The 2021 mace Minor League Player of the Day Thread

[Reds Freak]

Games of September 1

macePOD: Quin Cotton, Dragon: 5-7, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SB. The 23-year-old outfielder played well in both ends of Dayton's doubleheader. His 22nd stolen base of the year puts him in the top 10 in the Midwest League, joining a pair of other Dragon teammates (Hurtubise, Siani).

Others of note:

Jose Barrero, Bat: 2-4, RBI

Michael DeLeon, Bat: 2-3

Hunter Greene, Bat: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Brad Brach/Carson Fulmer/Philip Diehl/Dauri Moreta, Bats: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

TJ Hopkins, Lookout: 1-2, 2B, RBI, R, BB

Graham Ashcraft, Lookout: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Daniel Duarte, Lookout: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Victor Ruiz, Dragon: 3-6, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R

Alex McGarry, Dragon: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R

Matt McLain, Dragon: 3-6, 2B, 2 BB, 3 SB

James Proctor, Dragon: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, SB

Leonardo Seminati, Tortuga: 2-3, RBI, BB, SB

Daniel Vellojin, Tortuga: 2-3, RBI, R, 2 BB, SB

Thomas Farr, Tortuga: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K. Great Daytona debut for the 2021 fifth-rounder out of South Carolina.

Manuel Cachutt, Tortuga: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

[DocRed]

Games of September 1

macePOD: Quin Cotton, Dragon: 5-7, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SB. The 23-year-old outfielder played well in both ends of Dayton's doubleheader. His 22nd stolen base of the year puts him in the top 10 in the Midwest League, joining a pair of other Dragon teammates (Hurtubise, Siani).

Worth mentioning that Cotton has shown a burst of speed this year that he hadn't shown before. 22 SB on 29 attempts.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Worth mentioning that Cotton has shown a burst of speed this year that he hadn't shown before. 22 SB on 29 attempts.

Part of that are the rules put in place to emphasize the running game in A Ball, I suspect.

[Reds Freak]

Games of September 2:

macePOD: Matt McLain, Dayton: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI. After a relatively quiet few weeks after his monster Dragon debut, McLain has had success again this week with six hits in 10 ABs with a pair of doubles.

Others of note:

Jose Barrero, Louisville: 1-5, HR, RBI, R

Brantley Bell, Louisville: 2-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, SB

Mike Freeman, Louisville: 2-6, HR, RBI, R

Reiver Sanmartin, Louisville: 5 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Art Warren, Louisville: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K

Brandon Finnegan, Louisville: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Lorenzo Cedrola, Chattanooga: 2-4, HR, RBI, R

Wilson Garcia, Chattanooga: 3-4

Brian Rey, 2-4, R

Jacob Hurtubise, Dayton: 2-3, R

Christian Roa, Dayton: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 5 BB, 5 K

[Bourgeois Zee]

Games of 9/3/2021:

Over the last few days, Reds' minor league teams have seen quite a few excellent pitching performances. Perhaps none of them has been as good as High A Dayton SP Bryce Bonnin's game last night. Bonnin worked around 5(!) errors, giving up 2 unearned runs in 4.1 innings. He gave up only a single solitary base knocks and two walks, while striking out 9. For this, Bonnin is named the Mace Minor League Player of the Day. Bonnin's season has been short (still only 10 starts and 43 IP), but he's put up some seriously great numbers in those innings. How does a 2.09 ERA grab you? (By the throat, I'm guessing.) 22 hits in those 43 IP? 13.2 K/9 v. 3.3 BB/9? A .884 WHiP? If you're scoring at home, the K/9 would top the High-A Central League if he had enough innings. So would the H/9. The WHiP would rank 2nd. The ERA would rank 5th (just ahead of another Red stalwart, Graham Ashcraft).

At this point, the only thing keeping Bonnin from top 100 consideration, to me, is innings. He's 22 and more than a year younger than his current competition in High A. If he continues to dominate in this manner, I suspect he'll begin next season in AA. That'd give the Reds Greene and Lodolo on the cusp of the major leagues (if not in rotations), the aforementioned Ashcraft in AAA, and Bonnin in AA. Other AA SP next season should include Carson Spiers, Eduardo Salazar, Christian Roa, and Noah Davis-- prospects all.)

That's some quality drafting and developing by the Red braintrust over the past couple of seasons.

High Honorable Mention Leo Seminati: 1-5, 2 BB, 3B, 2 R, 3 SB
Over a pair of games, Seminati was the big bat for the Daytona Tortugas. The three SB are particularly shocking, as he only had three on the season (and four in his career). There's no wonder he was rabbiting. Between games, Seminati got married. Kudos to the Seminati's-- and well done, Leo, on your high honorable mention Mace Award!

Others on a night when wedding bells rang out at the ballpark:

Miguel Medrano, Daytona SP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BBs, 4 Ks
Bonnin's wasn't the only good pitching night. There are a couple others among starters. Medrano, 2019's Pioneer League ERA champ (the last one that league might ever have?), did some good things too. Medrano was pushed early to High A but needed to come back to low A. He's shown out in his time in Florida. The 5.1 BB/9 is concerning, to say the least. I suspect he's trying to find a way to add stuff. If he can do what he did last night more often, he's a keeper.

Alfredo Rodriguez: 2-4, R
Nothing phenomenal from Louisville, as per typical. AlfRod continues to get a couple hits every other game or so. As a result, his BA is solid, but there's no pop there. If he were as good defensively as his reputation when signed, that might be enough. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case.

Quincy McAfee: 2-3, BB, SB, RBI
McAfee's a fascinating case to me. He's a 26th round guy, so he's not got a lot of pedigree. He has no pop and little prospect interest beyond a walk/ HBP-driven OBP and a solid utility glove. Yet, he sticks around. The Reds pushed him aggressively to AA where he's a year and a half below the average age, and he's hit better there than in the lower leagues. I don't know how much rope he'll get in 2022, as both Torres and McLain are starting-caliber SS and Brian Rey and Francisco Urbaez are interesting 2B options. Maybe as a multi-position backup, he carves out a role on a minor league squad. But that doesn't seem all that conducive to making it to the show, does it? Perhaps he's setting himself up as a possible coach? Maybe the dream just dies exceedingly hard and slow. Regardless, nice game.

Ricky Salinas: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 ER
In years' past, Salinas might have gotten some low-end top 30 mention as a BOR starting pitching candidate for his 10.6 K/9 and innings-eating capabilities. Those days seem to be behind us, at this point. He's 25 and in AA, so it's likely Salinas moves onto AAA next year. If so, he'll need to limit those hits and those HR. Perhaps a move to the bullpen would be a solid idea?

Jacob Hurtubise: 2-4, RBI
Hurtubise's held his own pretty much all season. His OBP is an outstanding .396. Love the 47 BBs. I can deal with the 68 Ks. But he's got to find some thunder in that bat if he wants to be anything other than an afterthought. I think everybody would characterize his first season as successful, especially as an NDFA. 35 SB against 7 CS is also an exceptional sign. Right now, I'd consider him a step above McAfee and a possible fifth OF candidate if only for his speed and his glove. On a completely separate note, I do wonder whether guys like Hutubise might have outsized value in 26- or 27-player rosters. He fills a niche. I'd love to see how impactful that niche might be.

Jonathan Willems: 2-3, R, SB
Even Jonathan Willems barely remembers 2019, when he hit the emptiest .300 I've ever seen. A .300 BA shouldn't come with a .731 OPS. It seems wrong somehow-- like it just doesn't fit. Like Maury Wills as an MVP candidate bad. Hopefully, he learns to take a walk and perhaps he can find some power as well. His last full season, Willems also struggled with the leather, so he'll have to fix that. Still, nice game.

Danny Lantigua: 2-3, 2B
Lantigua's a little old for Daytona, but he's acquitted himself as a perfectly cromulent alternative as a minor leaguer. He Ks way too much-- an even 100 in 216 ABs means he'll have to halve his rate before being any kind of interesting. His BB rate is too low-- he'll have to bump that up at least a couple percentage points. His .412 slugging is okay. Perhaps Lantigua gets some PT now with Hendrick on the shelf. Perhaps he finds some pop. Or patience. At this point, he's the Quincy McAfee of the Daytona OF.

[Tom Servo]

Games of Saturday, September 4

Jose Torres, Daytona: 4-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 2 stolen bases. The Reds 2021 3rd rounder isn't expected to be much of a hitter based on his largely glove first profile, but don't tell that to Low-A Southeast pitchers. He's hitting a solid .300 /.345/.480 against them so far.

Honorable mention: James Marinan, Daytona: 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 1 run. Walks have plauged the young right-hander in his minor league career, but he's managed to significantly cut down on them in his last few starts. If he can keep up strikeout numbers like this then we'd be cooking.

In other action with Dayton rained out:


TJ Friedl, Louisville: 2-5, stolen base

Jose Barrero, Louisville: 1-3, HR, BB, RBI, stolen base. Barrero's first inning HR came off of Brewers 2019 first rounder Ethan Small, who is no pushover.

Narciso Crook, Louisville: 1-3, HR, BB, RBI


Robbie Tenerowicz, Chattanooga: 1-3, HR, RBI

Leonardo Rivas, Chattanooga: 2-5, 3 RBI

[Danny Serafini]

I'm not going to have a chance to do the full write up today, but the macePOD for Sunday, September 5 goes to Drew Mount, who went 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI for Chattanooga. Full write up to come tomorrow.

[Danny Serafini]

Games of Sunday, September 5:

Drew Mount gets the day's macePOD for his 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI effort for Chattanooga. His solo homer in the 8th inning gave the Lookouts a much-needed insurance run as they hung on to beat Birmingham 3-2.

We're going to go hog wild on honorable mentions today and give them to Carson Fulmer, Art Warren, Brandon Finnegan, Nick Howard, Diomar Lopez, Zach Lee, Cionel Perez and Phillip Diehl. It was another true bullpen day in Louisville, with Fulmer getting the start and going two innings, with the rest following for an inning apiece. They shut out Nashville, holding them to just 4 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts in the Bats 3-0 win.

Best of the Rest:

TJ Friedl, Louisville: 1-4, HR, R, RBI

Alfredo Rodriguez, Louisville: 2-3, RBI

Jan Hernandez, Louisville: 1-3, 2B, RBI

Narciso Crook, Louisville: 1-3, 2B, R

Nick Howard, Louisville: Bonus mention! In addition to pitching he also went 1-1, 2B at the plate, leaving him sporting a solid 3.000 OPS for the season

Wilson Garcia, Chattanooga: 3-4

Chuckie Robinson, Chattanooga: 2-2, BB, 2B, R

Dylan Baker, Chattanooga: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Eddy Demurias, Chattanooga: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Jacob Hurtubise, Dayton: 2-5, BB, R

Ivan Johnson, Dayton: 1-3 (it was the team's only hit in game 2 of the doubleheader)

Carson Spiers, Dayton: 5 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Stevie Branche, Dayton: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Andy Fisher, Dayton: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Debby Santana, Daytona: 1-2, 2B, RBI

Ashton Creal, Daytona: 1-1, 2B, R

Brandon Leyton, Daytona: 1-4, 3B, RBI

[Danny Serafini]

Very little to talk about standings-wise as we roll into the season's final month. All of this week's winners were relatively far down the list, with Bryce Bonnin's 3rd macePOD making him the highest mover of the week.

5-3: Graham Ashcraft, Allan Cerda, Hunter Greene
5-2: Jose Barrero
4-1: Francisco Urbaez
4-0: Lorenzo Cedrola
3-3: Alejo Lopez
3-2: Austin Hendrick
3-1: Bryce Bonnin, Reiver Sanmartin, Bo Takahashi
3-0: Nick Lodolo, Brian Rey
2-3: Elly De La Cruz, Carson Spiers
2-2: Noah Davis, Rece Hinds, Victor Ruiz, Robbie Tenerowicz
2-1: Wilson Garcia, TJ Hopkins, Jacob Hurtubise
2-0: Quin Cotton, Narciso Crook, TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Max Schrock
1-2: Tyler Callihan, James Free, Danny Lantigua, James Marinan, Riley O'Brien
1-1: Mike Freeman, Wendell Marrero, Quincy McAfee, James Proctor, Lyon Richardson, Leonardo Seminati, Michael Siani, Gus Steiger, Michel Triana, Yoel Yanqui
1-0: Mariel Bautista, Connor Curlis, Nicky Delmonico, Juan Martinez, Dauri Moreta, Logan Morrison, Drew Mount, Josh Osich, Leonardo Rivas, Christian Roa, Chuckie Robinson, Braxton Roxby, Eduardo Salazar, Tony Santillan, Jose Torres, Case Williams
0-3: Alex McGarry, Daniel Vellojin
0-2: Stevie Branche, Michael De Leon, Michael Mariot, Jason Parker, Ricky Salinas, Vincent Timpanelli
0-1: RJ Alaniz, Brantley Bell, Michael Byrne, Fidel Castro, Phillip Diehl, Blake Dunn, Brandon Finnegan, Carson Fulmer, Vladimir Gutierrez, Nick Hanson, Nick Howard, Ivan Johnson, Ricky Karcher, Mark Kolozsvary, Evan Kravetz, Zach Lee, Diomar Lopez, Cionel Perez, Matt Pidich,
Debby Santana, Jay Schuyler, Art Warren

[Reds Freak]

Games of Tuesday, September 7

This Colombian catcher has made a solid impression in his first season at Daytona and collects his first macePOD of the year. Daniel Vellojin, Daytona: 3-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R. He's 6-12 in the month of September with five walks. The 21-year-old sports a line of .250/.408/.409 on the season.

Honorable Mention:

Leonardo Rivas, Chattanooga: 5-6, 3 RBI, R. Normally a five-hit day would garner a macePOD, but I went with the power numbers as all of Rivas' hits were singles.

Others of note on a 14-run night for the Lookouts:

TJ Friedl, Louisville: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, R

Lorenzo Cedrola, Chattanooga: 2-3, RBI, 3 R, HBP

Wilson Garcia, Chattanooga: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, R. #16 on the year.

Drew Mount, Chattanooga: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R. #10 on the season.

Miguel Hernandez, Chattanooga: 2-5, 2B, 2 R

Chuckie Robinson, Chattanooga: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

Randy Wynne, Chattanooga: 6 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Spencer Stockton, Dayton: 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Jake Gilbert, Dayton: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Anthony Zimmerman, Daytona: 3 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 5 K

[Reds Freak]

Games of Wednesday, September 8

Earning his second macePOD in the last week is 2018 16th-rounder out of Kansas State Drew Mount, Lookout: 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R. .303/.383/.553 on the season.

Honorable Mention:

Reiver Sanmartin, Bat: 6 IP, H, R, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Christian Roa, Dragon: 7 IP, 5 H, R, ER, BB, 7 K. Been a bit of a struggle of late, but nice start last night.

Others of note:

TJ Friedl, Bat: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R

Alejo Lopez, Bat: 2-5, R

Mike Freeman, Bat: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

Narciso Crook, Bat: 3-4, HR, RBI, R

Alfredo Rodriguez, Bat: 2-3, 2 BB, R

Dauri Moreta, Bat: IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Dauri Moreta does what Dauri Moreta does.

Lorenzo Cedrola, Lookout: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Wilson Garcia, Lookout: 2-4, BB, R

Brian Rey, Lookout: 2-5, 2 RBI

Chuckie Robinson, Lookout: 3-4, R

Francisco Urbaez, Lookout: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R. One of his first appearances here since joining Chattanooga.

Graham Ashcraft, Lookout: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB< 6 K

James Free, Dragon: 2-4, HR, RBI, R

Daniel Vellojin, Tortuga: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Rece Hinds, Tortuga: 1-5, HR, RBI, R

Ashton Creal, Tortuga: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB

Thomas Farr, Tortuga: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. Unscored upon in his first seven professional innings for this year's fifth-rounder.

[Reds Freak]

Games of Thursday, September 9

macePOD: Ivan Johnson, Dayton: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, BB, R. His numbers between both A levels have been remarkably similar this year. He's at .278/.366/.472 in a Dragon uniform. Played SS last night with McLain as the DH.

Others of note:

TJ Friedl, Louisville: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R

Alejo Lopez, Louisville: 2-3, R

Narciso Crook, Louisville: 1-3, GS HR, 5 RBI, R

Alfredo Rodriguez, Louisville: 3-4, 2B

Riley O'Brien, Louisville: 5 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Dauri Moreta, Louisville: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K. Dauri Moreta does what Dauri Moreta does.

Lorenzo Cedrola, Chattanooga: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB

Wilson Garcia, Chattanooga: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R. Average up to .299.

Miguel Hernandez, Chattanooga: 2-4

Matt Lloyd, Chattanooga: 1-4, HR, RBI, R

Ricky Salinas, Chattanooga: 4 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Alexis Diaz, Chattanooga: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Michael Byrne, Chattanooga: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Jacob Hurtubise, Dayton: 2-4, BB, 2 R

Matt McLain, Dayton: 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R

Allan Cerda, Dayton: 1-5, HR, RBI, R

Reyney Reyes, Dayton: 2-3, BB, R

Rece Hinds, Daytona: 2-4

Garrett Wolforth, Daytona: 3-4, RBI

[Bourgeois Zee]

Games of September 10:

Sometimes, choosing who to give the coveted Mace Minor League Player of the Day can be difficult. Multiple players might have big nights, or (as has happened recently) no one distinguishes himself enough to warrant a clear mandate. Today is not one of those days. James Marinan earns the nod for his 6-inning masterpiece against Lake County. In his High A debut, Marinan gave up one hit, two BBs, and shut out the Captains on 11 Ks.

Other players who excelled-- relatively speaking-- on a night in which Reds' minor league squads hit the .500 mark yet again:

AAA Bat Michael De Leon: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
I often wonder what keeps guys like De Leon plugging away in the minors. Especially in lost seasons like the one he's working through this year in Louisville. It has to take a special kind of grinder to do what he does. I'd love to know what plan he has for the future. Is it coaching? Making the bigs? Making a decent living in AAA for a few years while enjoying just playing ball? (Nevermind, I think I figured it out.)

AAA Bat Jan Hernandez: 2-3, BB HR
Hernandez was once highly though of as a prospect, but hasn't ever hit much. He shows glimpses, but has never been able to put it all together. Part of it is that he just doesn't hit the ball enough. He did last night, however. One of these seasons, he may well figure it out.

AA pitchers
Jacques Pucheu (4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks)
JC Keys (2 IP, 1 BB, 2 Ks)
Matt Pidich (1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K)
Eddy Demurias (2 IP, 3 Ks)
A AA shutout deserves some mention, especially in that the Lookouts only scratched the plate twice in a real pitcher's duel. Pucheu, who has an 80 name, has done very well in an unheralded spot starter/ long relief role. No clue what he throws or whether he's got stuff enough to move up. (Though, knowing how Reds' brass value spin, I'm guessing he's got at least that.) Demurias might one day crack the majors as depth relief. Pidich and Keys are working toward that as well, but likely have farther to go. Good night, regardless.

High A Matt McLain: 2-4, 2B, SB, R
Good night for McLain. He's been on a bit of a slide recently. Maybe this gets him right for an end-of-season tear. I do wonder where McLain will start next season. If nothing else happens at the SS in the off-season, I'm guessing Barrero and Farmer will stick at the major league level. There's really no one of consequence ahead of McLain in the pecking order. He could start the year in AA. That could also go to Ivan Johnson. Or Jose Torres. Or he could spend a bit more time in Dayton as well. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the sudden influx of depth the Reds have at the position.

AA Brian Rey: 0-0, 3 BBs, HBP, 2 SB
I just wanted to highlight the oddity of baseball. You have a chance to see something you've never seen before, and last night was one of those nights. Rey, who's never met a pitch he couldn't swing at, decided he was going to fix his OBP in one fell swoop. Or should I say swipe? Three walks for a guy who had a BB rate less than 4% at his previous stops? Sure, why not? Add in that 15th (!) hit by pitch on the season. Too, two stolen bases-- doubling his season total. Fwiw, due to the HBP and perhaps some of Rey's new-found patience, he's nearly 100 points higher in OBP than BA. That bodes well for a guy who's got a pretty decent hit tool. I like this development, even if it is temporary.

[Tom Servo]

Games of Saturday, September 11

Rece Hinds, Daytona: 3-5, BB, 3 RBI, stolen base. No extra base hits for the slugger but this is still quite the stat sheet filling game for the Reds 2019 2nd rounder who just turned 21 last week.


In other action, with everyone playing but Chattanooga not doing anything of note


Francisco Urbaez, Louisville: 2-5, 2 RBI

Michael De Leon, Louisville: 2- 5, HR, RBI

Michael Mariot, Louisville: 1-2, HR, RBI. Mariot is of course the starter for the game but his pitching line of 5 innings and 4 earned runs isn't much to brag about.


Michael Siani, Dayton: 2-4, 2B

Ivan Johnson, Dayton: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI. Somewhat quietly putting together a nice season between Daytona and Dayton.

Allan Cerda, Dayton: 2-4, HR, RBI

Juan Martinez, Dayton: 1-3, 2B

Carson Spiers, Dayton: 5 innings, 2 hit, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 run. The 23-year-old right-hander out of Clemson is putting together a solid season, holding a 3.71 ERA over 19 starts and 24 total appearances between Daytona and Dayton.


Daniel Vellojin, Daytona: 3-6, 2 RBI. Vellojin is something of a revelation at the top of the Daytona order, the 21-year-old catcher is hitting a solid .257/.409/.419 with 68 walks to 66 strikeouts this year in Low A. You'd like to see some more power but the on-base skill looks great so far.

Jose Torres, Daytona: 3-6, 3B, 2 RBI

Garrett Wolforth, Daytona: 1-4, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI

Jose Franco, Daytona: 4 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1 run.

Nick Hanson, Daytona: 4 innings, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 0 runs.

[Bourgeois Zee]

[I]Ivan Johnson, Dayton: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI. Somewhat quietly putting together a nice season between Daytona and Dayton.

If you mean from national pundits, that's true. He's outplaying McLain at the same level, but McLain will likely be a top five/ top 100 prospect while Johnson might be in the Reds' top 15. Still good to have him in the system. (To be fair, McLain is nearly a year younger.)

But he's been a pretty consistently discussed guy here on RedsZone.

A 135 wRC+ after the promotion will do that for you.

If he continues to carry an 800+ OPS in AA and higher next season while still playing up the middle, he may get some helium. But I suspect it'll take at least that (and because this is the Reds' system, probably more like a 900 OPS for multiple seasons).

Johnson is, IIRC, one of the guys Reds' brass talked about as looking good in Instructs during 2020.

Seems that we should have given those comments more weight as fans instead of dismissing them as PR.