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    Scouting Reports on the Cincinnati Reds 2024 International Signings

    Doug Gray 26

    The Cincinnati Reds kicked off the first day of the 2024 Major League Baseball International Signing period with more than a dozen signings. The signings that took place on January 15th will almost assuredly not be the final ones made by the Reds, but they will likely be a large part of the overall signings over the next 11 months that make up the 2024 signing period.

    These scouting reports went out to the people who support my work through Patreon on Monday evening. Early access to some content is one of the perks to being a subscriber there. If that’s something you might be interested in, here’s a link to check it all out.

    Let’s jump into the scouting reports on the signees – listed below in alphabetical order by first name.

    Adolfo Sanchez Scouting Report

    Outfielder | 6′ 2″ | 175 lbs | B/T: L/L

    Born: September 19, 2006

    The top player in the class for the Reds, Sanchez is rated the #5 overall prospect in 2024’s international class by MLB Pipeline and got the 6th highest signing bonus according to Baseball America.

    A potential 5-tool player, Adolfo Sanchez has a chance to provide value in all aspects of the game. Defensively he’s a strong center fielder right now who takes outstanding routes to the ball and gets strong reads off of the bat, allowing him to stick out at the position despite not having burner-caliber speed. If he fills out over the years and loses a step in the process he’s got plenty of arm – above-average to plus depending on who you ask – to slide over to right field without any issues.

    At the plate there’s plenty to like, too. He’s got an above-average hit tool who shows an advanced approach for his age with good pitch recognition. His power in the future varies a bit depending on who you ask, but on the low end you will get scouts who give him an average power grade but I’ve been told there’s potential plus raw power down the line if he fills out some.

    Diorland Zambrano Scouting Report

    Shortstop | 5′ 10″ | 168 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: November 2, 2006

    A shortstop out of Venezuela, Diorland Zambrano can and does use the entire field at the plate. Shows a high baseball IQ and looks better the more you watch him play. Has clean actions at shortstop and makes plays look easy. He will need to add some strength moving forward.

    Erlin Aguero Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 5′ 10″ | 154 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: September 12, 2004

    He could be a starter or a reliever at this point in his career. Low 90’s with the fastball. Has a feel for a breaking ball.

    Franyer Mendez Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 6′ 1″ | 194 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: December 15, 2006

    The top pitching prospect in the Reds signing class at this point. Franyer Mendez throws four pitches – a fastball, slider, curveball, and a change up. His fastball is up to 91 MPH. Shows a clean delivery, throws all of his pitches for strikes. He has all of the makings for a future starting pitcher.

    Jaset Martinez Scouting Report

    Outfielder | 5′ 10″ | 170 lbs | B/T: L/L

    Born: December 15, 2006

    Can really hit. Could have power to all fields and already uses the entire field. He’s always hit, always finds the barrel. Corner outfield profile, but may see some time at first base as well.

    Jhan Almeida Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 6′ 3″ | 185 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: April 29, 2005

    Has three pitches – fastball, a breaking ball, and a change up. Stood out from an analytics standpoint.

    Jose Sabino Scouting Report

    Shortstop

    Undersized, but has good actions up the middle and could move around the field and play multiple positions. Can spray the ball to all parts of the field.

    Jirvin Morillo Scouting Report

    Catcher | 5′ 11″ | 177 lbs | B/T: S/R

    Born: January 10, 2007

    The switch-hitter can hit well from both sides. The ball sounds different off of his bat. Very athletic, especially for a catcher. He’s worked hard on his defense and has made strides in the last year on that side of the ball. Will get the opportunity to catch, but he’s athletic enough to move to the outfield down the line if needed.

    Juan Brown Scouting Report

    Third Baseman | 6′ 3″ | 185 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: July 5, 2007

    A big, physical guy. Former pitcher where he was up to 90 MPH. He’s improved over the last year as a position player. Could have big power down the line. There’s a chance he could see time as an outfielder. Potential to have big tools if things develop.

    Fun fact: He’s the cousin of Xander Bogaerts.

    Manuel Marchan Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 6′ 3″ | 165 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: March 28, 2007

    Really athletic pitcher. Throws a fastball, slurve, and a change up. The slurve stands out among his stuff, working in the 79-82 MPH range. He hides the ball well out of a high arm slot.

    Naibel Mariano Scouting Report

    Shortstop | 6′ 3″ | 182 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: August 6, 2006

    The Reds 2nd highest bonus getting prospect in this class and got the 11th highest bonus in the class according to Baseball America. The ball jumps off of his bat and has big power potential. His hit tool could be average in the future.

    He shows a plus arm in the field already. He has good feet, good actions, and can move well. Already 6′ 3″ and 182 lbs. there’s a chance he could outgrow the position in the future, but his arm should play well at third base. The Reds are going to give him plenty of opportunity to remain at shortstop, though.

    Nayerich Waterfort Scouting Report

    Second Baseman

    Smaller middle infielder who competes well. Can play shortstop, second, or third base. May get some time in the outfield.

    Oniel Diaz Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 6′ 3″ | 198 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: August 10, 2005

    He’s 18-years-old, so a tad older than some others in the class. Throws a fastball, change up, and a curveball. His curveball has a high spin rate, peaking over 2800 RPM in the mid-70’s from a velocity standpoint.

    Pablo Nunez Scouting Report

    Outfielder | 5′ 10″ | 145 lbs | B/T: L/L

    Born: October 23, 2006

    Good bat to ball skills. He’s a leadoff type of guy, but has surprising power for his size. Strong defender in left and center with good speed. He needs to put on some weight and strength.

    Peson Revierre Scouting Report

    Outfielder | 6′ 3″ | 159 lbs | B/T: S/R

    Born: December 18, 2006

    Long, lanky, and could fill out. Could have big power from the right side (he’s a switch hitter). Can run and throw. Still a raw player who needs reps and playing time.

    Riangelo Richardson Scouting Report

    Second Baseman | 5′ 9″ | 159 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: July 1, 2007

    Could possibly play shortstop or third base along with second. Swings the bat well, can run well. He has an above-average arm.

    Shendrion Martinus Scouting Report

    Shortstop | 5′ 10″ | 161 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: December 23, 2006

    Lean and wiry, but projectable. Good swing. He shows soft hands and good actions at both shortstop and third base. He will need to add some strength moving forward.

    Fun side note: He pitched for the Curacao Little League World Series team and threw a no-hitter against Australia in 2019. Additional fun side note – his brother signed last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    Stharlin Torres Scouting Report

    Right-Handed Pitcher | 6′ 0″ | 182 lbs | B/T: R/R

    Born: June 19, 2006

    Three pitch mix featuring a fastball, slider, and a change up. The fastball is up to 92 MPH now and plays up and projects to add velocity down the line. The slider could be an above-average offering in the future and currently works in the mid-to-upper 70’s. Change up is still developing. Will be given the opportunity to start.

    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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    26 Responses

    2. In the Reds MLB.com top 30 prospects, the current top hit tool is Cam Collier alone at 55. In the current MLB top 100, there are only about 20 with a hit tool of 60 or more

      The Reds just added a 60 in Sanchez (if legit) and are poised to add a 65 or 70 in June thanks to the baseball Gods smiling on them.

      2. @Greenfield Red – where are you seeing the Hit Tool ratings at? Question though…Hit tool must go with power right? Without any power a Hit Tool doesn’t do much. Examples – José Peraza and Nick Madrigal. Or is a good example of a great Hit Tool with little power Luis Arráez and not those other two guys?

        1. I’ll take an Ichiro Suzuki type. He didn’t hit home runs, but did have a .400 slugging %.

        3. Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Pete Rose are all in the HOF despite all have career slugging percentages of .459, .443 and .409

        4. clammy,

          Shoot a little lower with guys like Ozzie Smith (.328), Phil Rizzuto (.355), and Bill Mazeroski (.367) leading the way.

        5. Jonathan, It appears to me, the Reds have begun to value hit over power in recent years. I prefer it that way. A lot of guys grow into at least some power, while fewer learn control the strike zone if it is not in their make up to begin with… in my opinion.

          My guess would be, if no other information was known, a guy with a 60 hit tool has a 100 times better chance to make the majors than a guy with a 60 power tool.

    3. Well, very good Doug, nice report. I hope 2 prospects to develop in above-average ML players and other 4 turning into ML average ones from this IFA signing group would be awsome.

    4. Jirvin Morillo is the third guy with a top 100 bonus. And, while this does not indicate what the Scouting Gods of baseball think of him, it does indicate what the Reds think of him. In a very loose comparison to the draft, I take this as the club signed three kids who were Top 100 in the book, including 6 and 11, with Morillo in the 90’s somewhere. Not a bad Day One of the International Signing Extravaganza.

      Of note — the high athleticism and a descriptor of another solid hit tool (the ball sounds different coming off the bat — what I read as barreling the ball). A highly athletic catcher with a chance to stick behind the plate, switch hitter, average or above bat. What’s not to like?

      1. Agree; a good catcher who can hit is still a position of need for Cincy IMO. Luv Tyler Steve, but there r some concerns there

      2. He sounds like an interesting prospect. I’m looking forward to see what we have here with all of these signings.

    5. OK – to state my question a different way, with a very high hit tool, how much power does a player have to have to be successful? Does a Hit tool include a players eye or how well they gauge the strike zone?

      1. Generally speaking, the hit tool doesn’t include the players “strikezone judgment”.

        But in today’s game, you almost have to hit for some amount of power to be of value as an offensive player. You don’t need to be a home run hitter, but you do need to be able to hit some homers. Pitchers and defenses can just do too much these days if you can’t make them pay. For every Luis Arraez who can get by without power, there are 100 guys who can make contact at a high rate like he does but who can ‘t hit nearly enough to be big leaguers.

        It is similar to the whole “Well, Greg Maddux didn’t throw hard” thing. But to more of an extreme because Maddux did throw plenty hard – he was never remotely close to a soft tosser until he was in his 40’s. But yeah, the outliers are the outliers – they are not the model of expectation.

        1. Doug, with hit tool, is it fair to say the player generally has a lower (more acceptable) strikeout rate, in addition to contact rate?

        2. Well said on Maddox! Many label him as a soft tosser, but that wasn’t true until much later on in his career

    7. It’s weird but in the Reds transaction log Adolfo Sanchez signing still is not shown however Stharlin Torres appears twice… Maybe is a miscue?

    8. These are all just boys. Good luck to them.

      Gotta like Peson Revierre. The Reds have had good luck lately with long, lean switch hitters with speed, and a good arm, and an excellent name.

      I’m glad there will be two teams in the Dominican this year. Do we have any clue as to what goes into deciding which player goes to which team?

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