SUNDAY: Cincinnati has announced VanMeter’s promotion. The club made room for him by optioning lefty Cody Reed.
SATURDAY: The Reds will select infielder Josh VanMeter’s contract from Triple-A Louisville, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. VanMeter’s promotion will give the Reds a full man 40-man roster.
VanMeter has made a case for a call-up by serving as one of the minors’ best hitters and the International League leader in OPS early this season. Thus far, the 24-year-old has slashed a remarkable .346/.432/.757 (191 wRC+) with 13 home runs, five stolen bases and 15 walks against 23 strikeouts in 126 plate appearances. The lefty-swinging VanMeter was also effective in his first Triple-A exposure last year, albeit with numbers that pale in comparison to this season’s eye-popping output, as he hit .253/.309/.464 (114 wRC+) with 11 homers and five steals across 362 PA.
Despite his excellence in 2019, no outlet ranks VanMeter among the Reds’ top farmhands. Back in January 2018, FanGraphs prospect guru Eric Longenhagen wrote that emerging as a versatile bench piece may be VanMeter’s “absolute ceiling” in the majors. VanMeter has played first, second and third this year alone, and has also garnered significant experience at shortstop and in the outfield since the Padres chose him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. He later joined the Reds in a December 2016 trade for catcher Luis Torrens, who debuted in the majors in 2017 but is currently in Double-A.
THE MAN VANMETER
Connor, technically Torrens has gotten past AA. He was a rule 5 pick that year, but was sent down to A+ for the 2018 season.
Thanks for catching that. I’d forgotten about Torrens’ MLB debut. It’s fixed.
Before Torrens tore his Labrum and missed an entire season he was season as the catcher of the future for the Yankees. If he hadn’t missed that season and then gotten selected in the rule 5 and rode the bench an entire year he would be MLB ready now. He has a great swing and hits for decent avg. Plus he gets on base. He is a solid defensive catcher as well. There is a reason the Padres kept him around an entire year taking up a spot on the 25 man roster. If he had not gotten hurt I am sure the Yankees would be transitioning Sánchez to 1st and getting ready for Torrens to be their everyday catcher. When the Padres finally trade him this coming offseason some team is going to get very lucky. The Yankees are going to look bad for letting him go over a roster spot. It’s a good thing that final spot went to Dietrich Enns. Without him the Yankees might not have been able to get Jaime Garcia from the Twins.
Also he did play 56 games for the Padres back in 2017 when he was a rule 5 pick. So to say he hasn’t made it past AA isn’t accurate. He is having a very good year in AA and he should finish the year in AAA.
If you can’t tell I am very bitter at Cashman over Torrens. Yes, he was coming off a bad injury to his throwing shoulder (even though some here think labrum tears aren’t a big deal) and the Yankees were catcher rich at the time. But he was seen as the best of them before the injury. To let that kind of potential go for a roster spot to a dime a dozen reliever just seems foolish.
Yeah no dude. Sanchez is worth so much more because of his cannon arm and massive offense outbursts. I’ll take the elite offensive catcher over an all around catcher who’s a good defender. I think you’re hyping up Torrens a bit much
Plus he was 20 and hadn’t played above high A ball. Defensively gifted but not a great hitter. Cashman knows what he’s doing and by the looks of their HEALTHY roster, they don’t miss him. That’s why the draft and development system exists. Donny Sands and Anthony Seigler are in the waiting
If Torrens was so good, don’t you think the Padres would send Mejia back to AAA to see if he can re-learn to hit his weight and pull Torrens up to the majors? Neither of their catchers is hitting .200, yet Torrens is #4 or #5 (if they were to put Stewart on the 40-man) in order of who’s likely to play in the majors this year.
I wonder if this pushes Peraza further down the bench. Dietrich seems like he will get the bulk of time at 2B now with his bat doing the talking.
I don’t think so, JP is going to keep getting the playing time. But, Bell does like to get this whole team involved.
Peraza is 24 coming off a breakout year…Iglesias is a retread, no bat all glove punch and judy sissy playing way above his head in a SSS. Peraza will get a full year of runway to level himself out, be it at 2nd or SS.
What you said made no sense. He is hitting over 300, defense has been almost perfect. Zach Cosart was a punch and judy hitter for years then started hitting for average and power. FYI.
Wrong
Iglesias is absolutely a stud at ss
Seldom k’s. Plays all out
Reds would be smart to sign him for three years and leave him at short. They are horrible defensively anyway. Suarez and him are nails on the left side.
I agree, the Reds need to sign Iglesias and Dietrich to 3 year deals. It would be cheep, and great for this team.
Seeing the reds call up Josh VanMeter reminded me of another Reds legend Johnny VanderMeer
Not a Reds connection…but it makes me think of the Heater from Van Meter
News on a VerHagen and VanMeter in the same day? Mind blown.
Now we need a life update on Vanbiesbrouck, Gavin Lee! Or in baseball, Loek Van Mil
RIP Chris VanDownbytheriver Farley!
This guy could pan out in the MLB you just never know. Look at Piazza who’s in the HOF now. You never know how good someone is gonna be
Jeff McNeil. Not a top prospect, not a true single position player, but the Mets would be heartless and going nowhere without him. And most posters here are too young to remember that Wade Boggs was “no prospect” for the Red Sox coming up through their system, yet hit Over .300 ( with no pop ) every year except his first in professional baseball ( Elmira at .297, i think). You need the dedicated, hard-working, gutsy ballplayer who doesn’t look like much but will bust his butt. Not enough of that anymore. GMs are too scared to commit anything to someone like that.
If drinking a lot of beer like Wade means HOF, I’m first ballet!!
Another Preller give away turned good.
Hard to figure out the Reds. Peraza is an awfully good, young player to be discarded. Iglesias has been on fire offensively, maybe he has figured out hitting, or maybe he will revert back to his previous form. No doubt about his defense. At some point Gennett will return to second. Maybe the Reds plan on moving him. They certainly have a logjam looming, and Van Meer just adds to it. All 5 starters have pitched.well enough to stay.in the rotation, so Wood is now slated for the pen, which is odd. The axiom is that issues like these sort.themselves out. Perhaps, but the Reds still sit in last, few fans attend, and pieces don’t seem to fit. Recently released Kemp just adds to the confusion. He didn’t get much of a chance. Does Cincy have a direction?
Peraza will continue to play, and play a lot, but Bell likes to use his whole roster. I wouldn’t worry about Gennett, until it is time to worry about Gennett. VanMeter is at this point a lefty off the bench, who will get similar use as Farmer has. When Wood is healthy he will slot into the Rotation, not the pen. Kemp will not be able to play ball for probably 2 more months, and was never a good fit on this club. He was an add on that the Reds had to take to complete the trade. The Dodgers were all about lowering their Luxury Tax. Since their 1 and 8 start the Reds are 13 and 11. They figure to be around a .500 team by season end at this rate, which is where many people predicted them to finish.
Wood is not slated for the pen! You don’t know baseball!!! Reds wanted Wood as a starter!!!
Kemp was released on Saturday by the Reds
I thought the Reds might bring up another OF but, Josh VanMeter is doing so well in AAA, it makes sense they bring him up now. Even though minor league results don’t always translate into MLB, he could take over 2B for Jose Peraza or act as a SuperSub for Kyle Farmer.
Reed pitched too well, got himself demoted. I hope they pull the plug on Duke soon, and keep Reed up here.
They signed Duke for 2 years
Right, and they owed $14 mil to Kemp, so…
They need to do something to shake Iglesias up as he accounts for 25% of the team loses thus far
Truth.
Lost velocity. Can’t locate the breaking ball. At some point, they’re going to have to face the fact that this isn’t just a slow start.
Iglesias is killing the Reds right now.