Cincinnati Reds top 10 prospects for 2019

Josiah Gray, RHP

Birthday: 12/21/1997 (20)
Acquired: Draft, 2nd round, 2018
Level(s): advanced rookie Greeneville
Statistics: 2-2, 12 GS, 52 1/3 IP, 2.58 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 8.2% BB, 28.5% K

Local Le Moyne was the only school to give Gray a scholarship out of high school. Even though it was a Division II school, Gray’s impressive pitching on the mound earned him notice and got him on the radar for an early pick, where the Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the 2nd round.

Gray is misrepresented on his Baseball Reference page, listed at 6’1″ and 190 pounds. He’s at least 6’3″ and certainly built up to 200+ pounds, but he’s in very athletic shape. He used that athleticism to move from shortstop to pitcher, closing as a sophomore and spending his first year as a starter in 2018.

Gray’s arm has little mileage, which is definitely appealing. He can touch 96-97 MPH, but typically sits more in the 92-93 range with very good control of the pitch for someone with so little experience. He showed tremendous development in his offspeed pitches in the short time of pro instruction with Greeneville.

Ultimately, the projection for Gray is a mid-rotation arm that could fill up the zone and use his athleticism to log plenty of innings. However, with the limited work on his arm, Gray could still find even more ceiling, and if nothing else, he could be incredible out of the bullpen.