With the ill timed injuries to Scott Feldman and Zack Cozart, the Reds are pretty much standing on the sidelines this year watching the other teams being active as we approach this years trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Reds are currently in line for the 4th overall pick in the baseball draft next June. At least we’ll have another top prospect to follow then. Let’s see what the rest of the prospects are up to.
AAA Louisville Bats
The Bats have a 42 – 61 record and are 4th out of 4 in the International League West.
International League hitters are hitting .258/.326/.397/.723.
IF Alex Blandino, .263/.372/.450/.822 in 95 PA, has played himself back into prospect status this season. OF/IF Darnell Sweeney, .291/.368/.434/.802, has been a pleasant surprise since joining the Reds organization. OF Jesse Winker, .307/.390/.394/.784, continues to do his thing at AAA by getting on base at a high rate. OF Sebastian Elizalde, .301/.353/.409/.762, has positioned himself to compete for a bench role next spring. IF Brandon Dixon, .255/.324/.430/.754, has been solid at the plate, but leads the club with 20 E. OF Phillip Ervin, .257/.329/.386/.714, has his numbers back up to a respectable level after a slow start. 2B Dilson Herrera, .264/.312/.397/.709, has seen his season come to and end as he will undergo shoulder surgery.
International League pitchers have a 4.03 ERA.
RH SP Tyler Mahle, 2.88 ERA, has now thrown 34.1 IP allowing 30 H and 8 BB with 34 SO since joining the Bats. LH SP Cody Reed, 3.79 ERA, continues to struggle with his new mechanics as shown by his 47 BB in 78.1 IP at AAA. LH SP Amir Garrett, 7.62 ERA, has been very easy to hit, 36 H in 26 IP, while with the Bats. RH SP Jackson Stephens, 4.80 ERA, has been inconsistent since coming back down from the Reds. RH SP Rookie Davis, 5.93 ERA in 3 GS at AA, since rejoining the Bats. RH RP Jimmy Herget, 1.62 ERA, now has only 3 BB in 16.2 IP at AAA. RH RP Kevin Shackelford, 1.58 ERA, has 12 S for the Bats. RH RP Alejandro Chacin, 3.00 ERA is pitching well out of the bullpen.
AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
The Blue Wahoos have a 55 – 46 record and are 1st out of 5 in the Southern League South. The Blue Wahoos are the Southern League South first half division champions.
Southern League hitters are hitting .246/.323/.373/.696.
3B Nick Senzel, .309/.367/.464/.830, continues to rake. 1B Gavin LaValley, .259/.331/.426/.757, is back on track after a short slump. 2B Shed Long, .196/.288/.359/.647, continues to raise his numbers after a very slow start at AA. OF Aristides Aquino, .210/.273/.375/.648, will most likely have to repeat AA next season.
Southern League pitchers have a 3.62 ERA.
RH SP Deck McGuire, 2.65 ERA, continues to get it done at AA. RH SP Jose Lopez, 3.17 ERA, has been impressive in his first 8 GS since his promotion to AA. RH SP Jesus Reyes, 2.45 ERA, has been good over his first 2 GS at AA. RH SP Keury Mella, 4.45 ERA, has not impressed this season at AA. RH Domingo Tapia, 3.77 ERA, has excelled in a split role this season (25 G with 6 GS). RH RP Zack Weiss, 0.93 ERA in 9.2 IP, has 5 S since joining the club from A+. RH RP Carlos Gonzalez, 2.05 ERA, has allowed just 17 H and 7 BB in 22 IP.
High A Daytona Tortugas
The Tortugas have a 39 – 59 record and are 5th out of 6 in the Florida State League North.
Florida State League hitters are hitting .250/.321/.362/.682.
IF Luis Gonzalez, .281/.293/.395/.687, has only 3 BB in 123 PA since joining the Tortugas. C Garrett Boulware, .278/.321/.365/.686, is hitting at a league average clip. OF Daniel Sweet, .260/.361/.301/.662, leads the club with 31 BB. OF T.J. Friedl, .250/.318/.302/.620, is struggling since joining the Tortugas. SS Alfredo Rodriguez, .250/.286/.301/.587, has shown a weak bat thus far. C Chris Okey, .191/.274/.260/.534, does have a 10% BB rate.
Florida State League pitchers have a 3.48 ERA.
RH SP Wendolyn Bautista, 3.94 ERA, has been steady in the Tortugas rotation. RH SP Vladimir Gutierrez, 4.47 ERA, has a solid first start returning from the DL. LH SP Seth Varner, 5.00 ERA, has not walked a batter over his first two starts. RH RP Ryan Hendrix, 1.35 ERA in 13.1 IP, is off to a good start since joining the Tortugas. RH RP Austin Orewiler, 3.38 ERA, has been solid in the bullpen.
Low A Dayton Dragons
The Dragons have a 53 – 48 record and are 3rd out of 8 in the Midwest League Eastern. The Dragons clinched a wildcard berth in the Midwest League East Division with their first half finish.
Midwest League hitters are hitting .248/.323/.380/.703.
OF Jose Siri, .293/.337/.517/.854, continues to mash against A league pitching. OF Taylor Trammel, .285/.360/.453/.813, is hitting very well for the Dragons. 1B Bruce Yari, .262/.359/.401/.761, has been a great addition to the club. 2B Malik Collymore, .237/.318/.424/.742 in 66 PA, has done well since joining the team. 3B John Sansone, .218/.327/.399/.726, has been placed on the DL.
Midwest League pitchers have a 3.92 ERA.
RH SP Tony Santillan, 3.18 ERA, has 96 SO in 99 IP. LH SP Wennington Romero, 4.91 ERA, has 93 SO and 23 BB in 106.1 IP. RH RP Carlos Machorro, 2.41 ERA, is throwing well out of the bullpen. RH RP Aaron Fossas, 2.52 ERA, has saved three games. LH RP Jesse Adams, 2.87, has 60 SO and 8 BB in 53.1 IP of relief.
Rookie Billings Mustangs
The Mustangs have a 18 – 17 record and are 1st out of 4 in the Pioneer League North.
The Pioneer League hitters are averaging .286/.368/.445/.813.
2B Alejo Lopez .343/.410/.529/.940, has 11 BB and 8 SO in 120 PA. CF Miles Gordon, .318/.397/.536/.933, leads the club with 15 BB. LF Andy Sugilio, .325/.366/.509/.875, has been raking as of late. 3B Leandro Santana, .279/.323/.492/.815, leads the club with 7 HR. CF Stuart Fairchild, .310/.378/.410/.788, leads the club with 9 SB. SS Jeter Downs, .258/.372/.364/.735, has 11 BB in 78 PA.
The Pioneer League average ERA is 5.44.
LH SP Packy Naughton, 4.26 ERA, has 28 SO and 8 BB in 25.1 IP over 5 GS. Jhon DeJesus, 4.18 ERA, has been pitching well also. RH SP Tyler Mondile, 4.19 ERA, is doing a good job for the Mustangs thus far. RH RP Ryan Nutof, 0.69 ERA, is throwing great out of the bullpen. RH RP Cory Thompson, 1.38 ERA, has 12 SO and 8 BB in 13 IP. RH RP Connor Ryan, 1.93 ERA, has 11 SO and 2 BB over 9.1 IP of relief. RH RP Moises Nova, 2.45 ERA, has 27 SO and 7 BB in 25.2 IP.
Rookie AZL Reds
The Reds have a 10 – 14 record and are 3rd out of 5 in the AZL Central.
The AZL hitters averaged .261/.344/.394/.739.
1B Justin Bellinger, .389/.450/.722/1.172, has been on fire since joining the club. RF Reshard Munroe, .373/.500/.510/1.010, continues to punish Rookie League pitching. RF Raul Wallace, .324/.342/.507/.849, has cooled off a bit lately. 2B Alejandro Paulino, .306/.342/.472/.814, is hitting very well. 2B Cash Case, .157/.272/.229/.500, is struggling so far in professional baseball.
The AZL average ERA is 4.80.
LH SP Jacob Heatherly, 1.93 ERA, has 11 SO in 9.1 IP. RH SP Ricardo Smith, 2.53, has 29 SO and 6 BB in 21.1 IP. RH SP Jose Castillo, 3.12 ERA, is off to a very good start. RH RP John Ghyzel, 2.84, has been very good out of the bullpen. RH RP Jared Solomon, 3.21 ERA, has done a good job in relief.
I hope this is how Justin Bellinger hits for the rest of his career.
I just checked Siri’s stat line at Dayton and … wow.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=459&stn=true&sid=t459
Haven’t heard that much about him … he’s ranked #24 in the Reds system by MLB.com. Here’s their profile of him:
“Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
The Reds have worked to develop a number of super-toolsy outfielders in recent years with similar profiles: power and speed plus ridiculous athleticism mixed with a good dose of free-swinging tendencies. Siri definitely fits that mold and is one of the most talented athletes in the system.
Siri’s tools are undeniable. He’s a plus runner who has already shown the ability to steal bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield. He plays a good defensive center field and has the kind of arm — he had 16 assists in 82 games in 2016 — to profile well in right, where he has seen some time as well. There is tremendous raw power in his right-handed swing, and he has the chance to continue to show it off in games if he can keep refining his approach at the plate.
His lack of plate discipline led to him struggling in his first taste of full-season ball in 2016. But to his credit, a return to the Midwest League in 2017 has gone well, with a better walk rate and fewer strikeouts. There’s a long way to go, but if he keeps heading in that direction, he has the chance to be an impact player.”
Hopefully this someone who continues to develop.
Siri just turned 22 last week, so he’s age-appropriate or close to it. Last night, he had two homers and an outfield assist. Doug Gray loves him. In 241 plate appearances since May 21st he’s hit .350/.384/.691. He is tons better than the 24th best prospect.
The knock, as Tom notes, has been lack of plate discipline. He’s now on a 31-game hitting streak, so you could probably make a case that he isn’t walking because he’s always finding a pitch to mash. It may be that he needs tougher competition to learn plate discipline. Perhaps he will make it to AA by this time next year, at age 23, and then it will be game-on to see who he really is. He could be a guy who won’t need to play AAA.
Trammell at age 19 in that league is very, very encouraging.
And more than holding his own. Wouldn’t it be great to see him rocket up through the minors next year and have a 21-22 year old phenom on our hands in 2019?
Why isn’t Siri at least with the Tortugas- he seems to be dominating, as far as his rating as a prospect, I thought Doug Gray noted some issues with how they ranked his speed and defense a lot lower than what it should be, caused him to be only 24. I forsee him sky rocketing up the list if he can produce at higher levels.
Any body know Brandon Dixon’s reputation as a fielder, I know Errors can be misleading. He might get to a lot of balls or the IB does his no favors on close plays- but he might also be just awful fielder
He plays a lot of positions but does not play any of them well. Sounds like a future DH if he ever makes the big leagues