CLEVELAND — Reds prospect Taylor Trammell made his case for a replay.
The outfielder tried to steal home with two outs in the fourth inning of the MLB Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday. It looked to many like he beat Kris Bubic's throw to Jake Rogers at the plate, but he was called out. Trammell, popped up, clapped his hands and smiled. He also pleaded his case, but no instant replay was available for the game.
"I know I was safe," Trammell said. "I thought I got my hand in there."
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Trammell, a first-round pick in 2016, put the first run on the board with an RBI single over the glove of Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco earlier in the inning. That was a clutch hit in a game dominated by pitching. Trammel would make the unsuccessful dash for home later in the inning, and that later proved to be the difference in a 2-2 tie with the American League.
On the steal attempt, Trammell said he checked with NL team manager Omar Vizquel first before taking off for home, and he said the crowd noise helped make that decision for him.
“I got a good jump, got my hand in there," Trammell said. "It just stinks when you look and time is moving so slow and he goes (out). You know for sure that got in there.”
Despite the call, Trammell brought excitement to the game. He figures to eventually bring some of that to a Reds organization that took a 41-45 record into the All-Star break but looks to be an improved team on the upswing. Trammell said he's noticed the big club's success.
"I know changes that have been made with the coaching staffs and everything like that, you see it," Trammell told Sporting News during pregame availability. "Our mindset is win. We want to win as an organization. We're making changes. We're getting guys and making the pursuit to win.
"I think everybody's goal in that clubhouse, in our clubhouse, in Triple-A is to have that whatever year trophy it is and win that World Series."
Trammell is hitting .253 with five homers and 30 RBIs at Double-A Chattanooga at the break, but it's that next-level speed that could be an asset for the Reds down the line. He has 106 steals in three-plus seasons in the minors, and that includes 16 steals in 19 attempts in 2019.
Trammell, a Powder Springs, Ga., native, said he models his game on and off the field after Dexter Fowler, an Atlanta native who is hitting .258 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs for the Cardinals. Fowler finished with 27 stolen bases in his first full season in 2009. Trammell sees a similar opportunity for himself.
"I get to be a guy who some kids might look up to me," he said. "They can see somebody from Powder Springs, Ga., or Kennesaw, Ga., and playing at this stage. It's honoring and humbling because I was at that point at one time."
Trammell said he will take that approach into the second half of the season, where he will look to make improvements in the Southern League as he looks to take the next step up in the minors.
"The rest of the season I’m just hoping to calm myself down," he said. "I know myself as a hitter. I'm a good hitter. I just need to calm down, not think about it and go out and play. People say that all the time, but going out there and doing it is a different story."
