Five 2009 Louisville Bats added to Reds' 40-man roster

November 23, 8:46 PMLouisville Bats ExaminerJason Stella

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Chris Valaika is now a member of the Reds' 40-man roster.
Louisville Bats' website

Five players who finished the 2009 season on the Louisville Bats' division winning team were added to the Cincinnati Reds' 40-man roster this past week. Being added to the 40-man roster shows the organization's belief that these are bonafide prospects, some of which may be making appearances with the Reds in 2010. Among the new faces on the official Reds' roster are outfielder Chris Heisey, shortstop Chris Valaika, starting pitcher Travis Wood, as well as relief pitchers Logan Ondrusek and Enerio Del Rosario.

Adding younger players to the 40-man roster is a common move this time of year, as the Rule 5 draft is approaching, and unprotected minor-leaguers can be stolen away from their parent club for a mere 50 grand.

Heisey's stock has continued rise thanks to him recently wrapping up a solid season in the Arizona Fall League. At 24 years old, Heisey has continued to improve since being selected out of Messiah College, a division III school in Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was lighting up the mere mortals in double-A, and received his first call-up to Louisville on June 27th. The right-hander responded by hitting .278 in his time with the Bats, while also setting career-highs on the year in most offensive categories. I also had the opportunity to do a dugout interview with Heisey this past season.

Valaika was a third-round pick in 2006, and has been regarded as a legit prospect since he started in the Reds' system. Up until 2009, he had hovered around a .300 average at the plate, but he struggled a bit this year in Louisville, hitting just .235 with six homers and 36 driven home in 95 games. Also known for having a solid glove, the 24-year-old righty missed some time this past season with a broken hand after doing his best Mike Tyson impression on a dugout Gatorade cooler.

Southpaw Travis Wood made his triple-A debut on July 25th after being virtually unhittable in double-A with the Carolina Mudcats (1.21 ERA). Despite not playing in the Southern League the last month of the season, Wood was named the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher. After his callup, Wood was a key cog in the Bats' stretch run to a division title, going 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA in eight starts. Wood's changeup is allegedly one of the nastier pitches in the Reds' system.

Ondrusek and Del Rosario also came to Louisville in late July and helped solidify the Bats' bullpen. Both of the 24-year-old's season's followed similar paths, as they started the season at high-A ball and climbed to the ladder thanks to some sick numbers. Ondrusek's ERA was a microscopic 0.96 at single-A before it ballooned all the way to 1.65 during his time in Carolina. After his July 26th promotion to Louisville, Ondrusek shined as the team's closer, notching 12 saves and a 1.74ERA. The six-foot-seven leviathan walked just two batters in over 20 innings.

Del Rosario spent most of the year at single-A, posting a 1.98 ERA. After a brief stint in Carolina, he made his first appearance as a Bat on July 31st and was phenomenal in 15 appearances, posting a 1.09 ERA in 24-plus innings with four saves. Del Rosario is working his stuff in the Dominican Winter League this year, and has been playing well as a member of the Gigantes del Cibao.

How do these baseball roster moves work?