Top 10 Red Prospects?

[Scrap Irony]

1. Billy Hamilton, CF
Value takes a bit of a hit in the move to center, but his bat, speed, patience, and high baseball IQ make him the easy pick. Could be an elite talent with a bit of luck.

2. Robert Stephenson, SP
Great arm, great results, great stuff. Finished year at Dayton-- may go right on to Bakersfield next season. TOR arm who should soon be in discussions for top 10-25 prospects in the game.

3. Tony Cingrani, SP
Dominated again, this time in an impossible league to dominate and an upper level league. Then, to finish it off, pitched in the majors almost a year (total) after being drafted. Needs to find consistency with offspeed stuff and log innings. Great spot to do that, though Reds may decide to make him a major league bullpenner for now. (Or for good.)

4. Daniel Corcino, SP
Little Johnny Cueto didn't have quite as good a season as 2011, but acquitted himself well in AA. Young, but questions about max delivery worrisome. So are walks.

5. Jesse Winker, OF
Too young and too inexperienced to be here, but his season was so good. Late season power and early season BB rate presage great things, especially from a guy who was (very) young for the league. Dayton will ultimately tell the tale, but you have to like what you've seen so far.

6. DiDi Gregorius, SS
Looks to be good enough defensively; the question is his bat. He's a low 700 OPS bat in the minors which isn't usually enough, but he's young and doug insists he's got power we haven't seen. Because he's in AAA, I'll give him the nod over younger folks. If a lineup had plenty of other hitting, he'd be fine.

7. Henry Rodriguez, 3B/ 2B
Hit less than Gregorius and plays less defensive position less well. So what gives, you ask? He dealt with a broken hand throughout most of the season, so what power he had was completely negated. Fangraphs raves about his hit tool (and unnamed scout therein quoted). I like his youth and relative success. I also like his sure-handedness. Rodriguez could stand to put some time in the gym-- he's not quite Juan Francisco, but he's carrying an extra 10-25 lbs. of flab. Still, there's a lot to like. Especially at AAA.

8. Chad "Shark-Bite" Rogers, SP
He's been an under the radar guy for a couple minor league seasons now. Nice little fastball. Decent stuff. Might be a back-end starter, and, if all goes perfectly, a MOR guy. More IP than H-- good sign. Only 22.

9. Nick Travieso, SP
Number one draftee this season has a good fastball and mechanics. Like to see that. He's a long, long way away-- that's the reason he's so low.

10. Seth Mejias-Brean, 3B
Hit well in Billings, but he should have. Defense is where he looks like he'll excel as he moves forward. I'm in wait-and-see mode, as the league looks awfully offensive and he's old for it. Let's see what happens next year in Dayton.

[mdccclxix]

Looks good, can't argue much. I would probably put Travieso above Didi there, just because this scouting department is on fire with their pitching selections and there is a lot there to start off with.

It occurs to me now that the Reds haven't produced a good power bat in a while, unless you count Alonso and Grandal. I hope Winker is as special as his early returns are showing.

[lollipopcurve]

Good list. I may prefer Lutz, Langfield and Guillon, maybe even YRod, over the bottom 3 at this point, but I think the top 7 is solid.

[Benihana]

I will do a more detailed update later in the offseason, but for now off the cuff (with projected starting levels):

1. Hamilton CF AA
2. Stephenson RHP AA
3. Cingrani LHP AAA
4. Corcino RHP AAA
5. Winker OF A
6. Gregorius SS AAA
7. Travieso RHP A
8. Lotzkar RHP AA
9. Vidal 3B AA
10. H.Rodriguez 3B AAA
(tie) Y.Rodriguez OF A+

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by mdccclxix

It occurs to me now that the Reds haven't produced a good power bat in a while, unless you count Alonso and Grandal. I hope Winker is as special as his early returns are showing.

Todd Frazier did just put up a .498 SLG in his rookie season.

[cinreds21]

Have to consider that Corcino skipped High-A all together.

[mdccclxix]

Originally Posted by Benihana

Todd Frazier did just put up a .498 SLG in his rookie season.

That's true, I'm hoping for the best from Todd. A repeat of his slash line over the course of 600 at bats next year would be amazing.

[M2]

I'd be tempted to put Winker in front of Corcino, based on the notion that Winker could be an impact bat and Corcino may have a #3 starter ceiling (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Rogers certainly has earned himself consideration through his performance, though is he a legit prospect or just a placeholder under a kid like Ismael Guillon swoops past him? I get the sense the Reds are going to have a number of players attaining higher prospect status next season.

Carlos Contreras might become a fast moving relief prospect. I remain hopeful about Yorman Rodriguez. If he adds a little more power, Juan Silva becomes a tasty prospect. If he hits in Dayton, Mejias-Brean becomes a serious prospect. Gelalich, Langfield and Moscot all could bust out in Dayton next season.

One guy I might stick in a top 10 is Barnhart, based on the notion that he doesn't need a lot of offense to justify playing his glove. I'd probably stay away from Travieso until he delivers better on the field.

[mth123]

Pretty hard to argue with Scrap's list. I might drop H-Rod and Mejias-Brean. H-Rod because of defensive questions and his hitting tanking in AAA. Brean for exactly Scrap's comment. College kids at Billings should hit. If they don't, its a red flag, if they do, it doesn't really separate them from the crowd IMO. I'll stay in "wait and see" mode for now. My list

1. Hamilton (I like Stephenson and Cingrani more, but its hard to argue with so many experts, so Hamilton gets the top spot).
2. Stephenson
3. Cingrani
4. Corcino
5. Winker
6. Didi
7. Rogers
8. Travieso
9. Donald Lutz. Kid has power and some hitting skills. Based on his experience, AA is a pretty high level. The Reds sending him to the AFL seems like a pretty positive sign that they think highly of him.
10. Tucker Barnhart. Seems like sure thing to have a major league career that is more than just a cup of coffee. It may be as a number 2 catcher or a tandem guy like Hanigan, but I'd expect to see his name on big league rosters for several seasons. Its not sexy, but it makes my list until some others put it together (Y-Rod, Amir Garrett, Duran), prove themselves over a full season or two (Mejias-Brean) or remove some serious doubts (H-Rod, Soto, Lotzkar).

[Benihana]

It seems that there is some consensus around the top 6 guys. 7-10 is in the eye of the beholder and pretty much anyone's guess at this point, as no one has really distinguished themselves. I can think of at least 15 guys that you can make an argument belong in the 7-10 spots.

[mace]

Yeah, I'm down the with top six. I suppose my next four, in whatever order, would be Lutz, Barnhart, Rogers and Ismael Guillon, who really impressed at the end of the year. Henry Rodriguez belongs there, too, but I can't decide who to bump.

I'd hold off on Y-Rod until he sustains a little success. Also on the cusp, for me, are Dan Langfield, Drew Cisco, David Vidal, Ryan Wright, Mejias-Brean, and Tanner Rahier, even though he struggled. I'd love to acknowledge Bryson Smith and Steve Selsky, but they seem just a tick off the pace at this point, along with Ryan LaMarre. Amir Garrett would be involved the moment he quits basketball.

[texasdave]

Drew Cisco will pitch in the majors. He is a Top-10 prospect.

[alett12]

Ryan LaMarre?