It’s that time of year again. Prospect ranking time. Every day this week we are going to unveil five more spots on the list as we work our way through the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospect List for the 2016 season. You can see the entire list (once it’s published in it’s entirety) here.
Subscribers will get to see the top ranking tool for each player. All ages listed are as of June 30th of the past season and is the official “age” of a player during the 2015 season.
On Friday afternoon there will be an All Questions Answered thread to take on any questions about the list.
*To be eligible for the list a player must have 2015 Rookie of the Year eligibility (Fewer than 130 at bats in the big leagues, fewer than 50 innings pitches or more than 45 days on the active MLB roster that doesn’t include September)*
16. Jose Lopez | RHP | Age: 21
2015 Team: Billings Mustangs | Acquired: 6th Round, 2014 Draft | Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 185 lbs
The Reds drafted Jose Lopez out of Seton Hall in the 6th round of the 2014 draft, but he was recovering from Tommy John surgery and didn’t make his debut until the middle of 2015 when the Billings Mustangs season began. After four games his ERA was 6.30, but things turned around quickly as he posted a 2.49 ERA the rest of the way, covering 47 innings. He saved the best for last, allowing just one hit and one walk in 7.0 innings with 10 strikeouts in his final start of the season.
| W | L | IP | H | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 3 | 2 | 57.0 | 53 | 4 | 19 | 67 | 3.16 | 1.26 |
17. Zack Weiss | RHP | Age: 23
2015 Teams: Daytona Tortugas, Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Acquired: 6th Round, 2013 Draft | Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 210 lbs
After dominating in 2014 with the Dayton Dragons, the 2015 season was another step forward for Zack Weiss. The reliever posted a 1.98 ERA on the season while serving as the closer for both the Daytona Tortugas and Pensacola Blue Wahoos as he racked up 30 saves. He would walk just 15 batters in 63.2 innings and struck out 90 opposing hitters.
| W | L | IP | H | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 1 | 3 | 63.2 | 42 | 5 | 15 | 90 | 1.98 | 0.90 |
18. Aristides Aquino | OF | Age: 21
2015 Teams: Billings Mustangs, Dayton Dragons | Acquired: Free Agent, 2011 | Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 190 lbs
Coming off of an MVP caliber year in the Pioneer League, big things were expected from Aristides Aquino in 2015, but a slow start was put to a halt when he was injured late in April and missed nearly nine weeks. When he came back he spent two weeks rehabbing with Billings where he hit .308/.333/.558. Once he returned to Dayton the early season struggles returned as he hit just .236/.279/.376 over the final 45 games of the season.
| PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 303 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 6 | 13 | 62 | .247 | .290 | .399 |
19. Kyle Waldrop | OF | Age: 23
2015 Teams: Louisville Bats, Cincinnati Reds | Acquired: 12th Round, 2010 Draft | Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 215 lbs
Much like Aquino, Waldrop was coming off of a big season in 2014 where he won the organizational Hitter of the Year Award winner. The 2015 season was about as polar opposite as could be expected as his OPS dropped nearly 300 points, hitting just .235/.267/.338 between his stops in Pensacola and Louisville. He had some success with the Blue Wahoos, posting a .742 OPS, but in 55 games with the Louisville Bats he struggled to get anything going, posting a .411 OPS. He went 0-1 in his lone big league appearance (not reflected below).
| PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 472 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 44 | 2 | 19 | 115 | .235 | .267 | .338 |
20. Antonio Santillan | RHP | Age: 18
2015 Team: AZL Reds | Acquired: 2nd Round, 2015 Draft | Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 240 lbs
The Reds selected Antonio Santillan in the second round of the 2015 draft and after signing he went to the Arizona League Reds where he pitched in eight games. There were some ups and downs in limited usage. His best start came on August 19th when he allowed one hit and a walk in 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts. That was followed by his worst outing as he allowed seven runs in 0.2 innings in what would be his final start of the year.
| W | L | IP | H | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 0 | 2 | 19.2 | 15 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 5.03 | 1.32 |
Top Tools
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Jose Lopez | His fastball improved as the season went along and he was touching 95 regularly by the end of the year.
Zack Weiss | Weiss throws four pitches, but his above-average slider is the best of the bunch.
Aristides Aquino | His above-average raw power stands out as his best tool.
Kyle Waldrop | He brings above-average power potential from the left side of the plate for his best tool.
Antonio Santillan | The right hander has a fastball that’s registered in the upper 90’s.
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