2025 Reds Prospect # 2

[texasdave]

The top prospect chosen by the board is RHP Rhett Lowder. It was essentially a two-person race between Lowder and Chase Burns.

As always, if you have someone put into the poll, just post it in this thread.

Julian Aguilar - RHP - Out for the season due to Tommy John. His stuff is not overwhelming, but with a strong mixture of guile and command he has reached the major league level briefly.

Edwin Arroyo - SS - Was selected by league managers as the Midwest League's top prospect at the age of 19. Missed all of 2024 due to injury. Has the defensive chops to stay at short all the way up the ladder. Could prove to be a pesky man at the plate.

Chase Burns - RHP - First-round draft choice by the Reds in 2024 (2nd overall), Burns has stuff for days. A fastball that routinely reaches triple digits is paired with a wipeout slider and two more quality pitches. Has yet to throw a pitch as a professional, but should climb the ladder quickly.

Ricardo Cabrera - 3B - The Reds top international signee in 2022, Cabrera is progressing nicely up the ladder. A solid hitter and an adequate defemder. Likely still a couple of years from eating Skyline on a regular basis.

Cam Collier - 3B - Son of former pro Lou Collier, Cam swung the bat well in 2024 for the Dayton Dragons. Cam seems a sure bet to continue to do well at the plate. 1B may end up being his eventual position.

Yerlin Confidan - OF - Yerlin started slowly, but caught fire in the second half of the season for Daytona. Strapping young lefty, Confidan has big-time power. That power will play in The Show.

Alfredo Duno - C - Can hit for both average and power, and is considered a quality defender behind the plate. Not much to not like with this kid.

Carlos Jorge - OF - New to the outfield, Jorge is already playing a solid centerfield. Some swing-and-miss in his game, but shows out well when he does make contact.

Tyson Lewis - SS - Has all the tools to be a major league ball player. Drafted out of high school, he did not play for the Reds organization in 2024. Speed and power out of the shortstop position would lead to a bright future for Mr. Lewis.

Sheng-En Lin - 3B/RHP - International signee out of Taiwan, Lin has plenty of potential. Possible two-way player in the future. Got on base at a .418 clip in '24. Shows some power as well.

Chase Petty - RHP - Came over in the Tyler Mahle deal, Petty has been on scouts' radars since high school. His stuff seemed to take a leap last year. Durable pitchers are hard to find these days.

Hector Rodriguez - OF - Excellent bat-to-ball skills. Smallish at 5'8", he packs 187 pounds onto a solid frame. Will hit and sometimes with power. Above average speed.

Sammy Stafura - SS - Has enough athleticism to stick at short. Well-rounded hitter. Got on base at a nice clip in 2024, and showed glimpses of potential power. Nice approach at the plate.

Sal Stewart - 2B/3B - Was off to an excellent start at the plate in '24, before a hand injury ended his season. Gives professional at-bats. Walks nearly as often as he strikes out. If he continues to impress at the dish, they will find a place for him and his glove.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Burns is the easy, if expected, call here.

Great stuff.
Fantastic college career.
Hopefully, he's Paul Skene Lite.

If so, he'll make this ranking feel foolish.

[texasdave]

Went with Chase. Hard to argue with that kinda stuff. Duno quite possibly on deck. Love that young pitching.

[RedTeamGo!]

I love Sally and Collier but come on now, this is easy peasy. Burns.

[podgejeff_]

Burns continues the pitching pipeline to Cincinnati.

Words I'd never thought I'd type twenty years ago.

[Old school 1983]

I said 1 Lowder and 2 Burns due to Lowder having actual successful MLB time at this point. Could completely flip this year and that’s not a bad thing.

[Rojo Rijo]

This should be Jac Caglianone.......

[Z-Fly]

This should be Jac Caglianone.......

Maybe, but it doesn't look he's started out super strong. Small sample size, obviously. Time will tell.

[JCM11]

Maybe, but it doesn't look he's started out super strong. Small sample size, obviously. Time will tell.

The guy who most people here wanted was much worse.

[Bourgeois Zee]

The guy who most people here wanted was much worse.

Much worse is pretty subjective. Both were bad. Condon was definitely worse.

Burns seems to be the best prospect of the three.

So far, it looks like the Reds were right-- even as Burns didn't pitch at all.

An interesting hypothesis is whether RedsZone would change their horse mid-stream, if given the chance. Would you take Wetherholt, Nick Kurtz, Hagen Smith, et al if offered a deal straight up for Burns?

[JCM11]

Much worse is pretty subjective. Both were bad. Condon was definitely worse.

Burns seems to be the best prospect of the three.

So far, it looks like the Reds were right-- even as Burns didn't pitch at all.

An interesting hypothesis is whether RedsZone would change their horse mid-stream, if given the chance. Would you take Wetherholt, Nick Kurtz, Hagen Smith, et al if offered a deal straight up for Burns?

I had a slight preference of Smith to Burns, but it was close to a coin flip. Kurtz was drafted with injury concerns and got hurt in his pro debut. I've never really been sold on Wetherholt TBH.

Cags' numbers were respectable for a pro debut(.690 OPS in high A and .750 in the fall league) while Condon's were a disaster .518 OPS with a 4/34 BB to SO rate. Small samples all around and we'll know much more next year.

[WrongVerb]

I was one of the few who selected Burns when we had that first round selection poll going. The only one of the top picks I would consider trading him for is Kurtz, and even then it's close. I'm currently happy Burns is a Reds pitcher, and I chose him here as well.

[RedTeamGo!]

This should be Jac Caglianone.......

meh, as we get further away from the actual draft I am quite happy with the pick of Burns. We shall see, though.

[Tuff Nut]

Burns was obvious choice for me....time to move on.

[Bourgeois Zee]

The next one will be more interesting, I suspect.