There are only two teams left playing – Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga. Jason Vosler had a huge game where he did a little bit of everything for Louisville. Mat Nelson crushed his 21st homer of the year and Tyler Callihan picked up two more hits as he stayed hot in Chattanooga.
It’s a free Patreon preview day! If you are interested in getting emailed every day during the season with additional game notes and a rundown on how the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects performed (along with other perks) you can sign up to support the site through Patreon and get all of that for a few bucks a month. If that’s something that sounds interesting you can get more information here.
The Louisville Bats lost 17-11. Box Score
- Kevin Newman (rehab) went 0-3 with a walk and a run.
- Jacob Hurtubise went 3-5 with a walk, run, and an RBI.
- Miguel Hernandez went 1-2 with a run and an RBI.
- Jason Vosler (pictured above) went 5-6 with a double, home run (19), 3 runs, and 4 RBI. He also threw a perfect inning of relief.
- Henry Ramos went 1-3 with a walk, double, and a run.
- Matt Reynolds went 3-5 with a double, run, and 4 RBI.
- Jhonny Pereda went 2-5 with an RBI.
- Jose Barrero went 1-3 with a run and was hit by two pitches.
- Alejo Lopez went 2-5 with a run.
- Silvino Bracho threw 1.1 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts.
Game Notes
Louisville grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning. Durham then scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning. The Bats came back with two more runs in the 2nd inning…. then didn’t score again until the 8th when they were down 17-6.
Jason Vosler had a huge game, picking up five hits, a home run, driving in four runs, and he threw a perfect inning. That’s probably some sort of weird record that no one is aware of that exists. He’s been on fire in September, hitting .364/.391/.750 with nine extra-base hits in 10 games played.
Jacob Hurtubise just keeps on racking up the hits and making a mockery of the International League pitching. In 25 games with the Bats he’s hitting .418 with 18 walks and just 8 strikeouts. His on-base percentage is .562 with Louisville.
Matt Reynolds went 3-5 on September 1st. Since then he had gone 1-21 before busting out of his slump with another 3-5 night on Tuesday.
Top Pitch Velocity: Lyon Richardson – 97.9 MPH (ball)
Top Exit Velocity: Jhonny Pereda – 102.9 MPH (groundout)
Furthest Hit Baseball: Jason Vosler – 354 feet (home run)
The Chattanooga Lookouts lost 5-3. Box Score
- Tyler Callihan went 2-5 with a double and an RBI.
- Allan Cerda went 1-2 with 2 walks.
- Mat Nelson went 1-4 with a home run (21).
- Francisco Urbaez went 1-2 with 2 walks.
- Austin Callahan went 1-4 with a run.
- Jose Torres went 1-3.
- Jacob Heatherly threw 2.0 hitless innings with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
- Vin Timpanelli allowed a run in 2.0 innings with 2 strikeouts.
- Jake Gozzo threw a shutout inning with a strikeout.
Game Notes
The Lookouts got a handful of players added to their roster today, but only Allan Cerda was in the starting lineup – though Jacob Heatherly pitched out of the bullpen later in the game. Edwin Arroyo, Cade Hunter, Johnny Ascanio, Austin Hendrick, and Brooks Crawford also joined Chattanooga’s roster from Daytona and Dayton to start the final week of the regular season.
Mat Nelson led off the 2nd inning with a home run. His 21st of the season, and 3rd with Chattanooga, tied the game up. With 21 home runs he’s driven himself in 21 times. He’s driven in teammates 25 times (he has 46 RBI on the season).
Tyler Callihan entered September riding a 7-game hitting streak. He then went 3-19 in the first five games of the month, with all three hits coming in the same came. Since then he’s heated back up, going 7-16 with two walks. In his 17 games with the Lookouts he’s hitting .348/.442/.545.
Jacob Heatherly lowered his ERA on the season to 2.65 between three stops. He’s allowed just 24 hits and one home run in 51.0 innings. But he’s also walked 52 batters to go along with his 86 strikeouts this season.
Top 25 Prospects Rundown
9/13 Game Preview
Team | Record | Time (ET) | Probable | Box Score | Listen | Watch |
Louisville | 70-67 | 6:35pm | Mills | Here | Here | Here |
Chattanooga | 68-64 | 7:15pm | Aguiar | Here | Here | Here |
Dayton | 67-65 | Season | Complete | Here | Here | Here |
Daytona | 56-72 | Season | Complete | Here | Here | N/A |
ACL Reds | 28-28 | Season | Complete | Here | N/A | N/A |
DSL Reds | 28-26 | Season | Complete | Here | N/A | N/A |
Bummer to see Hinds on the injured list tough I suspect with his build he’ll have leg I juries. Hope the time off gets him ready for the playoffs.
Though I suspect …
Mat Nelson isn’t an enigma so much as a known quantity, a guy who can run into a pitch and put it over the fence 20 times a year. Is that ML, I don’t know. I suspect it’ll be his defense that gets him to the show, with that that power an a key feature.
I thought Nelson was known as an offensive catcher out of college. If he’s actually a good defender, that would put him in a different light for me, as I don’t see his offense alone being enough to make it to the Reds.
I hope the Reds sign Maile to a 3Y x $2M deal, that would keep him, and Stephenson together through the 26 season. It would also be cool if 1 of these hybrids C’s (Free, Trautwein, Hunter) also join the roster. I have a feeling we won’t see a worthy full time catcher come up until maybe Duno.
Never saw him as an elite defender but average.
MBS, I just looked up his strikeout rates from 2022 and 2023, and they’ve gone down from 34% to 26%. Still not great, and at age 23-24 in Hi A, for the most part. His walk rate of 11% isn’t bad but he just doesn’t get many hits, ie .224/.328/.438. If he survives AA, someone may give him a shot. I can say right now that Logan Tanner’s defense and especially that rocket launcher of an arm are ahead of Nelson. Same offensive issues, though.
I’d love an arm like Tanner’s behind the plate. They should take their time with him, he may develop into a backup C.
Doug, I see Hurtubise made your Top 25. Did you redo it or is that because of the Boyle trade? TIA
He moved up because Boyle got traded and a spot opened up.
Or was it because Siani got claimed on waivers?
Yeah – that’s the one. Brain fart. Or brainless on my part.
You nailed it AllTheHype. Siani was dropped from th list. Boyle was gone before Doug created his mid-season list.
Hurtubise is playing so well it’s starting to defy logic. The Reds future is looking bright!
Curious if projects as an average to above average fielder at MLB level?
Good question, I’m not sure either. I see he played all 3 spots in the OF, but he has spent more time in LF. Playing along side Dunn could be the reason why he doesn’t have more CF time. I know he’s got some speed as he’s sitting at 38 SB’s on the year.
I think he profiles as a LF, given his arm.
Glad to see Heatherly continuing to excel. He has to be a lock for a 40-man spot this fall. I could see him easily selected in Rulev and spending next year in a big league bullpen.
I have only seen him in the few televised Daytona games and you could tell it was still pretty early in his TJ recovery. But when he was on, he was really on. LH relievers throwing 96 aren’t all that uncommon anymore, but still they can be really effective or develop late, like Wandy Peralta. It’d be a big win for the club to develop Heatherly and have several years of team control.
I would be surprised if someone takes him. Not sure I would be surprised if the Reds protected him but I also don’t know how many roster spots they have open and who else needs protecting. But looking at his numbers he has more walks than innings pitched. That does not sound like a sound protection guy or rule five draft pick. After Mac Serolor was taken a few years ago though I learned that you can’t always know what teams are thinking in a pick.
Think Lyon Richardson more than Max Sceroler. Heatherly’s stuff is pretty impressive. Really good fastball and breaking ball alike. He’s been very rusty after TJ, but it’s easy to see what they like about him, a leftie sitting 96 plus. I imagine they’ll do some instructional league eval of him before deciding. I’d not be surprised at all if they protected him.
Dave I meant more that I was surprised someone took Seroler not that he is compared with Heatherly. I would be surprised if someone would take Heatherly because he has walked more batters than he has thrown innings. His track record of throwing strikes is very poor and while he has good stuff he does not have elite stuff. If he did then it would make sense that someone takes a chance but a guy who will have about three innings above Single A with more walks than innings just does not sound like a pitcher a big league team takes.
Gotcha!