Player Report. 1.1 --- Bill Bray / Billy Bray

I am honored to present you the very first player report on the Sixth Sense.

But I am even more honored to say that Bill Bray was my brother's work out partner at William and Mary! In fact, I chose my number, 45 last year, (see it here), to honor and follow Bill Bray's path--hopefully to the Major Leagues.



But enough of that and now onto Bill Bray. Originally signed by the Expos, Bill Bray came into baseball in 2006 after playing a little in the Minors. Bill was then traded, along with fellow William and Mary-ian Brendan Harris, who is now with the Twins, to the Cincinnati Reds.

The 24 year-old southpaw, although last year went 3-3 with a 6.28 ERA, has shown many signs of improvement and maturity and by looking at his past we can see that he had the potential to be the Reds primary setup man. If we look at his stats earlier, he was much more efficient and his career E.R.A is a low 4.57. Considering he gets paid practically the minimum salary, Bray is a huge steal. Why? He's a southpaw and he just doesn't walk people. That means less possible runs due to effective pitching. Last year he walked only around one player every three innings. If the Reds get some decent starters to help him out he will be incredibly effective. Plus, Cincinnati is definitely not a pitcher's park so he has to deal with the troubles of the long ball as well.

Now, the question remains, do I pick him? Considering he's only 24 and the fact that most leagues only include 24 players on each team, I say no-sign him as a free agent. He's coming off an injury from last year and he's going to need to get some good rest and preparation for 2008. Now, if the Reds acquire another good starter, I say make him a sleeper but until then wait a little.

-Felix