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    Rece Hinds (Photo: Redleg Nation Staff)
    Photo: Redleg Nation Staff

    Cincinnati Reds #19 Prospect: Rece Hinds – Outfielder

    Doug Gray 16

    After having struggled to stay on the field for the first few years as a professional, it was the 2023 season that saw Rece Hinds play 80 or more games in a season for the first time. And with consistent playing time he put together his best season while hitting 23 home runs in Double-A.

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    After a breakout season in 2023, the Cincinnati Reds added Hinds to the 40-man roster in the offseason and then when the year began sent him to Triple-A to join the Louisville Bats. The season got out to a nice start for the outfielder. He homered and walked in the season opener. The next day he would hit another home run and add another walk. He then picked up a hit to wrap up the 3-game series against Indianapolis as March came to an end.

    For as well as things had gone against Indianapolis to begin the season, things went in the other direction against Gwinnett. In six games against the Stripers he went 1-24 with 12 strikeouts. While things did get a little better from there, they didn’t get much better. In the remaining 19 games in April he hit just .229, walked four times, struck out 33 times, and didn’t homer for the entire month.

    May got out to a good start for Hinds as he homered in the first two games of the month. Over the first nine games he went 10-29 (.345) and added in two doubles to go with his home runs. He would slow down a little bit from there as he hit just .232 in the remaining 16 games but he walked often to bring his on-base percentage to .368 in that stretch and he slugged .500 as he added in seven more extra-base hits.

    Things didn’t go well for much of June. In the first 18 games of the month he hit just .164 and had 30 strikeouts with just three walks. But the final four games of the month saw him pick up a hit in each game and he carried that forward into July where he had five hits in the first 18 at-bats.

    That helped lead to his being called up to the big leagues on July 8th. Rece Hinds announced his presence with authority as he went 2-3 with a double and a home run in his debut. The next day he went 3-5 with a double, triple, and another home run. While he had hits the next two days, all of them remained in the ballpark. But he opened up the series against the Marlins by homering and then came back the next day and hit two more home runs.

    A week into his big league career he had gone 11-26 with nine extra-base hits and had an OPS of 1.657. That week led directly into the All-Star break and Hinds won the National League’s Player of the Week award for his performance.

    The break may have been the worst thing to happen for the Reds rookie because when games resumed he went 1-12 with five strikeouts in three games and was then optioned back to Triple-A. Facing minor league pitching didn’t get anything going in the right direction. Hinds played in 22 games after his demotion and he hit .179 and slugged .262 while striking out 34 times.

    Cincinnati called him back up on August 27th. For the final month of the season he didn’t get a start for the Reds and went 0-8 with three walks.

    For all 2024 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).

    Rece Hinds Scouting Report

    Position: Outfield | B/T: R/R

    Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 215 lbs. | Acquired: 2nd Round (2019 Draft)| Born: September 5, 2000

    The scouting report, at least from the offensive side of things for Rece Hinds, sounds a lot today like it did the day he was drafted: Big time power, but will he make enough contact? Obviously the fact that he already reached the big leagues is an accomplishment on it’s own and he’s done something very few will ever do. But from a long term perspective the question remains as to whether he can make enough contact to stick around in the big leagues. His power is among the best in all of baseball, as you can see below in the video of him hitting a 495-foot home run for Louisville last summer.

    After making big strides in the second half in Chattanooga with new swing mechanics that helped him cut down on his strikeouts, Hinds struck out 38% of the time he came to the plate in Triple-A in 2024. His strikeout rate in Cincinnati was better, at 31%, but both of those numbers are higher than you want to see and 38% is essentially not viable for a hitter.

    While there was a lot of swing-and-miss against the various fastballs (4-seamer, 2-seamer, cutter), Hinds real struggles were against everything else. He hit .320 and slugged .576 against the 3-fastball types between Triple-A and the big leagues in 2024. But against everything else he hit .141 and slugged .302. Improving against secondary pitches will be the key between him becoming a big leaguer and being a guy who gets a short term call up from Triple-A every so often to fill in on the bench.

    Defensively, Hinds has found his way from the infield to the outfield and has turned himself into a quality defensive player. His speed plays well in right field and he’s got a big arm to keep baserunners honest. There’s value to be provided in his defense and even in his baserunning. But at the end of the day it’s going to be about whether or not he can make enough contact to allow his bat to play in some sort of role in the big leagues.

    Stats

    Spray Chart (MiLB only)

    Video

    Interesting Stat on Rece Hinds

    14 of the 19 home runs that Hinds hit in 2024 were 401+ feet. His 19 home runs averaged 417 feet.

    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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    16 Responses

    2. It will be interesting to see if he can exceed the Aristides Aquino career arc.

      He’s got enough power & defense to be given ample opportunities in L’ville to learn how to consistently get he bat on the ball.

    3. If we could get a 5th outfielder out of Hinds, Dunn, and Hurtubise it would be a win. The group behind them in AA seems better, but we are still probably looking at 3rd or 4th type OF.

      We need some high end talent transitioned to the OF or acquired in the draft, trade or international market.

      1. If Hinds hits well enough to be the fifth outfielder, he will be the Reds starting RF. He’s the prototypical RF who can bat cleanup if he makes sufficient contact to play in the majors.

        1. The most likely to stick as a 5th feels like Dunn. It’s his defense, and speed combination that could work as a 5th. He’s also got enough power to be dangerous as a pinch hitter.

    4. Aquino struck out too much to be anything more than a 5th OF in the majors. He struck out too much in the minors but from A+ ball on he kept his K% under 25%.

      Hinds has struck out 36.8% of the time since he entered A+ ball. After his fantastic first week in the majors pitchers adjusted and Hind stuck out in 39% of his PA. The games I watched he swung at sliders so far outside the strike zone he zero chance of contact.

      His ranking here is probably due to his huge upside but realistically, he is not really a prospect at this point.

    5. I’m not really a Hinds believer, only in the fact that I just think he won’t hit enough. Defense is solid, arm is good, decent speed, lightower power, he is a solid four tool player. Just not the most important tool for a position player.

      I’d love to see him prove me wrong, because he’s a star if he could hit above .250 consistently and not strike out over a third of the time.

    6. Word on the street is that the Dodgers are backing out of deals they had with IFA for 1/15, Roki to LAD incoming. Bring on the lockout.

    7. I see so much potential in his bat, but it’s clear he thinks too much at the plate due to confidence. You can watch closely and it appears he’s squeezing so hard you expect sawdust to come off the handle. But you watch his short, compact, quick swings like his 495′ shot in Louisville and it screams elite.

      I am left to wonder what his commitment and focus level is. I saw times where he looked checked out, and being demoted after his all world week in July, it’s almost like he said F it. Was it pouting? I truthfully don’t know and can’t find any articles about his work ethic.

      In short, this is why we brought in Tito and his choice of hitting coaches (Thank God)!. The guys he brought in have a history of really unlocking hitters potential by simplifying at bats. The Reds got way over committed to Drive and the pure technology hitting approach and forgot coaches need to coach. If the Reds compete for a Championship this year, it’ll be because Tito’s hitting coaches were the real missing piece to the clubhouse. I’ll go out on a limb, if the Reds have 3 hitters hit .295+ and 1 guy slug 35 HR they represent the NL in the World Series in 2025.

      1. In the time that the Reds new hitting coach was with Cleveland they were an above-average offense one time via OPS+. It was his first season with Cleveland back in 2022 when they had a 102 OPS+ and finished 13th in the league. The next two seasons they fell below the 100 mark (which is league average) and were in the bottom half in the league.

    8. I saw Hines in a three game set in Louisville in early August, after he was sent down obviously. He hit a home run in his first AB, but thereafter looked like he didn’t care. I’ve seen more enthusiastic waves at friends across the street than his waves at the plate at pitches. After that HR he struck out close to 50% of the remaining plate appearances in that three game stretch. Give him this year but if there is not substantial improvement, his time on the prospect list should be ended. Not saying give up on him or give him away, but he and Aquino appear to have too similar a track.

    9. Hinds – MiLB career BB/K – 115/504 – .23%
      Dunn – MiLB career BB/K – 134/283 – .47%

      Overall K rate is bad, but there’s also strike zone recognition/discipline to consider.

    10. I watched Hinds quite a bit in his 2023 surge (can’t quite call it a breakout considering the regression).

      What always impressed me was how hard he played, running the bases, defensively, running out ground balks. I really felt he played the game the right way. He strikes me as very likable (not just affable — but genuinely positive).

      All of the above still doesn’t hit the slider away, however. I know Chattanooga hitting coach Daryl Ward had him make adjustments that really worked well, But i also wonder if the second half of AA, where the pre-tacked ball experiment was removed, also meant pitchers became more hit-able as their stuff returned to baseline.

      With Alex Pelaez promoted from AAA to the ML’s as an assistant hitting coach, i wonder if Ward will move from AA to AAA, and if Hinds will benefit.

      1. I don’t think the tacked ball caused the 2023 hot streak, which was through “the first half, roughly July 1. Hinds began hitting on June 9, when as I understand it Daryl Ward and roving instructor Dave Hansen convinced Hinds to move a little farther away the plate. They also worked with Hinds to hit line drives and not to worry about launch angle or home runs, with the logic being that Hinds has ridiculous natural power and that his home runs would come naturally.

        In his prior 7 games in June 2023, Hinds had 0 BBs and 15 SOs in 29 PAs. From June 9-30, he slashed .455/.544/1.018, with 9 BBs and only 14 SOs in 68 PAs. He continued on a similar arc through July and August, so it wasn’t just a mere hot streak. I think the theory in moving him away from the plate was that the outside pitches that he had been chasing would more clearly be recognized as pitches not to swing at.

        I have no idea whether he began to creep back up on the plate, or whether the pitchers caught on, or why the adjustment didn’t show up in 2024 in AAA. Hinds is a very valuable asset if he can hit .250 and keep the SO% below 30; whether he can do that is the issue.

        The reports I read on the tacky ball in AA that year suggest that the main effects were pitchers’ being able to get more “ride” on their 4-seamers, and to get sharper breaks on other pitches. Here is one report from mid-season: https://www.riverregionsports.com/stories/the-tacky-ball-a-southern-league-experiment-with-new-baseballs-ends-with-mixed-results. I don’t think MLB liked the results, and it sent DuPont or whatever company it was working with back to the lab.

    11. If I was HINDS I would ask management to get pitchers to throw slider,slider,slider he v would benefit from repetition. Good Luck REDS and Young talented OF.

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