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    Jacob Friend (Photo: Joey Tedesco/Daytona Tortugas)
    Photo: Joey Tedesco/Daytona Tortugas

    Reds MiLB Notebook: Jacob Friend is out to a hot start in Daytona

    Doug Gray 12

    The Cincinnati Reds selected Jacob Friend in the 6th round out of Davidson in 2024. He wouldn’t make his debut until 2025. Things didn’t go as well as he would have hoped for that season. His season began with him going 3-44 in the first two months as he split time between Daytona and the Arizona Complex League Reds.

    Things did get a little better after that, but it took time. He hit under .180 in both June and July, but things took a turn in August and September. In the final 21 games he played for the Tortugas in 2025 during those months he hit .286/.407/.531.

    In 2026 he found himself back in Daytona to begin the year and not only has he picked up where he left off, he’s taken it to the next level, too. As a catcher he’s not going to play every single game, but he’s been on the field in 11 of the Tortugas 15 games and he’s been their best hitter. He is currently riding a 6-game hitting streak and he’s had hits in nine of his 11 games. Friend has gone 13-40 and of his 13 hits only two of them have been singles. The left-handed hitter has been crushing the ball, racking up six doubles, two triples, and three home runs so far. He’s also walked eight times.

    All of that has led to a .325/.440/.800 line to go along with 13 runs scored and 12 runs batted in. Jacob Friend leads the league in doubles, triples, extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS. He’s second in the league in home runs. He’s third in the league in runs scored and in the top five in batting average, RBI, and total bases.

    Notes from around the farm

    Over the weekend Ruben Ibarra hit a home run down in Chattanooga. The ball was crushed at 116.8 MPH off of his bat. The launch angle must have been quite high because at the incredibly exit velocity it “only” traveled 395 feet. It still cleared the grass area beyond the fence and landed up on the concourse at Erlanger Field

    The Louisville Bats have played 21 games this season. In 12 of those games JJ Bleday or Michael Toglia have had the hardest hit baseball of the game for Louisville. Each of them have topped the day six times.

    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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    12 Responses

    2. It’s an unbelievable start for Friend. How is he behind the dish defensively? Both Tortuga games i’ve been able to watch so far, King was at catcher for both (and he seemed pretty solid defensively from what I saw). What’s almost just as crazy is that in the level above him we have our top prospect in Alfredo Duno and Ryan McCrystal has also been crushing it for Dayton splitting time between catcher, 1B, and DH. I talked about this yesterday, but it may take a midseason daisy chain of promotions in order to move Friend up to the next level. Cade Hunter to AAA, McCrystal to AA being older and Duno’s development being top priority amongst this group, and then Friend into Dayton to fill the role McCrystal would vacate. Should Duno prove ready to move up I suppose you can do that, but as a 20 year old catcher I think you give him this year in Dayton unless he absolutely forces the Reds hand by just dominating the league offensively.

      If we can land Duno’s backup from one of Hunter/McCrystal/Friend, it would be a big boon to the organization to have that cheap depth once Trevino is gone. I would assume the Reds plan for 2027 would be to keep Trevino as depth and sign a starter in FA to a 1 year deal. I wouldn’t even be opposed to brining back Stephenson on one year deal if he is open to it, but I bet he is going to look for more years, but I’m not positive he gets them from anyone else.

      1. Forgot to add that both McCrystal and Friend bat left handed, so they would be a nice complement to the right handed Duno.

        Friend is a plus athlete (as evidenced by the two triples so far this year) who also played some CF for Davidson, and just turned 23 back in February, so while he is older for Low A, he isn’t quite that old.

        1. Cade Hunter is left handed, too. As is Michael Trautwein, who i haven’t given up on and may yet make a jump.

          Four LH catchers might qualify as a X-Files episode.

    3. He’s old for the level he is playing at, and his last name is Friend.

      Therefore, Jacob is an old friend!

      1. He just turned 23, which looking at the Daytona roster is right about the middle in the teams age range, not old.

        3. According to Baseball Reference, Jacob Friend is about 2 years older than league average for Low A.

          He’s also the Tortugas 10th oldest position player (out of 12).

          I would argue that makes him old – an old Friend ;)

    4. Well , Jacob Friend hasn’t been actually “friend” of the pitchers so far… Guy was a solid NCAA hitter and he shows up can get a lot of walks. Something to have a concern is his K%…I just recall when the Reds farm system had not good catchers prospects who could hit well some years ago but now kids like Duno, Cade Hunder, Ryan McCrystal, Friend, Jirvin Morillo seems they can change things….

    5. McCrystal comes from a nice baseball area (East Carolina) and caught Trey Yesavage for a couple of years. So he knows how to catch to talent. As far as him being “older,” the alternative is to draft kids like Duno and keep stashing them for 6 years until they are old enough to get a AAA gig.

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