Things started out pretty good for the Cincinnati Reds in 2014, but it finished out as a rough year. Any year that Joey Votto misses a large part of the season, it isn’t going to be pretty. Despite sitting in playoff contention at the All-Star break, the Reds tumbled to a 76-86 record. It has led to the beginnings of a youth movement in Cincinnati.
Gone are big name pitchers like Alfredo Simon and Mat Latos, with rumors about Johnny Cueto circling weekly around the bigs. The roster, however, is filled with some exciting young pieces like Billy Hamilton and Devin Mesoraco. The youth is also budding down on the farm.
The Reds don’t have an elite farm sytem, but the certainly have a few prospects that may be able to make an impact as early as 2015. Baseball America’s 2015 Top 10 Prospect list shows they are deep in arms, as seven of the ten are pitchers. One may be here as early as mid-season.
Aristides Aquino of the Cincinnati Reds in Extended Spring Training 4/23/14
Courtesy: Shaun P Kernaan
10. Yorman Rodriguez: The 22-year old Venezuelan import actually made his debut with the big league Reds despite never playing an inning in at Triple-A in his minor league career. Rodriguez, the Reds 6’3, right-hand hitting outfielder, posted his highest batting average and on base percentage since playing at Rookie ball in 2010. Despite a slight digression in power last season, the Reds clearly like what they see. While he hasn’t been the greatest defender in his career, he didn’t commit a single error in his 60-inning MLB debut.
9. Aristides Aquino: The right-handed hitting outfielder finally had the season on which the Reds have been waiting. The 20-year old from the Dominican had looked lost in his first three years at Rookie ball, but this year he put it together. He set career highs across the board with a .292/.342/.577 slash line. He belted 16 home runs which were three more than his entire career combined. Aquino also snagged 21 bases showing that he is a legitimate 20-20 threat. Currently his defense is a liability but the Reds can only he hope he matures there as well.
8. Nick Travieso: The former first round pick, drafted 14th overall by the Reds in 2012, had another nice season on the mound for Class A Daytona. The 6’2” right-hander compiled a 14-5 record with at 3.03 ERA. He struck out 114 batters over 123 innings and set a career-low in WHIP at 1.71. Travieso has been making strides earning his first Mid-Season All Star honor in 2014.
7. Amir Garrett: The huge left-handed pitcher (6’5” and 210 pounds) was drafted by the Reds in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft. 2014 was his first full season in Class A ball, and at first it looked like he would get off to a discouraging season for Daytona. Garrett started 0-4, but turned it on and finished the season 7-4. He threw two complete games, including a dazzling three hit, 12 strikeout performance that earned him the Midwest Pitcher of the Week Award. The 22-year old has a ways to go, but is trending in the right direction.
6. Anthony DeSclafani: The 24-year old pitching prospect may be known more for the big names he has been traded for over the past few seasons than his ability. He was involved in the 2012 blockbuster deal that sent him and a bevy of other young talent from the Blue Jays to the Marlins for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle amongst others. This offseason the Marlins shipped him off to Cincinnati as part of the Mat Latos trade. The right hander, drafted in the 6th round by the Blue Jays in 2011, has yet to have that wow season, but he did make five starts on the big league level last season. His roller coaster 2014 that saw him in AA, AAA and then Miami may have taken its toll. His big league debut was rather forgettable as he posted a 2-2 record with a 6.27 ERA and just 27 strikeouts in 33 innings.
5. Nick Howard: Yet another young pitcher makes the Reds Top 10. Howard was the Reds first round pick in 2014, and the 19th overall selection wasted no time proving he was the right pick. He went directly to the Class A Daytona Dragons, and started out in the bullpen. He quickly entered the starting rotations. His first 5 inning start was rough as he allowed six runs, but he then settled down allowing only one earned run in each of his last three starts. The young righty would pitch in the Arizona Fall League where he would be named an AFL Rising Star.
Jesse Winker in the Arizona Fall League
Courtesy: Shaun P Kernahan
4. Michael Lorenzen: That’s right, another pitcher makes the list. Lorenzen was selected 38th overall in the 2013 draft by the Reds. He spent the 2013 season at four levels, finally settling in at AA. He pitched a full season for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 2014 and earned Mid-Season All Star honors. The young righty proved to be a bit hittable allowing 112 hits in 120 innings last year, but was still able to control the damage with a 3.13 ERA. The 23-year old hopes to start the season in Triple-A.
3. Jesse Winker: The Reds 2012 first round draft pick has done nothing but impress in his three year career. The 21-year old outfielder has been an Organizational All Star all three years. In 2014 he earned a Player of the Week Award, a Mid-Season All Star selection in the High-A California League and an invite to the MLB Futures Game. He tore up High-A hitting (.317/.426/.580) and finished the regular season in Double-A Bakersfield. He went onto the Arizona Fall League where he would hit .338 with three home runs and 18 RBI en route to earning AFL Rising Stars honors and being named one of the 22 players on the AFL All-Prospect Team. He will likely begin the year in Double-A, but don’t expect him to hang around for long.
2. Raisel Iglesias: The 25-year old right handed pitcher hasn’t even hurled a pitch in the Reds system and is already the No. 2 prospect on their team. The Reds have already struck gold with Cuban closer Aroldis Chapman and hope to do the same with their newest Cuban arm in Iglesias. He signed a 7-year, $27 million dollar deal with the Reds in 2014.
Iglesias is a diminutive pitcher, standing at 5’11” and weighing in at a mere 165 pounds, but he has power in that arm of his. Many scouts of the prospect envision Iglesias as an arm out of the bullpen, as he was in the Seire Nacional in Cuba. Early reports, however, seem to think that the Reds will attempt to convert him into a starter. He hits the mid-90s on his fastball and has a deceiving breaking ball that he can get in the high 70s. His problem has been his erratic control and inconsistency.
Iglesias is 25, so he is still young, but may be accustomed to how he pitches. Can he maintain the same velocity over more innings as a starter than he does out of the pen? It is a question that 2015 will answer for the Reds.
Feb 15, 2014; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Robert Stephenson during team workouts on the practice fields of Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
1. Robert Stephenson: Yes indeed, the top spot in the Reds farm system is another pitcher. The 6’3”, 195 pound right hander was the Reds first round draft pick in the 2011 draft, selected 27th overall. The No. 1 prospect had a rough go at it in his first full season with the Double-A Blue Wahoos but ended the season on a high note.
Stephenson entered 2014 as a Top 20 prospect in baseball after a stellar 2013 campaign. He went 7-7 across three levels of minor league ball, posting a very impressive 2.99 ERA and striking out 136 over 114.1 innings. 2014 proved to be a bit different as he went 7-10 with a 4.74 ERA. He still showed a good strikeout rate, punching out 140 batters in 136.2 innings, but was also very hittable allowing 114 hits (and 74 walks) over the same span. Still, his mechanics a very good and was named a Mid-Season All Star.
Stephenson also was invited to the MLB Futures Game, where he struck out one in one inning of work for Team USA. He closed out the season with best performance of the year, hurling seven innings of one run ball while striking out nine. Many thought 2014 was the year Stephenson would break through to Cincinnati. The Reds hope that they don’t have to wait much longer.