2019-2020: Who is the Reds #18 Prospect???

RHSP Vladimir Gutierrez has taken the #17 slot.

Please, discuss why you are voting for who you are voting for.....this is a slow time of the year so it's more than welcomed.

I've added SP'er Tejay Antone to the poll.

(RHSP) Tejay Antone - The Reds 5th round draft selection in 2014 ($0.31M bonus - (SO) Weatherford College (TX)). Antone posted a combined 11W-12L record with a 4.00 ERA over 27 GS as a 25 year old at the AA & AAA levels in 2019. Antone was a 22nd round pick by the Mets in 2012, he declined their best offer to attend TCU, after being told by TCU that they viewed him as a reliever at the end of his freshman year he transferred to Weatherford JUCO and started his sophomore season, the Reds then bought out his junior year commitment to Auburn. He missed the entire 2017 season and a third of 2018 recovering from TJS. The Reds protected him from the most recent Rule 5 draft by adding him to their 40 man roster. He doesn't sport high velocity pitches - is more pitch to contact, but he does have good downward movement which induces groundballs at a plus rate. His future is likely that of a 6th/7th inning reliever but he'll likely continue to be rotation depth in AAA this season.

^If you are voting other, please make sure to tell me who the other vote is for in the comment section.


***THIS IS A 72 HOUR POLL***

(2B) Jose Acosta - The Reds signed Acosta as an International Free Agent in July 2017 ($unk bonus - INT (Dominican Republic)). This past season as a 19 year old, the switch hitting Acosta slashed .395 - .481 - .579 in 43 DSL games and an additional 10 AZL games. That stat line is a complete reversal of his 2018 DSL output: .199 - .321 - .284. He's yet to face true American pitching as most of the players in the AZL are now International signees brought stateside and defensively speaking he's put up some ugly numbers at thirdbase. It appears the Reds are going to try him at secondbase fulltime next season, which might fit best with his tweener physique.

(OF) Mariel Bautista - The Reds signed Mariel as an International Free Agent in November 2014 ($unk bonus - INT (Dominican Republic)). As a 21 year old Bautista hit .233 - .303 - .332 in 103 A games during the 2019 season. The best way to describe Bautista is "Siri-lite". What I mean by that is he is an average to plus runner but a notch below Siri and is an average to plus defender but not too the level of Siri. He needs to develop more power, and he has the body to do just that. He has a better eye than Siri, so that's a plus in his direction. He probably could stay at CF for a couple of more years at least but with the CF depth the Reds have he's likely getting moved to a corner position full-time in 2020.

(RHRP) Connor Bennett - The Reds 34th round draft selection in 2015 ($0.25M bonus - HS (GA)). Bennett finished the 2019 season with a 3W-6L-13SV record and a 2.21 ERA in 57 combined IP as a 22 year old at the A/A+ levels. The Reds drafted Bennett as an undersized two way player out of a Georgia HS, they paid him to forego his WVU commitment; at the time he was pitching in the mid 80's and was releasing quite high. After working on his stance he now has a lower release point and sits in the lower 90's.

(RHRP) Michael Byrne - The Reds 14th round draft selection in 2018 ($0.26M bonus - (JR) University of Florida (FL)). Byrne played the entire 2019 season at the A+ level, putting up a 7W-3L record and a 4.27 ERA in 65 IP as a 22 year old. Those numbers are somewhat deceiving as the Reds tried early on to convert him into a starter which failed - 7.56 ERA in 6 GS and he finished with a 2.23 ERA in 31 relief appearances (there was some concern mid-season that his fastball wasn't fooling righthanded hitters). The former Gators closer sports a low 90's fastball and a developing curveball. He'll likely start the year in the AA bullpen and projects as a 7th/8th inning reliever in the bigs.

(RHRP) Ryan Hendrix - The Reds 5th round draft selection in 2016 ($0.41M bonus - (JR) Texas A&M University (TX)). Hendrix missed half of the 2019 season battling a right elbow strain but finished his age 24 season healthy at the AA level; 3W-0L-2SV and a 2.33 ERA in 19 IP. Ryan sports a 96 mph fastball and plus curveball combination but like most fireballers he suffers from breakdown's in his command from time to time. He's recently been added to the Reds 40 man roster.

(2B/SS) Ivan Johnson - The Reds 4th round draft selection in 2019 ($0.40M bonus - (SO) Chipola College (GA)). This past season as a 20 year old the switch hitter slashed .255 - .327 - .415 in 46 RK games. (In addition he hit .381 - .491 - .587 in 57 JUCO games.) Defensively he started at 33 games at shortstop and an additional 11 games at 2B in RK ball. Johnson is a quick runner with good reflexes on the basepaths, and has sound glovework but he may not have the range to stick at SS in the future.
---The 3 players drafted ahead of him by the Reds in 2019 are now in our top 11, mlbpipeline had Ivan listed 133rd on the top 2019 draft prospect list last June. As a sophomore at his suburban Atlanta highschool fellow Reds farmhand Tyler Stephenson was a senior.

(RHSP) Miguel Medrano - The Rangers signed Miguel as an International Free Agent in June 2016 ($unk bonus - INT (Dominican Republic)). As a 21 year old Medrano posted a 3W-4L record and a 3.13 ERA in 60 IP at the RK level in 2019 (which was a demotion of sorts since he spent 2018 in RK - short season ball). The Reds grabbed him from the Rangers in an International Bonus Pool Slot trade two years ago with the hopes that he would develop into a big league starter, that's still possible but unless his secondary offerings improve quickly he profiles better out of a pen.

(SS) Braylin Minier - The Reds signed Braylin as an International Free Agent in July 2019 ($1.80M bonus - INT (Dominican Republic)). The 16 year old will play his first professional season in 2020 in the DSL.

(LHSP) Packy Naughton - The Reds 9th round draft selection in 2017 ($0.14M bonus - (JR) Virginia Tech University (MA)). Naughton finished the 2019 season with an 11W-12L record and a 3.32 ERA in 157 combined IP at the A+/AA levels as a 23 year old. Packy's command has improved greatly since being drafted, he has an unorthodox delivery and sports average pitches across the board. He has back of the rotation upside if all works out.

(OF) Mark Payton - The Yankees 7th round draft selection in 2014 ($0.04M bonus - (SR) University of Texas (IL)). Payton hit .334 - .400 - .653 in 118 AAA games in 2019 as a 27 year old, good enough to grab the Reds attention in the most recently completed Rule 5 draft. He's likely to be returned to the Athletics prior to opening day, he'll probably need at least one if not two other outfielders on the 40 man roster to come up lame in spring training. That being said, if he continues to hit like he did in 2019 he could have a big league career ahead of him.

(SS) Alfredo Rodriguez - The Reds signed Alfredo as an International Free Agent in July 2016 ($7.00M bonus & a $2.00M overage fee - INT (Cuba)). The 25 year old grades out as an average to plus up-the-middle defender. Rodriguez hit .267 - .314 - .327 in 127 games combined at the AA/AAA levels in 2019. If the Reds don't acquire another SS between now and opening day there is at least a chance of seeing him in Cincinnati this season, that chance goes up if Galvis were to go down with injury.

(RHSP) Mac Sceroler - The Reds 5th round draft selection in 2017 ($0.30M bonus - (RS-JR) Southeastern Louisiana University (TX)). After battling through a myriad of injuries in 2018 Sceroler pitched to a 5W-4L record and a 3.69 ERA in 117 IP at the A+ level in 2019 as a 24 year old. The big righty sports a mid 90's fastball and fringy secondary offerings, he has backend rotation potential but will be relegated to a pen soon if he doesn't develop a stronger changeup. He'll start the 2020 season in the AA rotation.

(OF) Andy Sugilio - The Reds signed Andy as an International Free Agent in October 2013 ($unk bonus - INT (Dominican Republic)). As a 22 year old Sugilio hit .294 - .331 - .360 in 118 A+ games during the 2019 season. Sugilio is a plus runner (though he makes too many mistakes on the basepaths) and has a plus arm. He has a sort-of-slap approach at the plate which limits his power. He likely profiles as a 4th outfielder at the big league level. He's set to start the season in AA as their starting RF'er.

(1B/3B) Rylan Thomas - The Reds 26th round draft selection in 2018 ($0.29M bonus - (RS-SO) University of Central Florida (FL)). The 22 year old corner infielder played in only 7 games last season due to injury. Thomas sports ++ power and a + arm (strong enough that there was some talk of moving him behind the plate at draft-time). He'll likely start in Dayton this season.

Ryan Hendrix. Seems like he has late inning stuff. It was between Antone, Hendrix and Naughton. Not really impressed by any of the position players left on the board.

Still rolling with Ivan Johnson, not sure who will be next for me. Probably Naughton, Minier, and Hendrix in that order.

I'm super late to this, but Fidel Castro gets my vote.

I still like Packy here, but submitted this time to the temptation of Mark Payton. I know that last year was an outlier and it was the PCL and he's 27 and he will likely get returned. But those numbers . . . (Also, a story I saw about him changing his approach.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TRF

I'm super late to this, but Fidel Castro gets my vote.

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He is also late.

Can you please add Noah Davis to the list?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RedsfaninMT

Can you please add Noah Davis to the list?

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Vote other and he'll be added.