Bonilla joins Reds' system as free agent

It took a little longer than he had hoped, but Clemente Bonilla is finally going to get a shot at playing professional baseball.

Bonilla, who completed a record-setting career at Southeast Missouri State University this year, has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds organization. He will be assigned to the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League and is scheduled to join the squad Friday.

"This is like a dream come true for me," Bonilla, a second baseman, said.

Bonilla, a four-year starter for Southeast, set school and Ohio Valley Conference records for career and single-season walks. He was the OVC Player of the Year as a junior and the OVC Tournament MVP as a senior this year in helping the Indians earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Despite batting better than .340 in his Southeast career and displaying such a keen eye at the plate, Bonilla was not selected in last month's amateur draft. He realized that his physical stature -- he stands 5-feet-8 and weights 165 pounds -- and his lack of blazing speed were working against him.

"I know I'm not the biggest guy and that's what a lot of people look at," he said. "I was bummed after the draft."

But Bonilla, who returned to his home state of California for the summer, continued to work on his game in the hopes that something would finally come up.

"I had a tryout with the Angels last weekend but nothing came of that. And I was going to have a tryout with the Dodgers in about two weeks," Bonilla said. "But the Reds had scouted me at the OVC Tournament. They called right after the draft and said to be ready, they were going to sign me as a free agent.

"I never heard from them, but apparently there were some injuries and some trades with their Stockton team that left an opening for a middle infielder. Their scout called me this week."

Said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, "This is a wonderful opportunity for Clemente and well deserved. It's hard to believe he didn't get an opportunity right away, but regardless of the time frame, he's got his foot in the door.

"Clemente does so many things fundamentally sound. He has a great eye and he's an outstanding hitter. He hits better against really good pitching. It'll be interesting to see how far he can take it."

All Bonilla has wanted is a chance and he's confident he can do something with it.

"I know I'm not the biggest guy, but I've produced at every level," he said. "Now that I've got the chance, I'm just going to try and go as high as I can."