The Cincinnati Reds have four Top 100 Prospects for 2018 according to ESPN’s Keith Law. Over the last two days they have released their list. On Monday prospects #51-100 came out for those who have Insider access. That was followed up earlier today with the #1-50 prospects, also for Insiders.
Starting at the top, Nick Senzel comes in at the 9th spot on the list. Law writes that he believes it would be a mistake to move him to second base in favor of Suarez, who he believes should just move back to shortstop. That seems to be what a lot of people *want*, but it’s not really something it seems that the Reds are considering. With strong tools across the board, it’s noted that Senzel is the kind of guy that you build your team around.
Hunter Greene comes in ranked at #22 on the list. The #2 overall pick in the most recent draft didn’t pitch much during the regular season, but his raw talent makes everyone overlook his lack of track record. Law notes that there is some risk involved here. The big one is that, Greene is a pitcher and pitchers get hurt, but also that he’s just so far from the big leagues that he could hit bumps in his development. Still, with his upside as a true top of the rotation pitcher, his ranking is high despite the risk involved.
Coming in at #41 on the list is outfielder Taylor Trammell. His strong tools, with four above-average ones help him look like a strong future starting outfielder. Whether that eventually means left field or center field won’t matter much as his bat should play well at either spot.
The last Reds prospect to make the list is right handed pitcher Tyler Mahle. He showed up on the list at #69. His nice repertoire includes four solid offerings, but is best known for his command. Law notes the slight concern about not having a swing-and-miss offering that limits his ceiling. He, however, also notes that his floor is quite high due to his polish and strike throwing ability.
Overall Thoughts
This is similar to the Top 100 at Baseball America that was released yesterday. Let’s make a quick comparison of the two lists from a Reds standpoint.
| Baseball America | ESPN |
| Nick Senzel (7) | Nick Senzel (9) |
| Hunter Greene (29) | Hunter Greene (22) |
| Taylor Trammell (48) | Taylor Trammell (41) |
| Tyler Mahle (90) | Tyler Mahle (69) |
| Jesse Winker (98) |
The first three guys were all very close in ranking from list to list. There was a bit of a difference on Tyler Mahle. With Jesse Winker, we just don’t know. He was 98th on one list and unranked on the other. No one really seems out of place here. Everyone ranked about where you would have expected them to. There’s a few more Top 100 lists to come, with the MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs, and John Sickels lists still to come.