I’m really pretty surprised by this:
Left-hander Tony Cingrani will be called up from Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday.
Cingrani, 23, was the club’s third-round pick in the 2011 draft. Cingrani went a combined 10-4 with a 1.73 ERA at Single-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. He struck out 172 and walked 52 in 146 innings. He limited hitters to .191 average.
I really never guessed that the Reds would actually call up Cingrani, but I think it’s a great idea. This will give Cingrani a chance to face major league hitters — out of the bullpen mainly, but don’t be surprised to see him get a spot start after the Reds clinch — and get his feet wet. More importantly (to me), it will give us a chance to get our eyes on this guy and see what all the fuss is about.
Best case scenario is that Cingrani makes a surprise push for the 2013 Reds rotation. More likely, he’ll get a little experience this year and the Reds will be more comfortable with him as a starter later in the year (next year) when they need one.
Kudos to GM Walt Jocketty; as Keith Law noted, this is out-of-the-box thinking, but there’s very little downside.