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    Reds MiLB Notebook: More draft pick signings roll in

    Doug Gray 13

    On Friday night it was announced that the Cincinnati Reds had signed 1st round pick Rhett Lowder out of Wake Forest for a $5,700,000 signing bonus. That came in well under the slot value of the #7 pick. Today the club announced the signing of two more draft picks – 5th rounder Connor Burns has signed, as well as 11th round pick Jack Moss.

    Connor Burns was the Reds 5th round pick out of Long Beach State. He was considered the best defensive catcher in the entire draft, showing off a plus-plus arm and plus defense at the most valuable position on the field. He really struggled to hit in his first two seasons at Long Beach State, hitting .149 as a freshman and .162 as a sophomore. But in 2023 he broke out at the plate, hitting .307/.374/.608 – with his slugging percentage being higher than his OPS was in either of his previous two seasons. There are still some questions about how well he can hit as a professional, but the strides he made this season were very positive.

    Jack Moss was the first pick by Cincinnati on day three of the draft. The 11th rounder out of Texas A&M broke out a bit in 2022 when he hit .380. In 2023 he hit .355. But in his three-year career in college he managed to hit just 16 total home runs. Most reports worry that he’s not going to develop much power in the future and that he’s a hit-over-power kind of player, which is rare to see from a first baseman.

    Plenty of roster movement

    With the resumption of the second half of the season across minor league baseball on Friday, the Cincinnati Reds made a bunch of moves up and down the chain.

    PlayerToFrom
    Ryan MeisingerLouisville BatsChattanooga Lookouts
    Alec MillsDevelopment List (AAA)Louisville Bats
    Frank GermanReleasedLouisville Bats
    Shea SpitzbarthReleasedLouisville Bats
    Jared SolomonReleasedLouisville Bats
    Julian AguiarChattanooga LookoutsDayton Dragons
    Thomas FarrChattanooga LookoutsDayton Dragons
    Jean CorreaDaytona TortugasACL Reds
    Kevin AbelDayton DragonsDaytona Tortugas
    Zach MaxwellDayton DragonsDaytona Tortugas
    Jared LyonsDaytona TortugasInjured List
    Juan MartinezACL RedsDaytona Tortugas

    The biggest move here may be the promotion of Julian Aguiar to Double-A. In 14 starts with Dayton this season he posted a 1.92 ERA, allowing just 44 hits in 70.1 innings and that included just two home runs. Aguiar had 77 strikeouts to go with 24 walks and a 0.97 WHIP. At the time he was promoted he was leading the league in ERA, WHIP, and batting average against (.174).

    In his final start with the Dragons he was charged with an unearned run in 6.0 innings while giving up three hits, walking no one, and striking out seven. His fastball had the best velocity it’s had all year, sitting 95-96 and touching 97. The secondary stuff was also working very well on the day (and the year, for that matter).

    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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    13 Responses

    2. I know it’s tough to project someone so early in their career but what do you see as the likely outcome for Aguiar? Does he profile as top of the rotation? The stats in Dayton look very impressive.

        1. I’m thinking Aguilar’s ceiling may be bumping up a bit, perhaps to a Tyler Mahle, #3, profile at his best. They are similar body types, and the increase in velocity is coming at about the same age as Mahle’s did. Also, in his draft scouting report, it was said he had some of the best arm speed in the draft, and that higher velo’s may emerge. I do think Aguilar’s breaking stuff is possibly more advanced than Mahle’s at the same age.

        2. Good response DaveCT. I think you may be right in that he could be a #3.

          His problem may turn out to be that Lowder and Phillips could be #2’s. Greene a #1, Abbott a #2, Lodolo a #2 or #3, Ashcraft a #3 or #4 and Petty a #1 or #2. Not all the prospects become ML SP. But if 5 of the above do then Aguiar is a RP.

    3. Any word on the slot $$$ for the signings? Am watching to see if the make a run at Gaeckle – hard to believe they get into penalty territory, but if they’re sold on the potential, the absolute $$$ needed to lure him from college may be acceptable. Would be a scouting coup of sorts.

      2. My guess is Stafura and Schoenwetter get the money saved with the signing of Lowder. Plus, they get most of the 5% over slot. Gaeckle is insurance if one of them do not sign.

      1. The development list is basically this: You can be with the team, practice with them, travel with them – but you aren’t eligible to play in games and you aren’t on the injured list.

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