“Ocho Uno” is En Route to Louisville

Another sign that the baseball season is right around the corner…teams are starting to reduce their roster size.

Today, the Cincinnati Reds pared their roster to 48, sending Hall of Very Good favorite Jon Adkins to their Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.

“I grew up in Wayne, West Virginia where everyone is a Reds fan, including myself,” Adkins told The Hall exclusively after signing a Minor League deal with the Reds back in December. “Louisville is four hours from Wayne (and) is a great place to spend your spring and summer.”

Also en route to Possibility City, Adkins’ spring training number with the parent club…81.

“We have the 81 jersey, we also have an ‘Ocho Uno’ name plate,” Bats Vice President/General Manager Dale Owens said, referring to Adkins’ Chad Johnsonlike desire to be addressed by his number. “I also have an Adkins name plate. I am going to let Jon decide when he gets here. I’m not even sure if it’s legal…but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

This spring, the righty appeared in four games, allowing seven runs in 5.2 innings. Last season with the Lotte Giants, Adkins was 3-5 with a 3.70 ERA and a Korean Baseball Organization leading 26 saves.

Over his Major League career, he has compiled a 5-5 record and a 4.54 ERA in 119 appearances. For most of 2008, he served as the closer for the Louisville Bats, Cincinnati’s Triple-A club, saved 30 games and was the Bats co-MVP.