Jose Peraza, the Cincinnati Reds newly acquired middle infielder from the Todd Frazier trade, and Alex Blandino have both been named to the MLB Pipeline Top 10 second base prospects list.
After missing out on a positional list for the first time on Friday when the first baseman’s list was unveiled, the Reds returned on Monday by having two players show up on the Top 10 second baseman’s list.
Jose Peraza came in as the #2 prospect on the list. The 21-year-old made his Major League debut with the Dodgers in the 2015 season, getting into seven games. He never suited up for the Reds, but did spend time in Triple-A with Braves and Dodgers organizations where he hit .293 with 33 stolen bases during the minor league season. Here’s what Jonathan Mayo had to say about Peraza:
Last year’s No. 1 on this list, Peraza’s star has faded a tiny bit, partially because of a .694 OPS in the Minors in 2015. He was valued enough to be traded twice in the span of five months in large three-team deals. Now Peraza is looking for an opportunity in Cincinnati with Brandon Phillips still hanging around. It may come as a super-utility type for the time being so the Reds can get him into the lineup.
Alex Blandino joined Peraza on the list as the #5 prospect. The 2014 1st round pick (29th overall) split his season in 2015 between the Daytona Tortugas and Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He had more success with the Advanced-A affiliate Tortugas, but hit .278/.364/.420 between the two stops with 37 extra-base hits that included 10 home runs. He began the season at shortstop, but eventually slid over to the second base position where he profiles better on the defensive spectrum. Here is what Jonathan Mayo had to say about him:
Blandino was primarily a third baseman at Stanford before being a part of an outstanding class of college hitters in the 2014 Draft. He played shortstop for a year before starting to try second on for size late in ’15 and into the Arizona Fall League. It should be a good fit for the natural leader, and Blandino’s advanced approach at the plate should allow him to hit his way to the big leagues soon.
Here’s some video of Alex Blandino from the 2015 season.
With Peraza and Blandino making this list, that now adds to the growing number of Reds prospects to rank among the Top 10 prospects at their position. The organization landed three pitchers on the two pitching lists (one for right handers and two for lefties) and a catcher, giving them six players among the five lists that have been released so far.