It’s prospect list day on the internet. Earlier today the folks at Baseball Prospectus released their Top 101 prospect list. And now we have the Baseball America Top 100 list. You can see the entirety of the list right here, but you will need to be a subscriber to see the list. The Cincinnati Reds had a nice showing on the list, landing five prospects on the list and all of them were in the top 70.
Cincinnati Reds top prospect Nick Senzel was the top prospect from the organization on the list. He came in at #10 on the list, and was the only Reds prospect to crack the top 30. Senzel is listed as a 3B/2B on the list, and is noted as being ready to make an impact in 2019. That’s not surprising given that he beat up on Triple-A pitching in 2018 before an injured finger, and subsequent surgery cost him the remainder of his season after the injury in late June.
Taylor Trammell came in ranked at #33 on the list. He, along with Senzel, gave the Reds two top 50 prospects. This is a bit surprising, given that Trammell was the #3 prospect in the system when Baseball America released the Reds Top 10 list earlier this offseason. The ranking spot itself sounds correct, though. He’s got all of the tools you want to see on offense, and only his arm strength keeps him from being a true 5-tool player. Still, he’s got a very well rounded game that could be a difference making skillset in the Major Leagues as early as late 2019.
In another slightly surprising ranking, Jonathan India came in next among the Reds prospects. This is only surprising given that he, like Trammell, ranked behind Hunter Greene on the organizational list, but is ahead of him on the Top 100. The Reds first round pick in 2018 cracks the list at #51. He split his half-year in the organization between rookie-level Greeneville, rookie-level Billings, and Low-A Dayton. When the offseason began he was a part of a deep crop of potential third and second base prospects. Trades, however, have taken that depth away some. Still, along with Senzel, he provides high-end talent on the depth chart at both spots.
Hunter Greene came in on the list a few spots later, at #57. The now 19-year-old saw his 2018 season cut short by a tear in his UCL in his pitching elbow. He chose to go the rehab route, much like other Reds pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Anthony DeSclafani did. And like them, it has worked thus far. He began throwing with no restrictions in December as he prepares for the 2019 season.
Tony Santillan wraps up the Reds representation on the list. He got a nice ranking, coming in at #69 overall. It’s the highest ranking he has had in his career thus far. In the previous update of the Baseball America Top 100 back in early August he was ranked at #96. I’ll argue he’s the most underrated prospect in the organization, but he’s getting recognized here. He split his year in Advanced-A Daytona and Double-A Pensacola in 2018. In his 149.0 innings he posted a 3.08 ERA with 38 walks and 134 strikeouts – showing better peripherals in Double-A than Advanced-A.
How do the Reds stack up in the division?
The Cincinnati Reds landed five players on the list. So did the St. Louis Cardinals, who were led by Alex Reyes. Pittsburgh had three players, led by Mitch Keller. Milwaukee only had two players make their list, with Keston Hiura being the tops from the organization. The Chicago Cubs were left off of the list entirely.
Even with the trades that have taken place, the Reds still have arguably the top farm system within the division. Among the top five prospects in each organization, they are clearly in front of everyone else. And it’s not like there’s not still plenty of depth behind that group, either. It’s not quite what it was before the team moved Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray, and Shed Long – all top 11 prospects in the organization at the time. But there’s still plenty of quality prospects in the Top 20 within the system.
How does the current group stack up historically?
It’s going to be tough to beat the 2008 class of Cincinnati Reds prospects. Hindsight certainly helps the allure, but even at the time the group was special. Depending on where you looked, four players were ranked within the top 25 in all of baseball. Jay Bruce was the #1 prospect that year on the Baseball America list. Homer Bailey came in at #9. Johnny Cueto was next, coming in at #34 on the list. Then there was Joey Votto at #44 overall. Drew Stubbs rounded out the Reds representation at #100. That group and this current group had five guys in total, but the representation was a bit better that year. Guys were just a little bit higher, across the board, than this years crop. And while the depth each year does come into play, I don’t believe it makes a difference here.
With all of that said, the current group is quite strong. Who knows if it will flourish and help turn the Reds fortunes around like that 2008 class did. That class was special in the sense that the top four guys were all Major League ready at roughly the exact same point in time. This group isn’t and is a bit more spread out in terms of their ETA. Still, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if several players from this class reaches the Majors before June of 2020.