It’s safe to say the analysts at MLB Pipeline REALLY liked the Cincinnati Reds 2024 MLB Draft, considering there’s 2 draftees graded higher than several from last year. This year’s MLB Pipeline update is out – let’s get into our top 5, who has some new faces. Overall, the MLB Pipeline slated the Cincinnati Reds as having 4 top 100 prospects in this update. Overall, MLB Pipeline believes the Cincinnati Reds have the 14th best farm system in baseball. We’ll take that, won’t we, after graduating over 8+ top 100s the last 3 years? Yep.
Reds #1 Prospect – RHP Chase Burns
We could’ve all predicted this, couldn’t we? MLB Pipeline slotted Chase Burns as the Reds #1 prospect. On the overall top 100 list, he comes in at #24 – which would rank him the 3rd best RHP in the pipeline, just behind Chase Dollander (why?) and Jackson Jobe. Chase won’t pitch professionally in any games this year, but the Reds, of last note, are having him stretch back out and pitch some in Arizona at the complex.
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Reds #2 Prospect – RHP Rhett Lowder
This shouldn’t come as any surprise, even though he’s struggled a little bit, if you want to call it that. Rhett is on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 at 35 overall, labeling him the 5th best RHP in the pipeline. Rhett hasn’t really struggled insurmountably, but he has been hit quite a bit in AA. Still, even while being hit around, he’s sporting a 17:69 BB:K, which signals he’s throwing a ton of strikes, maybe too many, which sounds funny, but is a real thing. He was having trouble missing bats early on in Chattanooga.
Reds #3 Prospect – SS Edwin Arroyo
Edwin’s 2024 campaign was cut short due to labrum surgery, which we hope to heck he can recover completely from, but the outlets still really, really like him and so do I. I still think he was the best “prospect” to come from the Luis Castillo trade and he was showing a lot of promise in 2023. Not much to write about him here other than we hope he’s recovering well and will be back completely for 2025. He is MLB Pipeline’s 72nd overall prospect in the game, which you take considering he hasn’t played at all in 2024.
Reds #4 Prospect – IF Sal Stewart
What a year the kid is having, y’all. I don’t want to call this one a surprise at all, because it’s not, Sal is arguably the best hitter in all of the Reds organization and is proving it time and time again. Chattanooga is assuredly on the radar. Had he not been banged up the last month, he’d be there already. He’s currently slashing .279/.391/.454/.845 in Dayton with 32 extra base hits, 8 of those being homers. The only knock you can find on Sal’s game is…where will he play? He should be grabbing an outfielders glove, in my opinion, when he heads to Chattanooga shortly. Really could see him playing LF.
Reds #5 Prospect – IF Cam Collier
Cam Collier has been in and out of the top 100 list about 3 different times now, and although the first time it was warranted him not being in there, this time I’m not sure I agree with it. He’s been showing his raw power again in Dayton A+, slashing .243/.336/.416/.752 on the year now with 15 HRs and 17 2Bs while sporting a 46:110 BB:K. The issue with Cam in ’24 has been consistency – he’s been up and down a whole lot. Of late, he’s back on absolute fire. Like Sal…Cam doesn’t have a sure spot on the diamond when it comes to defense. Easy to see why he was dropped out of the top 100.
Remaining Top Prospects Per MLB Pipeline for Cincinnati
- #6: SS Tyson Lewis – This is our first real big ‘surprise’ – I’m a bit shocked the analysts ranked him over Sammy Stafura, for example, being as Sammy has been playing pro ball already & is proving to be a force. Pipeline really likes this kid.
- #7: C Alfredo Duno – Alfredo is by far one of the shining spots of the Reds organization right now. He was hot to start 2024 before an injury in May and has been out since, but this is a well earned ranking. He’s just 18 years old, he had a .789 OPS headed into June before injury with 3 HRs. In the FSL, that’s incredible. Doing it at 18? Even more impressive.
- #8: RHP Chase Petty – Easily one of the biggest underperformers, Chase Petty had big expectations and has not met them. He’s been way better in Chattanooga of late, but Chase has really struggled throwing consistent strikes. His K% is still in tact, which is a great sign, but he’s carrying a 1.53 WHIP to his name right now. Not ideal. He’s still 21 though. Gotta hang in with him.
- #9: SS Sammy Stafura – If there’s a Cincinnati Reds MiLB Player of the Year award to give out, my vote is casted for Sammy Stafura. The dude is tearing up A ball in the FSL this year, slashing .259/.376/.415/.791 with 6 HRs. The FSL is notoriously very pitcher friendly, so this is extremely bullish. He’s 19, a lot of us didn’t anticipate a first year professionally like this for him. He came in with only 45 grade power, but has proven that to be a hoax with 6 HRs already at 19 in the FSL. There’s a LOT to love about this kid.
- #10: SS/3B Ricardo Cabrera – Ricardo is best slated here due to his raw abilities. He has 10 HR in FSL right now at 19, and has swiped 15 bags. He’s got a lot to show and a ton of talent. We’ll see how he does going forward.
Remaining 20 Prospects
- 11: RHP Julian Aguiar
- 12: OF Hector Rodriguez
- 13: RHP Luke Holman
- 14: OF Mike Sirota
- 15: OF Rece Hinds
- 16: RHP Connor Phillips – Whew what a tumble
- 17: 2B/OF Carlos Jorge
- 18: OF Blake Dunn
- 19: SS/OF Sheng-En Lin
- 20: RHP Ty Floyd (Has not played, surgery)
- 21: 2B Peyton Stovall
- 22: LHP Tristan Smith
- 23: RHP Zach Maxwell
- 24: RHP Cole Schoenwetter
- 25: OF Adolfo Sanchez
- 26: LHP Adam Serwinowski
- 27: RHP Lyon Richardson
- 28: SS Naibel Mariano
- 29: SS Leo Balcazar
- 30: OF Kyle Henley
I think you can mark 2024 for the Cincinnati Reds farm system a little bit of a disappointment, mainly because they’re going super pitcher heavy of late in drafts & acquistions and they aren’t performing too well.
Most surprising player for Nati: Sammy Stafura
Most depressiong player for Nati: Connor Phillips
