Spencer Steer (Photo: Redleg Nation Staff)
Photo: Redleg Nation Staff

Cincinnati Reds #5 Prospect: Spencer Steer – Infielder

When the 2022 season began, Spencer Steer was coming off of a year in which he crushed the ball in the first half with High-A Cedar Rapids but had some struggles in Double-A Wichita in the second half. The Minnesota Twins sent the 24-year-old back to Wichita to kick off his 2022 campaign.

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The season began for Steer with an 8-game hitting streak that included six extra-base hits. After going hitless on April 17th to end the streak he picked up a hit in all but one of the next 10 games to complete the month. He kept that rolling right into May, hitting .300 with a .700 slugging percentage over the first three weeks of the month before he was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul. That didn’t slow him down as he hit .333 over his first eight games with the Saints to end the month.

The flip of the calendar did seem to slow him down for a few days as he went 0-16 to begin the month. But over the next 20 games he turned it around and hit .279 with a .674 slugging percentage. For as good as June was, July went in the opposite direction. Steer struggled to get much of anything going with his bat as he hit just .212 and slugged just .288. He did walk more than he struck out, though.

At the trade deadline the Twins moved to Cincinnati in a deal for Tyler Mahle. After arriving in the organization the Reds sent Steer to Triple-A Louisville and his hitting picked back up as he hit .294/.375/.467 during August. He was then called up to join the big league club in September and went 2-2 with a double, home run, and two walks in his big league debut against the Rockies. After that, though, he slowed down and hit just .194 in the remaining 27 games of the season.

For all 2022 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).

Spencer Steer Scouting Report

Position: Infield | B/T: R/R

Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 185 lbs | Acquired: 3rd Round, 2019 Draft (Twins), Trade (August 2022)

Born: December 7, 1997

Hitting | An average to slightly-above-average tool.

Power | Steer has average to above-average power.

Speed | He shows average speed

Defense | He’s a solid-average fielder who can handle multiple spots on the infield.

Arm | Steer shows an average arm that will play anywhere on the infield.

Nothing truly jumps off of the page on Spencer Steer’s scouting report, but there’s not a below-average tool on it, either. He’s average or slightly better across the board when it comes to his raw tools.

At the plate he’s got average power now, but there could be a little more power in there in the future. He’s not going to ever be a guy who hits 450+ foot home runs, but he gets the barrel to the ball often and combined with a good hit tool his power may play up in some years. His power is mostly to the pull side, though, as he had just one home run to right field this past season.

Defensively he has some experience at shortstop, but he’s more of a “can play there in a pinch” kind of guy rather than someone who could be expected to cover the position – even in a backup role. Steer can handle second base, third base, or first base just fine. His bat doesn’t stand out if he winds up at first, but if that is where he winds up it would be more because he’s blocked elsewhere rather than it’s the only spot he can play. The bat profiles much better at third or second base.

Video

Spencer Steer Spray Chart

Interesting Stat on Spencer Steer

After hitting .295/.376/.568 against right-handed pitchers in Double-A he struggled against them in Triple-A, hitting .228/.332/.441 before then hitting .184/.271/.263 against them in the big leagues.