Kiley McDaniel hasn’t been at ESPN for very long, but ever since arriving from Fangraphs he’s been putting out good content. On Wednesday he released his Top 100 Prospect list (behind the ESPN+ paywall) and it included five different Cincinnati Reds prospects.
The Reds were shut out of the Top 75, but they dominated the latter 25 spots on the list. Tyler Stephenson came in at #78 on the list. The catcher drew rave reviews for his raw power and arm strength from McDaniel in his report. Up next for Cincinnati is Jose Garcia, who cracked the list at #85. A shortstop who has been turning everyone’s head this spring with the start he’s out to, the write up on him notes multiple plus tools and his 2019 season being far more like what was expected from him when he signed.
Hunter Greene finds himself on the list a few spots later, coming in at #89 overall. The right-handed starter is still coming back from Tommy John surgery that he had 11 months ago. As we learned on Tuesday, Greene could begin his season in either Dayton or Daytona around June.
Greene was followed on the list immediately by another Cincinnati prospect – Nick Lodolo. The left-handed starter came in at #90 overall. With multiple strong pitches and control, his debut in 2019 was outstanding – though limited. Rounding out the list for Reds prospects is Jonathan India. He’s making his first appearance on a Top 100 list this offseason, though he came rather close to making the Baseball America list – being noted as one of the players who just missed. India came in at #94 on the ESPN list by McDaniel, who noted he’s likely a strong everyday player.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the rankings for each of the now five Cincinnati Reds prospects who have made at least one of the national publications Top 100 lists this offseason:
It continues to feel strange how a farm system with five players who have made Top 100 lists from reliable sources is considered to be among the worst farm systems in baseball. While they may not have a single “elite” level prospect, the Reds organization has plenty of real talent at the top end. Things continue to feel off with those rankings. But hey – at least for now, no one is asking me to contribute to those kinds of rankings.