Winter Leagues are back

[redsrbetter]

11/18/2005 2:19 PM ET
Several Reds seek seasoning in winter
Cincinnati hopes additional at-bats will help young players
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- Sometimes 162 games aren't nearly enough.
In fact, if Mother Nature didn't intervene, there's a decent chance the Major League Baseball schedule might just last 12 months a year.

That's not possible, of course, so players needing additional grooming time outside of the Major League and Minor League schedules turn to Winter Ball. And the Reds are hoping the players they've sent to the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico this winter will grow from the experience.

"The Winter Leagues are the closest parallel to the big leagues," general manager Dan O'Brien said. "In the Winter Leagues, it's all about winning and the pressure that comes with it to perform. It helps players mature in their approach to the big leagues."

The Reds have more than a few young players who could greatly benefit from the additional maturation process.

High up on that list is second baseman William Bergolla. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has a legitimate shot of competing for the Reds' starting second base job in Spring Training, so his performance with the Caracas club this winter will be closely monitored.

"We're looking for consistency in his offensive approach," O'Brien said. "Being on base, doing the little things, advancing runners ... that sort of thing. Those are the type of elements that have to be a part of his game."

Through 22 games, Bergolla looked to be doing quite well at the plate. He posted a .320 average with one home run, nine RBIs and four stolen bases.

Bergolla played in 17 games for the Reds this past season and looked overwhelmed at the plate, as he hit a paltry .132 in 38 at-bats.

"Defensively, he's Major League caliber right now," O'Brien said. "But his offense is still in the development stage. I think he learned quite a bit during his time in the big leagues. Hopefully he's taking that to his advantage down in Winter Ball."

The same goes for players like outfielder Wily Mo Pena, infielder Ray Olmedo, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, catcher Miguel Perez and right-handers Elizardo Ramirez and Joe Valentine, all of whom donned the Reds uniform (some much more often than others) in '05, and are now honing their skills in the Winter Leagues.

Pena is the biggest name on the list. Limited by a nagging left quadriceps injury that kept him out of 26 games this season, Pena is getting some more playing time under his belt with the Gigantes club in the Dominican Winter League.

"He's just trying to get additional at-bats and as much experience as he can to cover for the lost time due to injuries," O'Brien said.

Olmedo is trying to stay fresh with the La Guaira team in the Venezuelan Winter League after an '05 season that saw him miss the first three months of the season while recuperating from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, followed by a utility role in which his playing time was at a premium.

Encarnacion, who's latched on with the Aguilas team in the Dominican, is working on his overall game after a season that saw him take over the regular third-base duties for the Reds.

The Reds are also hoping two injury-prone pitchers -- right-hander Josh Hancock and left-hander Jung Keun Bong -- will benefit from the Winter League schedule.

Hancock missed all but the final month of the season because of a lingering groin strain, and Bong didn't pitch at all in '05 after having arm surgery at the end of '04.

"With both of them, it's all about making up for lost time," O'Brien said. "And I applaud them for taking the initiative to go and play in Winter Ball to achieve that."

Other players of note include first baseman Jesse Gutierrez, who was out all year because of injury but who performed well in 2004 at Double-A Chattanooga. He's playing for Navojoa in Mexico. Infielder Norris Hopper, coming off a strong year at Chattanooga, is also playing for Navojoa.

The complete list of the organization's participants in the Winter Leagues is as follows:

POSITION PLAYERS:
OF Rick Asadoorian, Navajoa
2B William Bergolla, Caracas
3B Edwin Encarnacion, Aguilas
OF Alex Fernandez, Gigantes
1B Jesse Gutierrez, Navojoa
OF Tonys Gutierrez, Aragua
IF Norris Hopper, Navojoa
IF Ray Olmedo, La Guaira
OF Wily Mo Pena, Gigantes
C Miguel Perez, Aragua
2B Mayker Sandoval, Lara
OF Stephen Smitherman, Navojoa

PITCHERS:
LHP Jung Keun Bong
LHP Juan Frias, Escogido
RHP Josh Hancock, Magallanes
RHP Elizardo Ramirez, Gigantes
RHP Jim Serrano, Hermosillo
RHP Tom Shearn, Estrellas
RHP Joe Valentine, Estrellas

Dominican Winter League: Aguilas, Escogido, Estrellas, Gigantes

Mexican Pacific League: Hermosillo, Navojoa

Venezuelan Winter League: Aragua, Caracas, La Guaira, Lara, Magallanes

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=cin

[redsrbetter]

"He's just trying to get additional at-bats and as much experience as he can to cover for the lost time due to injuries," O'Brien said.

Pena is likely getting his ABs to make a strong impression on a possible deal. If he tears it up this Winter, he will boost his value a bit I am sure. I think it is a good move.

[Wally Mo Pena]

anyone have a link to some stats on these teams?

[redsrbetter]

I haven't been able to find anything either. It is usually on mlb.com, but for some reason they don't have any links to it on there. I also searched Baseball America with negative results. Would be nice to know some things though.