6. Shed Long, 2B
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/22/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Daytona Tortugas, AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
2017 Stats: .281/.358/.477, 439 PA, 16 HR, 9 SB, 46/94 BB/K
Info: Originally a backstop out of high school in Alabama when the Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the 12th round in 2013, Long has made a successful transition to the keystone.
Long had a very productive season in 2017 in spite of having to battle through injuries for much of the year. He’s worked hard on his defensive skills at second base, but he’s still more average than anything at second, though he does get very high praise for his comfort level and footwork in turning a double play.
While he stands just 5’8″, Long has a big-time bat with potential to be a hitter for average and 20-25 home run power while still having enough speed to have double digit stolen bases for quite a while. While Long does not take a lot of pitches, he knows the zone well and attacks pitches within the zone with a powerful swing with plenty of gap power.
After finishing the year with just a short time at AA before injury finished his 2017 season, Long will likely open 2018 in AA, but he could factor in the 2019 plans for the Cincinnati Reds with another big season.
5. Jesse Winker, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/17/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Louisville Bats, MLB Cincinnati Reds
2017 Stats: Minors: .314/.395/.408, 347 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, 38/46 BB/K; Majors: .298/.375/.529, 137 PA, 7 HR, 1 SB, 15/24 BB/K
Info: Taken with a compensation pick in 2012 out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds, Winker has seemingly been dropping the last few years in prospect rankings due to prospect fatigue as much as anything.
Winker has always been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues
Winker has always been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, with an incredibly advanced approach, a “pretty” left-handed swing, and the stats to back up the scouting praise on his impressive swing. He’s not shown a ton of power to this point, but getting to the majors seemed to tick up his power as well while not hurting his plate discipline.
Winker’s bat will need to carry him as his defense in the outfield is fringe-average with an average arm and below-average range in the outfield. He is sure-handed on what he does get to and tends to throw accurate, but the raw tools underneath those abilities keep him from ever being more than an average corner outfield defender.
On the bases, Winker uses good baseball instincts to sneak a few stolen bases, but he’s more of an average runner than his steal numbers would indicate.
Winker will almost certainly break camp with the Cincinnati Reds, but whether he will have a full-time job or a platoon job initially is still a bit in the air.
Next: #3 and #4