3 comments to “Reds add to their collection of former Yankees”

1. Red Hot Mama says:

   January 4, 2008 at 7:13 pm

   Every year it’s got to be something. This year: the all “Phillips” infield.

   Thanks for the post, BF 🙂

2. BubbaFan says:

   January 4, 2008 at 7:30 pm

   In 2006, Andy shared first base duties with Craig Wilson. “Wilson Phillips.” (And he does sing. He once sang the national anthem before a minor league game when the singer didn’t show up. I wasn’t there, but they said his voice was beautiful.)

   I like Andy. He’s a really nice guy (and not bad-looking, if you like the boyish type). He’s kind of a tweener, though. Glove not quite good enough for anything except 1B, bat not quite good enough for 1B.

   At least in the AL, where first base is covered by the likes of Jason Giambi and David Ortiz. Maybe he’ll have a better shot in the NL, where he’s not competing with DHs.

   I do think that if he got a fair chance, he would be very good at the plate. Not Big Papi good, but good. The funny thing about Andy is that his splits reverse whenever he’s called up the big leagues. He’s right-handed, and has hit lefties better than righties throughout his minor league career. But in the big leagues, his splits are reversed. I suspect it’s the scouting. They’ve found a hole in his swing against lefties. If he figures it out, and his splits return to anything like his minor league norm, his numbers will be very respectable.

3. BubbaFan says:

   January 5, 2008 at 5:24 am

   From Baseball America:

   Cincinnati Reds

   Signed: RHP Dan Denham, LHP Chris Michalak, LHP Luca Panerati, LHP Adam Pettyjohn, LHP Matteo Pizziconi, 1B Kevin Barker, 1B Andy Phillips, 2B Andrew Green, 3B Jolbert Cabrera

   Released: RHP Thomas Pauly, 2B Billy Rojo

   The Reds signed two players from Italy, Panerati and Pizziconi, and it is the former who has the higher ceiling. The 6-foot-1, 156-pound Panerati, who turned 18 in December, pitched for Italy in the World Cup in Taiwan, the highlight coming when he struck out Cardinals top prospect Colby Rasmus. Panerati had struggled a year earlier against Team USA at the IBAF World Junior Championship in Cuba. He was named the top pitcher at the European Junior Championships when he was 17, pitching 12 1/3 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts. Panerati’s fastball currently tops out at 86 mph with some life, and the pitch should gain velocity as his frame fills out. His go-to pitch is his changeup, which sits in the mid-70s and tails away from righthanders. He also throws a curveball. Pizziconi turned 18 in October, and at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds he is another slender Italian lefthander. His delivery has some deception and his fastball tops out in the high-80s, but his secondary stuff is rudimentary.

   I didn’t know they played baseball in Italy!