Pitchers and catchers: who you need to know (Day 1)

The Cincinnati Reds’ pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Goodyear, Ariz., for Major League Spring Training only 10 days from now. With the season creeping up so quickly, I’ve decided to come up with a short player bio highlighting each player’s production from the 2013 season, both roster players and non-roster invitees. With 30 pitchers and six catchers scheduled to make the trip out west, I will highlight 10 pitchers and two catchers each day for the next three days. So study up and get to know these members of the Reds organization before the season begins.

Homer Bailey — RHP

Bailey, 27, is entering his 11th season of professional baseball and eighth season with the big league club in Cincinnati. He was drafted out of high school with the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft and made his major league debut with the Reds on June 8, 2007. Last season, Bailey posted good numbers with an 11–12 record and 3.49 ERA in 32 appearances. He pitched a career high 209.0 innings and struck out a career high 199 batters. Bailey is scheduled to become a free agent at the season’s end and he and the Reds are currently trying to agree on a deal to avoid arbitration.

Pedro Beato — RHP

Beato, 27, is entering his ninth season of professional baseball and first with the Reds organization. He was drafted by the Baltimore Oriels with the 32nd pick of the 2006 draft and made his major league debut with the New York Mets on April 1, 2011. Beato spent last season with the Boston Red Sox organization and posted a 5–3 record with a 2.98 ERA in 34 relief appearances with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.

Jonathan Broxton — RHP

Broxton, 29, is entering his 13th season of professional baseball and third season with the Cincinnati Reds. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 2002 draft and made his major league debut with the club on July 29, 2005. In 2013, Broxton made 34 relief appearances for the Reds and posted a 2–2 record with a 4.11 ERA. He is signed through the 2015 season on a three-year, $21 million contract with a team option for 2016.

Aroldis Chapman — LHP

Chapman, 25, also known as the Cuban Missile for his often 100-mph fastball, is entering his fifth season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was signed as a free agent in 2010 and wasted no time in making his debut on August 31 of the same year. Last season, Chapman posted a 4–5 record with a 2.54 ERA in 68 relief appearances and tied a career high with 38 saves. Last week, Chapman and the Reds agreed on a one-year, $5 million contract to avoid arbitration.

Nick Christiani — RHP

Christiani, 26, is also entering his fifth season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was drafted out of Vanderbilt University in the 13th round of the 2009 draft and made his debut with the big league club on August 23, 2013. Christiani spent most of 2013 with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, posting a 6–5 record with a 3.86 ERA in 49 relief appearances, but was called up to the Reds in late August and made three relief appearances in Great American Ball Park.

Tony Cingrani — LHP

Cingrani, 24, is entering his fourth season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was drafted out of Rice University in the third round of the 2011 draft and made his major league debut on September 9, 2012. Cingrani began the 2013 season with the Bats, but was recalled by Cincinnati after not allowing an earned run in three games and 14.1 innings pitched — ultimately taking his consecutive scoreless innings pitched streak in Louisville to 21.1 innings. With injuries at the big league level, CIngrani pitched well, posting a 7–4 record with a 2.92 ERA in 23 appearances.

Carlos Contreras — RHP

Contreras, 23, is entering his seventh season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was signed by the Reds as a free agent on March 12, 2008 and has yet to make his debut with neither the Bats nor the Reds. Contreras spent the 2013 season split between the Class A-Advanced Bakersfield Blaze and Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and posted a 5–7 record with a 3.80 ERA in 18 appearances and a 3–2 record with a 2.76 ERA in eight appearances, respectively.

Daniel Corcino — RHP

Corcino, 23, is also entering his seventh season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was signed by the Reds as a free agent on January 11, 2008 and made his debut with the Bats in 2013. Prior to last season, Corcino was rated as the 94th-best prospect in all of baseball and the fourth-best prospect in the Reds organization by Baseball America. However, the young Dominican struggled through the season, posting a 7–14 record and 5.86 ERA in 28 appearances. His 14 losses and 73 walks were both among the worst in the International League.

Johnny Cueto — RHP

Cueto, 27, is entering his 11th season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was signed as a free agent in 2004 and made his debut with the Reds on April 3, 2008. He has since been one of the pitching staff’s workhorses — totaling 149 starts for the club from 2008–2012. However, Cueto missed much of last season with an oblique injury he suffered in the 2012 playoffs. He only appeared in 11 games with the Reds and posted a 5–2 record with a 2.82 ERA. The 2014 season is the last season remaining on Cueto’s current contract.

Ismael Guillon — LHP

Guillon, 21, is entering his fifth season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was signed as a free agent in 2010 and has since been slowly working his way through the Reds farm system. Guillon spent the 2013 season with the Class A Dayton Dragons and posted a 7–8 record with a 4.57 ERA in 27 appearances. According to Baseball America, the young Venezuelan has the best changeup of all the Reds’ prospects.

Tucker Barnhart — C

Barnhart, 23, is entering his sixth season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was drafted out of high school in the 10th round of the 2009 draft and is scheduled to make his debut with the Louisville Bats in the upcoming season. In 2013, Barnhart hit .260 with three homeruns and 44 RBIs and continued to be stellar behind the plate — catching 37 percent (46/123) of attempting base stealers. He is currently listed as the Reds best catching prospect and 10th-best overall prospect, according to Baseball America.

Devin Mesoraco — C

Mesoraco, 25, is entering his seventh season of professional baseball, all with the Reds organization. He was drafted out of high school with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 draft and made his debut with the Reds on September 3, 2011. He spent the entire 2013 season with the big league club and split time with veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan — hitting .238 with nine homeruns and 42 RBIs and catching nearly 29 percent (18/63) of attempting base stealers. This season, with Hanigan gone to Tampa Bay, Mesoraco looks to gain more responsibility as the Reds mainstay behind the plate.