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    2022 Cincinnati Reds Prospect Scouting Reports
    Jose Torres (Photo: Aldrin Capulong)
    Photo: Aldrin Capulong/Daytona Tortugas

    Cincinnati Reds #18 Prospect: Jose Torres – SS

    Doug Gray 21

    When the 2021 season started for Jose Torres he had just 17 games at NC State under his belt from the 2020 season that was cut short, but saw him hit well. In 2021 he picked up where he left off the year before, hitting .289/.343/.533 with 10 home runs in 52 games. That combined with his strong defense at shortstop led to the Cincinnati Reds selecting Torres in the 3rd round of the draft.

    With the late draft date in 2021, Jose Torres didn’t get his professional debut out of the way until August 12th when he took the field against the ACL Angels. His stay was short in the complex league, but the infielder picked up a hit in each of his three games – including a home run and a triple – before he was promoted to join the Low-A Daytona Tortugas.

    Jose Torres gave the home crowd a preview of what was to come in his debut with a homer in his first game. After a brief slump during his second week with Dayton, Torres turned things around in a big way over the final three weeks of the season. In 18 games he hit .406/.459/.703 to round out the season with seven walks and 10 strikeouts to go with 10 extra-base hits.

    Jose Torres Stats

    For all 2021 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).

    Jose Torres Scouting Report

    Position: Shortstop | B/T: R/R

    Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 171 lbs | Acquired: 3rd Round (2021)

    Born: September 28, 1999

    Hitting | Torres has a below-average hit tool.

    Power | He has below-average power.

    Speed | His speed is average.

    Defense | He has plus defense at shortstop.

    Arm | He has a plus arm.

    Scouts have long loved the defense from Jose Torres. He was drafted out of high school in 2019 by the Milwaukee Brewers, but he opted to head to college instead of sign as a 24th round pick. The bat had been considered a bit light heading to NC State, but in 69 games in the ACC he hit .300/.349/.533 with 13 doubles. Despite good performance in college there were still concerns from scouts about his bat, but just like in college he went out and got things done at the plate and then some – granted it did come in a small sample size of just seven weeks.

    The defense is where Jose Torres really sticks out. He’s got plus defense at shortstop as well as a plus arm. Torres can make all of the plays at one of the most valuable positions on the field. The defense gives him a high floor of a potential utility player if his bat is bad. But the more that he can hit the higher that ceiling gets.

    In college Jose Torres hit. And so far as a pro he’s hit. If his hit tool, and his power, are actually a little bit better than most scouts are giving him credit for, Torres could turn into a quality starting shortstop at the big league level that can have some impact on both offense and defense.

    Jose Torres Spray Chart

    Interesting Stat on Jose Torres

    Small sample size alert, but Torres went 8-15 against left-handed pitching as he posted a .533/.632/1.133 line with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts.

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    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    21 Responses

    2. I am excited to see what he will do in Dayton this year. A .267 ISO is impressive in the parks he was playing in. He does not K much and should turn some of those double and triples into HR in Dayton.

    3. So the scouts say he’s bad at hitting, but he’s always been pretty good at hitting? What exactly are they looking at?

      1. I am with you Dan. He has below average power yet only 2 players with 100 AB had a higher slugging % than he did. He has a below average hit tool yet his K/BB ratio of 2.125 is solid.

        I don’t see how one can say he is bad at hitting. Comparing him to Rece Hinds:

        Hinds is one year younger so he has the advantage there.
        Torres is a much better defender so this may balance out the age.

        Power: In Doug’s writeup on Hinds he gave him plus plus power. He gives Torres below average power. Yet Torres had a higher slugging % than Hinds in Daytona. I do feel Hinds has more power than Torres but the difference is far closer than plus plus vs. below average. Only 2 players with 100 AB had a higher slugging % than Torres and both are top 50 prospects (Orelvis Martinez (#44 prospect per MLB.com) and Anthony Volpe (#15 prospect per MLB.com)). I would give him a power rating of at least above average and if his slugging % next year is north of .550 again I would give him plus power.

        Doug gave both Hinds and Torres below average hit tools. Hinds is well deserved. Hinds sports a K/BB ratio of 4.00. Torres has a K/BB ratio of 2.125 which is pretty good.

        Finally, I have learned over the years that it is difficult to reduce your K%. This is a problem for Hinds but not for Torres. I consider Torres hit tool at least one grade above that of Hinds.

        Torres is my #11 prospect. Hinds is my #12 prospect.

        1. So you believe that Jose Torres is a 25+ home run hitter in the big leagues? Because that’s what at least above-average power would be saying.

      2. His swing and how they believe it won’t work against big league pitching (which college and Low-level minor league pitching definitely isn’t).

        And let’s not they aren’t saying he’s bad at hitting, they are saying he probably won’t be an average big league hitter. Most shortstops aren’t.

      3. On December 16, 2019 you gave Jonathan India a power rating of above average power. In 631 PA this year he had 21 HR. 25 HR may be the incorrect bar here.

        I don’t really know if Torres is a 25+ HR player in the majors but 25+ HR is clearly well above average. 70 players hit 25 or more HR last year. Add to that 4 players who would have hit 25 HR if not for injury (Acuna, Winker, Springer and Pollack). These 4 are non-catchers who had 20+ HR and less than 500 AB. I would think 15 – 25 would be average. 102 hit 20+, 126 had 17+ HR and 142 hit 15+ HR last year.

        2.5 per team hit 25+ HR.
        2.5 per team hit 15 – 24 HR.
        2.5 hit < 15 HR
        the remaining are platoon players.
        20 HR puts you in the top 100 so that in my opinion is above average.

        I do think Torres could hit 20+ HR. Could he hit more? I am sure he could. If Jose Altuve can hit 30+ HR in back to back full seasons then Torres could hit 25+ as he matures. But if he builds up to hit for more power it may push him off SS.

        The list of SS who had at least 500 PA and less than 25 HR last year includes Trevor Story, Xander Bogaerts and Francisco Lindor. I consider all three of these to have above average power.

        Other non-catchers who hit less than 25 HR with at least 500 PA whom I have always considered to have average to plus power: Mookie Betts, Anthony Rizzo, Jonathan Schoop, Jesus Aguilar, Randy Grichuk, Jonathan India, Lourdis Gurriel, Randy Arozarena, Dylan Carlson, Andrew Benintendi and Wil Myers.

        Most importantly, There is a much better chance of him matching his Daytona performance as he progresses than there is of Hinds reducing his K% as he progresses. I like Hinds. I just like Torres a bit more.

        1. Or you don’t understand what the grades mean. They are not CURRENT grades. They are future grades (with the exception of speed). The bar is not incorrect.

      4. I totally understand what the grade mean. But I also feel that 20 may be the new 25 with this ball. Even then I don’t think 25 HR is out of the question for Torres. The only two players with more than 100 AB who had a higher slugging percentage than Torres are top 50 prospects. That is pretty impressive.

        Torres had 2 balls with an exit velocity of 105 mph in the instructionals. One against a ML pitcher. if you can hit multiple balls 105 mph in the same game you have in game power.

    5. A glove first SS who can hit some, such as a Zack Cozart, is a very good value drafted in the 3rd round. A little in-house SS competition between the DR and Cuba could be really fun to watch play out.

    6. MLB – Barrero
      AAA – Alf Rod? Leonardo Rivas? Errol Robinson? Mike Freeman?
      AA – McLain/Johnson
      A+ – Torres
      A – de la Cruz

      With the exception of maybe AAA, the Reds’ system should have solid shortstop work from top to bottom for 2022.

        1. Good call. I couldn’t remember the guys from DSL off the top of my head. Be interesting to watch them work stateside.

    7. This was one of 4 great picks in the Reds 2021 draft.

      The Reds got a bit lucky McLain fell to them.

      The Reds hit a HR with Jay Allen. Because he is a three sport athlete he has not played as much baseball as other 18 year olds but I think he will quickly rise and would not be surprised to see him reach AA this year.

      Torres was another HR. He showed great power and plate discipline in Daytona in 2021. I would not be surprised to in AA this year.

      Thomas Farr was taken in the 5th round. He had control issues in college but in his small sample as a professional he has been solid (1 BB in 10 IP). He throws harder than Abbott or Roa so even if he only reaches Cincinnati as a RP it is a HR in considering he was taken in the 5th round.

      I think the rotation in Dayton may very well be Bonnin, Boyle, Abbott, Farr and Roa. If so this will be a very good rotation. All 5 are in my top 25.

      1. I can’t get excited about Our OF prospects, I don’t mean to dismiss them either, but none of them are can’t miss, or potential beasts. Our SS have both, McLain seems like a can’t miss, and De La Cruz is a potential beast. I guess if you look down the list to Confidan, you got a guy with beast potential, but no one in A ball on up.

        1. I still have Austin Hendrick in my top 10 (#8). If he adjusts his swing plane he could be in baseball’s top 100 next winter. I also think Jay Allen soars into baseball’s top 100. Finally, Allen Cerda cut down on his strikeouts in Dayton. I place Confidan behind all three of these guys both on potential arrival time and potential.

    8. Interesting discussion here about scouting and ratings – also, while he hasn’t escaped notice, considering he’s been followed since HS, and he was a 3rd round pick by the Reds, there is only 2 years worth of data, and a small, but impressive sample size, to work with. Given the quirks of pitcher friendly Daytona and his apparent defensive prowess, if he shows anything in the first half at Dayton this year, he should move up quickly. Whether the Reds will be that aggressive remains to be seen, but he and De La Cruz really can force the issue.

      It would be a very good organizational sign if they do, and either of them ends the season in Chattanooga.

      1. Well said Optimist.

        I would not be surprised if by July we see some movement:

        AAA: McLain
        AA: Torres
        A+: De La Cruz
        A-: Jorge/Balcazar

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