debut just six weeks after being drafted, but also has limited opposing batters to a .173 average.

Team W-L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO Chattanooga (Double-A) 1-0 0 0.00 5 5.0 2 1 0 2 6 Louisville (Triple-A) 0-1 0 4.50 4 4.0 5 2 2 0 4 Reds (MLB) 2-0 0 1.66 17 21.2 13 4 4 12 25

Emerging Prospects:

Stephen Smitherman, of: A 23rd-round gem out of Arkansas-Little Rock, Smitherman is a hulking presence at the plate who had an eventful season. He proved he can hit advanced pitching (.310-19-73 at Double-A), homered in the Futures Game, and made his major league debut. Habelito Hernandez, 2b: The former Juan Diaz hit .377-8-32 in 36 games for Billings before going down with a shoulder separation.

Statistical Leaders

Batting Average	Miguel Perez	.305
Home Runs	Jesse Gutierrez Brandon Larson	20
Runs Batted In	Jesse Gutierrez	96
Stolen Bases	William Bergolla	52
Earned Run Average	Travis Thompson	3.20
Wins	Edward Valdez	16
Strikeouts	Daylan Childress	124
Saves	Nathan Cotton	28