REVISED Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects for 2019

6. Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP

Birthday: 9/18/1995 (23)
Acquired: International free agent, July 2016
Level(s): AA Pensacola
Statistics: 9-10, 27 GS, 147 IP, 4.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 6.1% BB, 23.2% K

Vladimir Gutierrez is the first of two prospects on the Cincinnati Reds list that I’m higher on than consensus that I’ve seen, and I’m more than willing to go down as supporting these guys after what I’ve seen of them.

The Cincinnati Reds continued their pipeline from Cuba with Gutierrez when they signed him in 2016. While he’s just 6′ tall and 185-205 in weight and maxed out in physical projection, the raw stuff of Gutierrez is good enough that it really doesn’t need to “add” to be an impressive prospect.

What does need to happen for Gutierrez is refining of that raw stuff. He throws a fastball that worked into the mid-90s and can threaten triple digits in short stints. The curveball is incredibly elite, a definite plus pitch and more often than not a double-plus offering. His change flashed fringe-plus movement as well in 2018, sitting as a definite average pitch that plays as a third pitch.

All of that puts a #4 starter expectation on Gutierrez, with a possible transition to the bullpen becoming a very positive thing. He is 23 already, so the Cincinnati Reds may have a tough decision to make about his future if he’s unable to generate better movement on his fastball to lead his arsenal in 2019, whether to move him permanently to the bullpen, as they did with Raisel Iglesias, or attempt to continue with him in the rotation.