2. Hunter Greene, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/6/1999 (18)
2017 teams/levels played for: advanced rookie Billings Mustangs
2017 Stats: 3 GS, 4 1/3 IP, 12.46 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 4.8% BB, 28.6% K
Info: With a lot of big talk before the draft of where he would sign, many figured the Cincinnati Reds would need to pay heavily to get Greene to sign as the 2nd overall pick this last June. They weren’t wrong, as Greene received a $7.23 million bonus.
Greene was allowed to hit and pitch both in his first pro experience, but he will be a pitcher-only going forward. On the mound, he’s got some impressive raw ability that could develop into a frontline guy. He is most known for his elite fastball, sitting in the upper 90s and frequently topping 100, maxing out at 102. He doesn’t have a ton of effort to get to those big velo numbers, but it’s still incredible velocity for a high school arm.
His secondary stuff both flashed plus, with a slider that as excellent break at its best along with a change that gets late wiggle, and both pitches feature excellent deception in looking like his fastball out of hand, really making them tough on hitters. That all said, he’s been inconsistent with the pitches, working more to locate them as a pro than to simply let the pitches go and get the movement he was able to generate in high school.
The Cincinnati Reds will want to be careful with Greene’s monster arm as he could be a frontline arm if he’s able to stay healthy and develop his secondaries. He could spend some extended spring still working on secondaries before heading out to low-A with some tight pitch counts.
1. Nick Senzel, 3B
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/29/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Daytona Tortugas, AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
2017 Stats: .321/.391/.514, 507 PA, 14 HR, 14 SB, 49/97 BB/K
Info: Moving around the diamond at Tennessee, Senzel never struggled to hit as one of the most pure hitters many scouts had seen. The Cincinnati Reds agreed, making him the 2nd overall pick of the 2016 draft.
There are few who watch Senzel that don’t come away absolutely raving about him both in tools and his attitude toward the game
Senzel worked all the way to low-A in his draft season, and he didn’t show any issue opening in high-A in the pitching-friendly Florida State League or being bumped up to AA in his first full pro season.
There are few who watch Senzel that don’t come away absolutely raving about him both in tools and his attitude toward the game. Senzel is the consummate “hustler”, giving 100% on grounders and often getting a second base on hits when opponents ease up defensively on a routine single.
He’s certainly got the hitting talent to get to second base all his own as well with excellent power in his quick swing that should allow him to hit for both average and quality power numbers, though he might be more of a 40-double, 20-home run guy than a big home run guy, but that’s still plenty of power.
Senzel simply needs a place to play, and with the extension to Eugenio Suarez, he may have to move off of third base. The Cincinnati Reds will open Senzel in AAA in 2018, but don’t be surprised if he’s playing some other positions to find a spot to move up to the big club by midseason.
Next: Newcomer to watch