Jim Bowden is almost like that dude from Harry Potter who has the name you shouldn’t say. I don’t know who that guy is, but know from The Office that you shouldn’t say his name. Not everything that happened under his watch in Cincinnati was hit fault. He had a cheap owner who hamstrung some things. But he did have a way of leaving a sour taste in the mouth of Cincinnati Reds fans at times. And when he left the organization, it wasn’t exactly in a strong place, either.
The days of Jim Bowden, General Manager, are long gone. He’s now contributing in several areas of the media, with one of them being at The Athletic as a writer. Over the last few days he has released his version of a top prospects list. His list was 200 deep and broken down into four parts – 50 players on each part. You will need a subscription to The Athletic to read the lists, but if you have one, links are below for each part.
1-50 | 51-100 | 101-150 | 151-200
Starting at the bottom we get our first look at a player that didn’t crack any of the Top 100 lists we’ve seen elsewhere this offseason. Mike Siani, the Reds 4th round draft pick from 2018, comes in at #159 on the list. The 19-year-old center field prospect is known for his speed and his defense, both of which grade out as plus or better. He had a solid debut at the plate for Greeneville, too. He hit .288/.351/.386 for the newest Reds affiliate in the Appalachian League.
The other six players are all ones we’ve seen crack at least one Top 100 list from a national source this offseason. Tyler Stephenson, the organizations top catching prospect, came in at #125 on the list. The other five players all made Bowden’s Top 100.
Right-handed pitcher Tony Santillan came in at #91 overall on the list. Jonathan India, the Reds 1st round pick in 2018 came in at #49. Hunter Green came in at #39 and had one of the most strange comments ever written in his write up.
The raw skills and athleticism get you excited about his potential, but he needs to cut down on his walks and miss more bats.
Hunter Greene struck out 30.3% of the hitters he faced in 2018. He walked 7.8% of the hitters he faced in 2018. That’s an elite strikeout rate and an above-average walk rate, Jim. What are you talking about here?
Outfielder Taylor Trammell and Nick Senzel, who doesn’t exactly have a defined position, round out the list. Trammell came in at #16 overall. Senzel showed up with his lowest rating anywhere, coming in at #11.