Updated Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospect List for 2019

The last time that we updated the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospect list was on June 20th. That was six weeks ago. All of the draft picks have now seen time on the field, with only one exception. That data is useful. But what’s changed the rankings a bit more is what happened earlier this week with the trade deadline moves for the Reds. They moved their top rated prospect at the time, Taylor Trammell. They also moved left-handed pitcher Scott Moss in that deal, though he was unranked at the time – he had an argument to be included today if he were still around. They also added a new prospect from Oakland, picking up Jameson Hannah. With all of that said, you can see the last update here.

Not every player is going to get a new write up. Some of them will, though, explaining the movement , or if they are a new addition to the list.

1. Hunter Greene | Right-Handed Pitcher | Injured List

Out for the season after having Tommy John surgery in April.

2. Nick Lodolo | Left-Handed Pitcher | Dayton Dragons

When the list was updated in June, Nick Lodolo had not yet taken the mound. In the time since he’s taken the mound and then been shut down for the rest of the season. He’s healthy, but after a long college season and some professional innings on top of that, the Reds are calling 2019 a success and looking forward to 2020 for the prized lefty.

In his time on the mound between Billings and Dayton, he posted a 2.45 ERA in 18.1 innings with 1 home run allowed, no walks, 1 hit batter, and he struck out 30 of the 74 hitters he faced.

3. Tony Santillan | Right-Handed Pitcher | Chattanooga Lookouts

4. Jonathan India | Third Base | Chattanooga Lookouts

5. Tyler Stephenson | Catcher | Chattanooga Lookouts

6. Jose Garcia | Shortstop | Daytona Tortugas

He continues to show improvements at the plate in 2019. In 80 games played he’s smacked 27 doubles, a triple, and 5 home runs. That’s come in a pitching friendly league, and he’s done so while cutting down his strikeouts slightly and improving his walk rate.

7. Jose Siri | Outfielder | Chattanooga Lookouts

8. Michael Siani | Outfielder | Dayton Dragons

After a tough start to the season he’s turned things around. In his last 55 games he’s hitting .307/.377/.392 with 21 walks and 38 strikeouts in 240 plate appearances. He’s also stolen 32 bases on the season. Oh, and made defensive plays like this on what feels like an almost daily basis.

9. Stuart Fairchild | Outfielder | Chattanooga Lookouts

10. Rece Hinds | Second/Third Base | Greeneville Reds

He’s played in just three games this season, all in June, and has been out with an injury since then. While it’s kept him out for five weeks now, he’s remained with the team and has been participating in some on-field work before games.

11. Tyler Callihan | Second/Third Base | Greeneville Reds

12. Mariel Bautista | Outfielder | Dayton Dragons

13. Joel Kuhnel | Right-Handed Pitcher | Louisville Bats

The day after the last update saw the Reds promote Joel Kuhnel to Triple-A Louisville. He’s not skipped a beat with the promotion, posting a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings with 17 strikeouts since getting bumped up. The stuff is still outstanding and the performance in Triple-A has him up a few more spots.

14. Lyon Richardson | Right-Handed Pitcher | Dayton Dragons

15. Vladimir Gutierrez | Right-Handed Pitcher | Louisville Bats

16. Aristides Aquino | Outfielder | Cincinnati Reds

17. TJ Friedl | Outfielder | Chattanooga Lookouts

His season came to an end in July after undergoing surgery on his ankle.

18. Miguel Hernandez | Shortstop | Dayton Dragons

19. Jameson Hannah | Outfielder | Daytona Tortugas

Acquired from the Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline, Jameson Hannah hasn’t played a game in the Reds organization as I type this. In the hitting friendly California League with Stockton he hit .283/.341/.381 with 25 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs. His walk rate isn’t that good. Neither is his strikeout rate if we also consider the power that’s coming with it.

There are some tools to like, here, though. He’s a center fielder and that defensive value matters. He’s got plus speed, though he must learn to use it better on the bases where he’s been caught stealing more this season than he’s had successful stolen base attempts. And his bat speed stands out. There’s raw power in there that he hasn’t tapped into yet, too. But he’s also a guy who hits ground balls at a very high rate and it might take a swing overhaul in order to tap into that raw power because you won’t find it by hitting ground balls all day. The raw ability is there at the plate, but there’s work to be done to get it.

20. Jimmy Herget | Right-Handed Pitcher | Louisville Bats

21. Juan Martinez | Third Base | Dayton Dragons

22. Andy Sugilio | Outfielder | Daytona Tortugas

Since the last update we’ve seen Andy Sugilio give up switch hitting. He’s now only hitting from the left side of the plate. After posting a .594 OPS in April, he’s hit .311/.339/.396. Like Jameson Hannah, he’s got raw tools to work with both at the plate and in the field. But at the plate he’s another very high ground ball rate hitter who may need to change his swing a little bit to get the ball in the air more if he’s ever going to tap into the raw power he shows.

23. Ryan Hendrix | Right-Handed Pitcher | Chattanooga Lookouts

He hit the injured list with an elbow injury at the very end of April. In the last week he’s began a rehab assignment with the Arizona League Reds and has dominated against the rookie-level hitters.

24. Keury Mella | Right-Handed Pitcher | Louisville Bats

25. Mitch Nay | Third/First Base | Louisville Bats

A new addition to the list, Mitch Nay tore up the Double-A Southern League before earning a promotion to Triple-A Louisville two weeks ago. He was at or near the top of the leaderboards in the Southern League after hitting .304/.366/.561 in 82 games with Chattanooga. The 25-year-old is having a break out season after losing nearly two full seasons with health issues related to a staph infection in his knee.

Players who exited the list

While he may show up on some other midseason prospect lists, Josh VanMeter has graduated his prospect list eligibility. The general rule for eligibility is to be eligible for the following seasons Rookie of the Year award. For hitters that means less than 130 at-bats in the Major Leagues. For pitchers that means less than 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues. But there’s also the rule of 45 days on the active 25-man roster. Usually guys with that much time on the roster go beyond the 130 at-bats or 50 innings threshold, but not always. For now, that’s where Josh VanMeter falls. Publications that don’t follow the 45-day rule will have him included (Baseball America, for example, ranks him 12th). He’s beyond the 45 day rule, though, and thus isn’t included in our update. Taylor Trammell is no longer in the organization and thus is off of the list.

The Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospect List

For an easier comparison look, here’s the entire Top 25 in a list format: