I'm really curious as to why you'd think this. Stewart has much better hands than anyone thought when he was drafted-- and was a much, much better athlete. He has a solid error rate as a 3B too.Originally Posted by krazzy
I'm really curious as to why you'd think this. Stewart has much better hands than anyone thought when he was drafted-- and was a much, much better athlete. He has a solid error rate as a 3B too.
I said he was a very good defender at 3B. I just like versatility. M
Wha if Marte tears it up in 2025. Or EDLC is moved to 3B for Arroyo to take over SS? Stewart may need to play somewhere else.
I misread your response-- I thought you said he was not a very good defender. My bad.
As to the others:
- If Marte tears it up in 2025, Stewart could be used as a utility guy, playing 2B and 3B similar to how Espinal was used this season.
- EDLC was among the handful of best defenders in baseball, as per Outs Above Average. He's extremely unlikely to be moved.
Could you imagine a defense with McLain at 2B, Arroyo at SS and EDLC at 3B? Could be special. Of course Arroyo has to be able to hit
EDLC is elite at SS.
I'd move rather move Arroyo to 3B (or McLain).
They don’t have Eloy’s arm.
So we've tackled AAA (such as it is) and AA (which looks loaded)-- how about Dayton?
Well, they look similar to Chattanooga, honestly. Lots of solid prospects dot the roster with a few outstanding ones, typically up the middle. The good news is that many of the guys here are both very young and have upside.
Let's start with the most interesting prospect in the system-- and one of the more interesting questions Red management will have to face. Alfredo Duno was on his way to showing out as a catching prospect in a system without any. He was moved from the DSL to Daytona without any time spent in the ACL, and all he did was hit 27% better than league average while in Daytona. Unfortunately, that was only in 32 games and 140 PAs. The Reds might get him more seasonining-- he's only 19-- in the FSL, or they might well move him on. I suspect it'll be based on his time spent in Instruts and how well he handled pitching there. If Duno isn't moved up, Connor Burns is a no-hit, good glove catcher. The Reds, as is their wont, drafted several college guys-- 6th rounder Jacob Friend and 9th round pick Ryan McCrystal could be sent ahead of Duno instead.
Peyton Stovall was drafted from Arkansas last year. He hadn't shown much until 2024 when he exploded. That might well be the ball. If not, he's a legitimate power/ speed guy who's capable at the keystone position. He was slightly above average in just over 50 PAs last season with a rather poor BA and a distinct lack of slugging, but good patience. He didn't K at all and walked at a 14.5% clip. 4 SB in 16 games augers well too. Looks like he might end up a top of the order guy. One to watch, for sure. Stovall might shift to 3B for a few games to get his bat into the game.
I have Leo Balcazar repeating Dayton at the beginning of the 2025. The Reds obviously like him, as they promoted him to Dayton last season despite him losing most of the season to an ACL/UCL tear. He struggled mightily in the first three and a half months, then caught fire for six weeks before ending the season with a bit of a struggle. Balcazar is, according to scouting reports, a good defender and a legitimate SS. But he struggled to provide any power (aside from his August hot streak). With Arroyo and Stewart ahead of him, I think Balcazar repeats here and Stafura stays in Daytona for a month to six weeks. If Arroyo hits in AA, everybody moves up. I like Balcazar to show out a bit in his second Dayton stint and think he might well be among the better prospects on the team. I hope he shows that he's over his ACL surgery by running the bases more aggressively. That's part of his appeal as a prospect.
Were Ricardo Cabrera in a different system, he might be a top five guy. He's very young for Dayton (20) and a legitimate threat to go 20/20. He's filled out a bit as he's gotten older; as a result, he's not going to be a SS. That's okay-- his glove told us that already. Unfortunately, he doesn't look like much of a 3B either. I'd stick him in CF and see if he can use his above average speed to better advantage. We'll see what the Reds do there. What he can do is hit. Even last year, as he struggled through Daytona's thick air, Cabrera should decent pop (right at .400 and double figures in HR, a 111 wRC+). Those numbers will climb in Dayton, especially once August hits. I really like him to shine out this year, especially if he's playing a new position. Look for him to be aggressive on the basepaths.
Mike Siroka is the nephew of Whitey Ford. That's the coolest thing I learned in the Reds' draft last year. I was a bit shocked that he didn't get any PAs after signing and am a bit worried that Cincinnati is re-tooling his swing or that he struggled in Instructs to hit the ball/ identify breaking stuff. Defensively, Siroka is supposedly the real deal, with blazing speed and a good arm. Offensively, he's got good power. Can he hit? I suspect we'll find out first in Dayton.
Yerlin Confidan played himself back into prospectdom with a really solid season in Daytona, his third(!) time around that league. He cut his Ks precipitously and his BB% jumped nearly four points. The BA is going to be questionable throughout his time in the minors, though it hovered around .270 over his last four months. (Sticking him at leadoff was a stroke of genius, seemingly.) He was an 800+ bat for four months and his overall numbers, while still decent (119 wRC+) are a bit obscured by his first two. Confidan played all three OF spots and will again this season. I expect him to lead off and be among the team leaders in just about every offensive category.
Victor Acosta will probably return to Dayton as well, playing both middle infield spots and 3B. Acosta had tons of chances last year, totalling 400 PAs, but took a massive step back, with an OPS of just .586. I don't think that gets him promoted. He's still young enough to turn it around, but he'll have a crowd at his preferred position.
That leaves a couple open spots-- either an OF or a 3B and 1B. DH is open too.
1B will likely be handled by Carter Graham and Jack Moss. Neither is much more than a depth signing.
3B could be Cabrera (again) or Krall and company could bring up Stafura and stick Stovall there or DH one of them most games. (That's certainly possible, fwiw.) They could also turn to their middle infield surplus to man the spot. They might bring up Luis Reyes to play there. Though he struggled in Daytona in short innings, he might end up as good as he was in Complex Ball. If they turn to Cabrera (which is most likely), Ariel Almonte (who struggled to find hits, but hit them a long way when he did connect) might get the nod.
I do think the Reds will be judicious in their call-ups this season.
AlaskaReds (10-06-2024)
If Espinal returns next year, it will be a the top IF reserve on the the Big League roster. With a strong AFL campaign there's a good chance Arroyo is the L'ville starting SS.
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