Fine Fall For Reds' Travieso — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

CINCINNATI—Everyone knows the Arizona Fall League features many of the game’s top talents, but something that is often overlooked is that it also features some of the best young umpires, many with major league experience.

For some of the younger players—especially pitchers—in the AFL, it’s their first taste of a big league strike zone. It was for Reds righthander Nick Travieso, and among the many things that impressed Derrin Ebert, the Reds’ pitching coach for their Rookie-level Arizona League team and Travieso’s Peoria team in the AFL.

“The strike zone is different than what they see normally in the Florida State League,” Ebert said. “It’s one thing that’s overlooked, it’s one thing I was impressed with the tighter strike zone. Travy is an aggressive guy, he’s not going to pick corners. He’s going to attack you and if you beat him, you’re going to beat him with his best stuff.”

In his 22 innings in the AFL, he had 20 strikeouts and just three walks. Travieso made four starts and five appearances in the AFL, going 1-0, 2.05, continuing the strong season he had at high Class A Daytona, where he was 6-6, 2.70 in 19 starts.

While he’s been overshadowed at points by fellow first-rounder Robert Stephenson and the high-rising Amir Garrett on Reds prospects list, many in the organization are just as high on Travieso.

“The way he goes about it, the way he goes about his daily work, he shows that he’s much more mature than what his age shows,” Ebert said. ”

Much of that increased maturity, Travieso said, was from his time off in 2015. Travieso missed nearly two months with Daytona with a broken bone in his right wrist after getting hit with a comebacker.

“This year was a big step for me, I wish I hadn’t gotten hurt, but at least I showed a lot,” Travieso said.

RED HOTS

• After two years as a consultant, pitching coach Tom Brown will return full-time to coaching, serving as the pitching coach at High-A Daytona.

• Third baseman Eric Jagielo, acquired in the Aroldis Chapman trade, won’t be the immediate successor to Todd Frazier at third base, but he could find himself there in a platoon spot. Walt Jocketty, president of baseball operations, said he could also play some first base.