Baseball America just published its updated list of the top ten prospects in the Reds system:
- RHP Robert Stephenson
- RHP Raisel Iglesias
- OF Jesse Winker
- RHP Michael Lorenzen
- RHP Nick Howard
- RHP Anthony DeSclafani
- LHP Amir Garrett
- RHP Nick Travieso
- OF Aristides Aquino
- OF Yorman Rodriguez
Seven pitchers in the top ten, six are right-handed. Doug Gray’s rankings are even more tilted toward RHP.
- RHP Robert Stephenson
- OF Jesse Winker
- RHP Michael Lorenzen
- RHP Nick Travieso
- OF Yorman Rodriguez
- RHP Sal Romano
- LHP Amir Garrett
- RHP Anthony DeSclafani
- RHP Nick Howard
- RHP Rasiel Iglesias
The overall system is strong, but not balanced. And it’s slanted the wrong way in today’s offensive-starved era. To the organization’s credit, it has developed the team’s current starters at C, 1B, SS, 3B, CF and RF and its top three SP (four, counting Tony Cingrani) and closer. That’s a great record. But who is the next 3B or SS or 2B or 1B? As recently as ten years ago (when Walt Jocketty was building his last World Series champions) it was unambiguously the right move to stockpile pitchers. Today, not so much.