Cincinnati Reds minor league spring training roster for 2020

Big league spring training is officially underway. Pitchers and catchers had to report last week. Position players checked in on Sunday and get their physicals today. Minor League camp, though, won’t begin for a few more weeks. Minor League games won’t begin for another month out in Arizona. But we do have the minor league spring training roster. This will change throughout the course of the spring as players are sent back to minor league camp from big league spring training, there are potential signings between now and the end of the spring, as well as releases during camp. But as of today, here’s how things look:

There are 163 players on the first spring invite list. That’s down from last year when there were 171 players. The difference is small, and without looking at the Major League spring rosters for the last two seasons, it’s possible that’s where the difference comes from.

There are a few players who will be in the US for the first time. The biggest name is going to be Michel Triana, one of the big signings from the 2019-2020 International Signing period last summer. The infielder signed out of Cuba for a 7-figure deal. He doesn’t have any professional experience outside of Cuba.

Triana is not the only player that will be in spring training out in Goodyear that has never played in an affiliated professional game before, though. Misael Lopez, who dominated in the Mexican Winter League this offseason as an 18-year-old, will be with the Reds in minor league camp. The left-handed pitcher posted a 2.18 ERA in 33.0 innings with one home run allowed, just 11 walks, and he struck out 34 hitters.Right-handed pitcher Arij Fransen signed out of the Netherlands in May of 2019, but didn’t pitch during the season.

There’s also one player who was in the Dominican Summer League last season coming up for spring training – Jose Ortega. The 20-year-old right-handed pitcher pitched in limited innings in both 2018 and 2019 with the DSL Reds. In 2018 he threw just 13.0 innings. Last season he threw just 2.2 innings.

Another big name that will be interesting to follow if you’re in Arizona is Rece Hinds. He only played in three games last season after being drafted before an injury kept him out the rest of the year. The Reds 2nd round pick last season will put on a show in batting practice, but he’s had limited action against professional pitching since he signed due to his injury.

Garrett Wolforth is listed as a catcher. Last season with Billings and Greeneville he played first, left, and right field. He did catch some in college, so perhaps he’s making a move behind the plate. I’ll reach out for more information on this one and see what I can find out.

The Fun Stuff

There will be five players that are 18-years-old in spring training: Misael Lopez (LHP), Arij Fransen (RHP), Rafael Franco (OF), Yamil Nieves (C), and Yassel Pino (3B). The oldest player in Goodyear on the backfields will be Rob Wooten, who is 34, and is trying to come back from another arm injury. Brandon Barnes, Junichi Tazawa, and Chris Volstad are all 33-years-old. No one else in camp will even be 29.

There are 75 right-handed pitchers and 15 left-handed pitchers that will be in camp. 16 catchers will be in Goodyear to start the spring, and there will be another 30 infielders. The remaining 27 players are all outfielders.