Written by
John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty was talking about retaining players the other day and how difficult it is. Afterward, he paused a bit and said:
“You’ve got to keep the flowing going.”
He was referring to the figurative waters of the player development system. The gem of that system is Robert Stephenson, a hard-throwing, 21-year-old right-hander who will likely start his season playing at Double-A Pensecola, with a stop at Triple-A Louisville likely on his way up the Reds’ ladder.
The Reds apparently are keeping Homer Bailey long-term. But the club will face the same decision next year with Mat Latos, Mike Leake and Johnny Cueto that it faced this year with Bailey: Do you sign them long-term or allow them to walk as free agents?
It’s hard to imagine the Reds being able to keep all three.
That makes Stephenson one of the most important players in camp. Stephenson is also the youngest player. He’s the club’s No. 1 prospect, thus the guy most likely to replace Latos, Leake or Cueto should they depart.
Stephenson has the whole package: Pitcher’s build (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), 100-mph fastball, good off-speed stuff (his curveball is above major average) and smarts (he had a 4.2 GPA in high school).
“The obvious thing is the physical tools — the arm strength and velocity,” player development director Jeff Graupe said. “But he also has the ability to throw his off-speed stuff for strikes. He doesn’t let guys gear up for the fastball. He’s got a plus curveball. He’s got a very good change-up that he’s really refined.
“Then beyond that, he has the intelligence and poise for such a young guy. He’s really driven and task oriented.”
This is Stephenson’s first big league camp. Manager Bryan Price has been impressed so far.
( Robert worked hard this off season at Gamespeed improving his endurance and learning recovery management)
“I did see him pitch in Instructional League his first year,” Price said. “He was impressive then. He’s certainly taken the game to a new level from the last time I saw him pitch. It’s my first chance I’ve gotten to see him do PFP and see what kind of athlete he is. I have a lot of confidence in the player development staff, and they rave about him and his commitment to craft.”
Stephenson went a combined 7-7 with a 2.99 ERA in stops at Dayton, Bakersfield and Pensacola. He struck out 136 and walked 35 in 114 1/3 innings. He had a streak where he went 5-0 with a 1.96 ERA and struck out 46 in 36 2/3 innings.
“The year Robert put together was a great learning year,” Graupe said. “He was able to figure out some things about himself, while excelling and performing at the level he hoped he would. He really found out what it took to go through the five-day routine and what worked for him.”
Stephenson struggled a bit in the end, as he was 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in four starts for Double-A Pensacola. That stuck with him.
“I was happy with it,” Stephenson said. “Toward the end I was a little disappointed. I started feeling a little bit of fatigue toward end. I started doing some things in the offseason that should help me stay healthy.”
Stephenson throws a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a change-up and curve.
“I think my change-up is the biggest pitch I need to work on still,” he said. “I had gone away from a two-seam fastball a couple of years ago when they told me to work on my four-seam fastball. I want to be able to try to throw that again. It has a little different movement.”
Right now, he’s soaking up his first camp.
“I’m honored to be here,” Stephenson said. “It’s just exciting for me. I don’t have any high expectations of making the team out of camp. It’s definitely a great experience to be here with the players and coaches.
“From what they’ve told me, they don’t want me to try to do too much. Obviously, I’m trying to stay healthy throughout the year.”
