It’s that time of year again where we look at the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects. Each day this week we will unveil five more spots on the list as we work our way through the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospect List for the 2019 season. You can see the entire list here (once it’s completed at the end of the week). If you were supporting the site on Patreon you would have gotten the entire Top 25 list last week and had early access to this, and all other scouting related articles that show up on the site. Click that orange banner above to see what all you can get for helping keep the site alive and kicking.
Just as a reminder, these write ups will not feature full scouting reports. Those will be included with the Season Reviews, which will start in a week – first working my way through the Top 25 prospects before then branching out into another 50-75 interesting prospects through the remainder of the offseason.
*To be eligible for the list a player must have 2019 Rookie of the Year eligibility (Fewer than 130 at bats in the big leagues, fewer than 50 innings pitches or less than 45 days on the active MLB roster that doesn’t include September)*
11. Mariel Bautista | OF | Age: 21
2018 Team: Billings Mustangs | Acquired: Undrafted FA, 2014 | Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 170 lbs
Another year and another season for Mariel Bautista to hit .320+. The Reds sent the outfielder to Billings where for the third straight stop in his progression, he hit .320 or higher. The then 20-year-old posted a .330 average to go along with a .386 on-base percentage. He made big strides in 2018, improving his walk rate and cutting down on an already low strikeout rate. The biggest improvement, however, may have been the development of his power. The 6′ 3″ Dominican Republic native had 24 extra-base hits in 56 games played for the Mustangs during the season.
For the Reds, it wasn’t just what Mariel Bautista can do at the plate that is impressive. He’s also capable of playing center field on the defensive side of the ball. He’s got good speed, and it showed up on the bases, too. Bautista stole 16 bases in 19 attempts in the Pioneer League. The game is well rounded, and there were several steps taken forward in important areas during the year.
Biggest Strength: The hit tool. He’s hit for a high average for pretty much his entire career, but when you couple the tool along with the strikeout rate and the power, it could play quite well.
Biggest Weakness: He’s got a well rounded game with the potential to be a 5-tool player. The biggest weakness when looking at his resume may just be that he hasn’t played full-season baseball yet.
12. Josiah Gray | RHP | Age: 20
2018 Team: Greeneville Reds | Acquired: 2nd Round, 2018 Draft | Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 190 lbs
When the 2018 season began, Josiah Gray was entering his first year as a full-time pitcher at Le Moyne College. He wasn’t really on the radar for a day one draft pick, and he probably wasn’t on the radar for day two, either. That all changed with a quickness as he came out dominating and never looked back. The Reds took him with their compensation round B pick in the 2nd round in June and assigned the right hander to their new affiliate in Greeneville.
Josiah Gray barely skipped a beat from his time at Le Moyne. The Appalachian League hitters didn’t find much success against him as he allowed just 29 hits in 52.1 innings to go along with a 2.58 ERA for the Reds. It also came with just 17 walks and 59 strikeouts. The step up in workload was enormous for Gray, who had thrown just 14.1 innings in 2017. Between his time in college, and with Greeneville, the 20-year-old threw 146.0 innings during the season.
Biggest Strength: The fastball. Josiah Gray has an above-average fastball, and he can throw it for strikes. It plays very well.
Biggest Weakness: The secondary offerings aren’t on par with his fastball and while he’s come a very long way in a short period of time, there’s still plenty for him to continue to work on with his secondary pitches as he develops and moves forward.
13. Mike Siani | OF | Age: 19
2018 Team: Greeneville Reds | Acquired: 4th Round, 2018 Draft | Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 180 lbs
The Cincinnati Reds spent their 4th round selection on outfielder Mike Siani in 2018. And then they spent a whole lot of money to keep him from going to college, signing him to a bonus of $2M – well above slot value. After signing he joined the Greeneville Reds in their inaugural season. Coming out of the draft there were concerns about how much he would hit as scouts were a bit split. But they all agreed that his speed and defense was outstanding.
In his time with the Reds, both things showed up. He made pitchers happy all season as he tracked down fly balls and line drives in center field. At the plate he hit .288/.351/.386 in 205 plate appearances. That came with 16 walks and 35 strikeouts, as well as six stolen bases.
Biggest Strength: Defense. He’s got plenty of speed to use in center field, but that combined with his routes and reads, and a good arm, just add up to make him a plus defender at one of the toughest spots on the field.
Biggest Weakness: Power. It’s not there right now, and it doesn’t project to be more than a below-average tool in the future.
14. Lyon Richardson | RHP | Age: 18
2018 Team: Greeneville Reds | Acquired: 2nd Round, 2018 Draft | Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 175 lbs
Another spot on the list and another player selected in the 2018 draft and assigned to Greeneville. Lyon Richardson was the Reds 2nd round pick and 47th overall pick in the draft. There is a lot to like with Richardson when you look at the raw tools. But, his first taste of professional baseball didn’t go well.
He made 11 starts for the Greeneville Reds and posted a 7.14 ERA and threw just 29.0 innings. Richardson kept the baseball in the yard, but his stuff wasn’t quite as sharp as it was when he was in high school earlier in the 2018 season. At times he struggled to put hitters away, and his control wasn’t great. At just 18-years-old, that’s not worth worrying much about.
Biggest Strength: The fastball has been up to 98 MPH in high school. With that said, it wasn’t there as a professional.
Biggest Weakness: His change up. The pitch lags behind his breaking ball and his fastball, both now and likely in the future based off of the raw grades.
15. Jose Garcia | SS | Age: 20
2018 Team: Dayton Dragons | Acquired: Undrafted FA, 2017 | Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 175 lbs
After signing with the Cincinnati Reds in the summer of 2017 for $5M, plus an additional $5M penalty for going over, Jose Garcia didn’t play in official games during the year. During spring training in 2018 he stood out on the field, but after joining Dayton to begin the season in April, he got out to a slow start. In the first 66 games of the season he hit just .196.
Things got better in the second half for the 20-year-old. In the final 59 games of the year he began to show some more power and he hit .288 over those final 274 plate appearances. He still struggled with plate discipline, though. Defensively he split time at shortstop and second base, with more of that time coming at shortstop.
Biggest Strength: His arm strength. At shortstop he’s a quality fielder, but his arm can be a difference maker.
Biggest Weakness: Plate discipline. Garcia walked just 19 times during the season and struck out 112 times. The strikeout rate wasn’t bad on it’s own, but in relation to such a low walk rate, there’s a big change that needs to be made.
